Follow the River

By: James Alexander Thom

Narrated by: David Drummond

Length: 16 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

Mary Ingles was 23, happily married, and pregnant with her third child when Shawnee Indians invaded her peaceful Virginia settlement in 1755 and kidnapped her, leaving behind a bloody massacre. For months they held her captive. But nothing could imprison her spirit.

With the rushing Ohio River as her guide, Mary Ingles walked one thousand miles through an untamed wilderness no white woman had ever seen. Her story lives on - extraordinary testimony to the indomitable strength of one pioneer woman who risked her life to return to her own people.

©1981 James A. Thom (P)2010 Tantor

Still good, but can tell it was written by a man

I really liked the story but the ‘only thing that matters
Is getting back to my husband’, leaving her kids behind, and thinking ‘we’ll just replace the kids” with new kids and start again, was laid on a little too thick. Don’t let that stop you from reading the story but this aspect of the storytelling kind of cheapened the depth of the character.

Best, most excellent

Each chapter brought a new shock and almost mouth dropping moment, all the way through. Tears and laughter and joy. Revelation that the human spirit and faith in God are awe inspiring!

Great!

Grabbed my attention immediately. Could hardly stand to put it down to go to sleep. It is an unbelievable story, but yet it's true. The narrator also did a goog job with all of the different characters which I'm sure was a challenge particularly with the Irish and Dutch accents.

Amazing read

Very well written. Insightful depiction based on a true story. I want to go find this bluff on the New River!!

Fascinating

An extremely, riveting story made all the better for being true. I loved this book.

Magnificent Read

I could listen to this over and over. It is well written and read. It is not difficult to become completely immersed. The author exquisitely paints with his words so that the reader is left with no doubts as to what life was like at that time. A daring departure from the tendency to romanticize our move west and the Native American as a stoic victim waiting to be abused by the white demons pushing across the landscape.

Truly inspiring

I’ve listened to this twice and both times was captivated. I had no problem with the reader, he was amazing, didn’t matter it wasn’t a woman reading it, Beautifully read and no problem following which character was speaking. The author writes so visually clear I could imagine the scenes easily and have been to some of the river areas he writes about. He describes it exactly as it is. Although a brutally true story, showing humans at their worse the story of Greta’s and Marys courage is beyond my ability to understand how, even in pain, despair, anger and fear they kept going.
Don’t bother seeing the 1995 movie, it’s almost beyond words pathetic. An insult to these real women.

deserves more attention

WV born with early Scots-Irish colonial settler ancestors, this epic resonates with me deeply.

Inspired by this story!

Very inspiring & captivating telling of this story, no pun intended. I couldn’t put it down! I hope to visit Radford, VA to observe & walk where Mary walked someday!

Great story, well read

Great story about the human spirit and perseverance against unspeakable odds
Well performed by the reader.