Raging Rivers

The Kincaids, Book 1

By: Donna Ball, Shannon Harper

Narrated by: Joe Smith

Length: 9 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

On foot, on horseback, in covered wagons and mule carts they came, traversing treacherous rivers and wild plains in search of the Promised Land, drawn ever westward by the promise of the new American frontier.

Katherine Carlyle, a desperate woman with a violent past, leaves behind the graves of her family and the only home she has ever known in search of a new life. An unwanted passenger on a westward bound flatboat, she is forced into the role of hero when catastrophe strikes and only she has the skill - and the courage - to lead a band of women and children through the wilderness to safety.

Byrd Kincaid, trapper, trader, adventurer and river pilot, is interested in only one thing: survival. His chances of survival are cut in half the minute he hooks up with Katherine Carlyle's ragtag band of refugees, but he knows he has no choice. Together Katherine and Byrd must overcome fire, flood and the vicious vengeance of evil men before claiming their destiny: a dynasty that will tame a wild land and build a civilization.

©1992 Donna Ball Inc and Shannon Harper (P)2014 Blue Merle Publishing

great adventure

This book will keep you guessing all the way to the end. It is a taken off tremendous courage and hope

Raging Rivers

I really enjoyed this book. But did not like the reader. I realize there were many voices, but his female and children's voices were awful. I nearly stopped reading several times because of this. I'm glad I didnt, because I love the Author and try to read all of her books.

Great Story

Only thing that would have been better was to have a woman’s voice do the women. The male voice was very strange.

first time the story redeemed the reader

This was a wonderful story! The brave history of this young woman and her rejection by some of the other women or at least the petty women in the group is normal human behavior and was well identified and characterized. However, I can’t imagine how great it would’ve been had the guy been able to read women’s voices without making them all sound like elderly Crohn’s about to give up the ghost. I realize that readers have their place, and he read the men’s voice is just fine, but his reading of women’s voices just couldn’t get there. Even the children’s voices sounded awful. Would love to Finish this series, hopefully with a better reader.

Seriously slow

What disappointed you about Raging Rivers?

Pacing and narration. I was anticipating sentimentality and a bit of sappiness--in fact, that's what I was looking for-- but ths story moves SO slowly it's painful. Feelings are dwelt on, and dwelt on, and repeated, and dwelt on some more, interspersed with occasional actual happenings. And once things get going, there are only women and children in the story for some time--and they chose a male narrator who can't do a credible female voice to save his life? With the main protagonist being a woman? What on earth were they thinking?

What could Donna Ball and Shannon Harper have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Pick up the pace, put in more action, and have a woman do the narration.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Joe Smith?

Maybe Margaret Fenton? Or Donna Tratt? Not sure either of them be right for it either, but either would be better than Joe Smith.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Annoyance.