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No River Too Wide (2014)

by Emilie Richards(Favorite Author)

4.03 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0778316343 (ISBN13: 9780778316343)

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

Harlequin MIRA

series

Goddesses Anonymous

review 1: AudioBook Review:Stars: Overall: 4 Narration: 4 Story: 4 There was no master plan for this review to appear just as domestic violence is in the news, in fact I had been struggling to finish and polish this review. My first encounter with the writing of Emilie Richards, and I found her characters believable and empathetic, her deft handling of the abuse and, more importantly, the path to recovery FROM the abuse was well-defined and clearly utilizes that curious mix of professional and friend support that is so important in the aftermath. The main characters have strong and resonant voices: Jan who finally worked up the courage to take the opportunity of her abusive husband’s absence to flee: Harmony, Jan’s daughter who left the abuse and has cut off ties with her mot... moreher because of her father’s abuse and lastly Taylor, a single mother since her teen years. Jan and Harmony are the ones I most easily connected with: their rebuilding of their own lives and trying to find the footing for a new relationship, still worrying about the return of the abuser, there are some clearly delineated mother-daughter issues added to anger, guilt, remorse and the associated low self-esteem. Taylor was a little more difficult: her story really was revolving around her learning to trust in a man again, and Adam provided that perfect balance of seeming nice guy with a huge secret that could derail the relationship and progress that Taylor has made. Remarkably free from emotional arm-twisting, Richards effectively moves between history and present-day, allowing each of the women to bring their own story forward and deal with the resulting emotions in their own time. The stories circle and weave together: each story and experience is different, but the three provide a solid overview of abuse and survivors. Karen White provides the narration for this story, and as always her performance does justice to the words on the page. Small nuanced variations in pitch, tone and delivery present each character with a unique sound, and she uses inflection appropriately to present emotion, without overreaching or overacting. Emilie Richards isn’t presenting a story that says domestic violence is bad – everyone is aware of that. What is less talked about, however, is the resilience of the human spirit and the hopeful tone in healing. The supportive friends, the strong friendships and the story of healing make this a not to be missed book. I received an Audio Download from Blackstone Audio via AudioBook Jukebox for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
review 2: I loved this book from the first, even though the plot seems to be similar to , out there about women who undergo traumatic events and undergo a lot of learning, growth and recovery - The book starts with the desperate escape of Janine, a survivor of many years of domestic violence from her husband Rex. She flees to the same small town that her daughter Harmony and baby Lottie live in. Gradually, we learn more about Harmony's own life as a single mother, her relationships with others in the town, such as her friend Taylor's mother Charlotte - and Taylor herself, who is drawn to a mysterious new man in town, Adam, who is there for reasons of his own...I also appreciated the networks of women in this one - the women truckers who help Janine escape, the Goddesses network that Taylor is part of, and how the women come together to help each other, despite the personal dilemmas they face. Janine's story is especially touching and well portrayed, how a woman has to relearn everything about coming back into society, after years of domestic violence and increasing isolation by her husband. She is afraid like so many other survivors, of trusting her own instincts about whom to trust, whether she can actually trust others, and form good relationships with others, friends or otherwise. Janine's bravery in reclaiming herself is really moving, and her journeys remind me of the ones that we all face as women, even if we aren't experiencing traumas like domestic violence.Although this can be read as a stand alone novel, finding out that this is the third volume of a trilogy makes me want to read the previous two volumes in the "Goddess" series! less

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