The Wind is Not a River

De: Brian Payton

Narrado por: Mark Bramhall

A gripping tale of survival and an epic love story in which a husband and wife, separated by the only battle of World War II to take place on American soil, fight to reunite in Alaska's starkly beautiful Aleutian Islands.

Following the death of his younger brother in Europe, journalist John Easley is determined to find meaning in his loss, to document some part of the growing war that claimed his own flesh and blood. Leaving behind his beloved wife, Helen, after an argument they both regret, he heads north from Seattle to investigate the Japanese invasion of Alaska's Aleutian Islands, a story censored by the U.S. government.

While John is accompanying a crew on a bombing run, his plane is shot down over the island of Attu. He survives only to find himself exposed to a harsh and unforgiving wilderness, known as "the Birthplace of Winds." There, John must battle the elements, starvation, and his own remorse while evading discovery by the Japanese.

Alone in their home 3,000 miles to the south, Helen struggles with the burden of her husband's disappearance. Caught in extraordinary circumstances, in this new world of the missing, she is forced to reimagine who she is, and what she is capable of doing. Somehow, she must find John and bring him home, a quest that takes her into the farthest reaches of the war, beyond the safety of everything she knows.

A powerful, richly atmospheric story of life and death, commitment and sacrifice, The Wind Is Not a River illuminates the fragility of life and the fierce power of love.

©2014 Brian Payton (P)2014 HarperCollins Publishers

Japan invades Alaska WW2 True story

5/5 would recommend. Japan invaded the Aleutian islands in WW2. US government kept it quiet. This book follows John who is stranded on the occupied island. His wife is in Seattle and joins the USO to find John. The natives who were displaced are part of the story. Very interesting, educational, and realistic about the invasion of Alaska by Japan. Good storyline.

a grim story of war

This book is a grim story of war and not a romance or love story I listened to the entire book but it was not what I had expected.

Sentimental, implausible, and poorly edited

Would you try another book from Brian Payton and/or Mark Bramhall?

Payton, probably not. Bramhall, most likely.

What do you think your next listen will be?

"Speaker for the Dead." Though I'm not usually an SF reader, I found the non-dramatized version of "Ender's Game" intriguing and thought-stimulating.

What about Mark Bramhall’s performance did you like?

His skill in changing personalities and characters' stress levels in changing dramatic situations on without being hammy.

Could you see The Wind is Not a River being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Yes, if only because explosions and overwrought, unrealistic plots dominate cinema and TV. The complex and/or beaten-to-death personality affects would favor a long, multi-season video format.

Any additional comments?

I've returned perhaps two of 300+ books I've bought from Audible because of major flaws, and this one's a reject. The editor lets slip by the perfect case of "to sing" as "had sang" and permits describing lying on one's back as "prone." If plain English is among the errors, how soundly researched are the facts in this historically based novel? I wanted to enjoy it, but it prevented me from doing so.

Fantastic Writing

You wont regret buying this book! Listening to it made me want to workout so that I
could learn what would happen next. You will find yourself routing for the main characters.
As good as the writing in Seabiscuit, Boys in the Boat and Unbroken.

Very compelling storyline.

A most moving story told very well in thus audio version. The characters are well developed in a plot that grabs the attention and makes one want to continue throughout!

Very enjoyable!

Well written and read. A real joy. Recommended by a friend and so glad I followed her lead. Want to read more about this theatre of WWII. Can't help but feel a bit in touch w/ the realities of these characters though, no doubt, the surface is only being scratched from what they truly had to endure and live w/ beyond the war. That is if they survived at all. So many gave so much so we can be free.