The River Widow

By: Ann Howard Creel

Narrated by: Brittany Pressley

Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

From the bestselling author of The Whiskey Sea comes a stirring novel of a young woman’s survival and liberation during the Great Depression.

In 1937, with flood waters approaching, Adah Branch accidentally kills her abusive husband, Lester, and surrenders his body to the raging river, only to be swept away herself.

So begins her story of survival, return to civilization, defense against accusations of murder, and the fight to save herself and her stepdaughter, Daisy, from the clutches of her husband’s notoriously cruel family, who have their sights set on revenge for Lester’s death. Essentially trapped, Adah must plan an escape.

But when she develops feelings for the one person essential to her plan’s success, she faces a painful choice: Will she choose to risk everything saving Daisy or take the new life offered by a loving man?

©2018 Ann Howard Creel. (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Dark

I’ve enjoyed other Ann Howard Creel books and find her an author capable of leaving her reader on cliffs edge with each page of her book. The River widow, although, perhaps, relatable to someone leading a similar life, was very dark to me. Rather than awesome intrigue, as I’ve felt with her other books, I felt a heavy dread throughout. More than once I thought about deleting the book from my library. Only hope for the main character kept me moving forward. I have mixed feelings about recommending this to other readers.

Very intense listen

Story was very heavy and I should have picked a better time to listen to it. There was no levity at all. No emotional relief. Performance was very good.

Well written, well performed.

The author got me heavily invested right away. She painted vivid pictures of the time period, the people, and the surroundings. An easy, engaging listen.

Kept me engaged and guessing the entire book.

This is a beautifully written story of tragedy, desire, and love. Creel's suspenseful and masterfully crafted book kept me fully engaged and guessing to the very end.

This is a powerful story.

Very good story..moving and deep. It kept me involved all the way through. I recommend.

took forever to be free

Held my interest but was long and drawn out almost stopped listening but a ok finish.

Endings....

No spoilers, but the ending was nothing like I thought it would be. I'm no critic by any means however, this really left something to be desired. Same as this review...

all I can say is, if you really want this audiobook use a credit (if you have several) or wait for a free/bogo sale.

Good book. Terrible ending.

Dark story with many suspenseful situations. The ending could have turned this story into a more hopeful and happy ending but the author leaves the lives of Adah and Daisy hanging. If you're looking for a feel good read with a happily ever after...... this is not the book for you.

Blah...

Not enough here to hold my interest and the narrator wasn't the best. I trudge though it but would not recommend this.

Had to take breaks from the tension

This story was an endurance test in subversive cruelty and manipulation. The tension between characters and MC's inner turmoil are razor sharp. As I listened to the book in the evenings, I found myself getting angry and stressed about the character's deteriorating situation. Though I sometimes was frustrated that she didn't stand up for herself, it was believable, especially in that time. The writing was clear and poetic. This is not an action novel. It is a suspenseful drama. The ending did feel a little quick, but it was altogether plausible and provided closure without feeling forced.

The narrator did an excellent job with accents and drawls, and was overall pleasant to listen to.