Leaving Blythe River

A Novel

By: Catherine Ryan Hyde

Narrated by: Will Ropp

Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times bestselling author Catherine Ryan Hyde returns with an unforgettable story of courage.

Seventeen-year-old Ethan Underwood is totally unprepared to search for his father in the Blythe River National Wilderness. Not only is he small, scrawny, and skittish but he's barely speaking to the man after a traumatic betrayal. Yet when his father vanishes from their remote cabin and rangers abandon the rescue mission, suddenly it's up to Ethan to keep looking. Angry or not, he's his father's only hope.

With the help of three locals - a fearless seventy-year-old widow, a pack guide, and a former actor with limited outdoor skills - he heads into the wild. The days that follow transform Ethan's world. Hail, punishing sun, swollen rapids, and exhausting pain leave him wondering if he's been fooled yet again: Is his father out here at all? As the situation grows increasingly dire, Ethan realizes this quest has become about more than finding his dad.

From the bestselling author of Pay It Forward comes a story of nature revealing human nature - the trickiest terrain. Navigating an unforgiving landscape, Ethan searches himself for the ability to forgive his father - if he finds him alive.

©2016 Catherine Ryan Hyde (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Coming of Age

This is a poignant coming of age story. The flawed parents ( aren't we all!) and the angst of the boy read true. It was satisfying to see truth revealed and the boy's climb to maturity in the wilderness setting.

ehh.... it was alright

I would return this if I could. I finished the book only to see how it ended. if you enjoy hiking n things you might like this more than I did.

Compelling wilderness adventure

A wonderful coming-of-age story with believable characters and adventure in the wilderness. Enjoyed the changes the several of the characters go through.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book

Love the way Catherine writes with so humanity. All her stories touch my heart and stir my intellect.

Great story for all age levels

A great story that keeps you wanting to read for hours! A lot of family dynamics that many of us can relate to.

Unexpected

When I started listening to this book, I thought I'd gotten the wrong book! I decided to keep going to see if I would eventually remember buying it, but then I started to enjoy it and didn't bother looking up the purchase. The narrator did a great job with the different voices by adding just the correct amount of the necessary emotion for each scene. He was especially good with adding a warmth and innocence to Ethan's character that made me really enjoy this book. I kept trying to listen more often to find out how the book was going to end, but ended up being disappointed there wasn't another chapter when I was finished.

I hope you give this book a try bc I really believe you will be as entertained as much as I was.

Another good story from this author!

My 2nd book from her. I’m 59. I found it wonderful. But I’m sick to death with sexual abuse and sexual stories and murders etc books. I quit tv because of all that crap and turned to here and I don’t need junk books either. I like her books and other authors similar to her because it’s like real life stories without all the crap words and the bad temptations people fall into. Well some of us have come out of it and don’t need to read about it anymore.
This was about growing up and speaking up for yourself and standing tall

as always a

great listen. love the character development in a Hyde story. narrators are always good too.

This is a really good story

I highly recommend this book. It’s a great story with a Feel good ending and adventures along the way. The narrator is superb.

Very entertaining

Nice read... had a hard time putting it down once I got started. The story had a great real time feel and captured an honest viewpoint of a father son relationship that could be any one of us. I enjoyed it right to the end.