Like a River from Its Course

By: Kelli Stuart

Narrated by: Romy Nordlinger

Length: 14 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Winner of the 2017 American Christian Fiction Writers' Carol Award - Best Christian Fiction of the Year

An epic novel exposing the ugliness of war and the beauty of hope. The city of Kiev was bombed in Hitler's blitzkrieg across the Soviet Union, but the constant siege was only the beginning for her citizens. In this sweeping historical saga, Kelli Stuart takes the listener on a captivating journey into the little-known history of Ukraine's tragedies through the eyes of four compelling characters who experience the same story from different perspectives.

Maria Ivanovna is only 14 when the bombing begins and not much older when she is forced into work at a German labor camp. She must fight to survive and to make her way back to her beloved Ukraine.

Ivan Kyrilovich is falsely mistaken for a Jew and lined up with 34,000 other men, women, and children who are to be shot at the edge of Babi Yar, the "killing ditch." He survives, but not without devastating consequences.

Luda is 16 when German soldiers rape her. Now pregnant with the child of the enemy, she is abandoned by her father, alone, and in pain. She must learn to trust family and friends again and find her own strength in order to discover the redemption that awaits.

Frederick Hermann is sure in his knowledge that the Führer's plans for domination are right and just. He is driven to succeed by a desire to please a demanding father and by his own blind faith in the ideals of Nazism.

Based on true stories gathered from 15 years of research and interviews with Ukrainian World War II survivors, Like a River from Its Course is a story of love, war, heartache, forgiveness, and redemption.

©2018 Kregel Publishing (P)2018 Oasis Audio

Well done!

A masterful interweaving of characters and countries during WWII. I had a little trouble with the male names but their stories were unique and poignant. The strength of the women, both young and old, came through consistently. Not your average war genre novel. Refreshing.

Like a river from its course

Don't Nordlinger compliments the story as her narration brings the characters to life. From beginning to end the characters ebb in and out of their ever changing lives and circumstances. As an author Kelli Stuart always leaves wanting to read more of her amazing books!

Outstanding narrator of a compelling story.

You should listen to this book for no other reason than Romy Nordlinger. She is remarkable moving from character to character in her voice, but also emotion. She captures the moments of emotion that make the listener care about and for the characters in the book. For the most part the story moves quickly enough with just a little slower pace in the last few 2 or 3 chapters.

Eloquently written, Kelli Stuart does not sugar coat what was happening, and she identified the bad guys were not always German. A genuine look into what compels people forward while others simply die. Ms. Stuart weaves the story together in a believable fashion without reaching a cliche'd ending - rather the book finishes strong by examining the decisions made by people in desperate times that changed the course of family trees. Highly recommended.

One of the best books I've listened on Audible!

If you could sum up Like a River from Its Course in three words, what would they be?

Moving and well written.

What other book might you compare Like a River from Its Course to and why?

Beneath a Scarlet Sky - portrayed unlikely heroes in difficult times.

Any additional comments?

Can hardly wait to read or listen to a second book by this author.

Good story but the narrator took getting used to....

It took me so long to get used to the narrators voice on this one. At times it’s so gratingly annoying, I couldn’t stand it. Once I got used to her voice, it was fine. Story was good as well.

I was sorry the book ended!

Such a touching story of wartime heart ache and love as seen through the eyes of several actors and with perfect narration!

Interesting glimpse of WWII life from Ukrainian and Russian perspective

I had to restart the book several times. For some reason, the fact that the narrator’s voice sounded the same for all the main characters confused me. I kept thinking I was still listening to a female character when the story had switched to a male character as first person. After I got that straight, I enjoyed hearing about WWII life from the unusual perspective of a Ukrainian and a Russian.

Good

I appreciate what the book did by trying to show many sides of that time. However listening to it I felt like I was often confused or unsure who they were talking about. Reading this book myself probably would have given a better experience.

Captured my very soul!

I purchased this as an audible book as I do a lot of traveling, but it still took me way too long to finish it. I couldn’t wait to be in the car so that I could listen to just a bit more. Kelli weaved such a story of perseverance through the tragedy of Nazi Germany’s brutal reign of terror, and I grieved and rejoiced with the characters as they navigated life at that time. I can’t wait until her next book. And Romy Norlinger was absolutely brilliant as a narrator! Bravo all - highly recommend this duo!

Narrator ruins book

I am sure this story has a lot of merit and could be very moving. But the narrator--with her sing-song sad voice--ruined this book for me. Honestly, her inflection is SO monotonous! I was unable to get further than the first hour of listening. Wish there was some way to return it for credit as there is no way I'm going to be able to continue listening.