Peace Like a River

No real creativity with words but it is a wonderful story, and I loved the characters, especially Jeremiah Land, Swede and Roxana Crawley. Story of Jeremiah Land, who believes in God, giving breath to his son Reuben, who nearly died at birth but faith kept him alive. Jeremiah had gone to college, made it through a tornado, but abruptly quit school and became a janitor. His wife couldn't deal with his decisions, left him and the children, married a rich man, and she has no contact with them. Narrator Reuben has asthma. Younger sister, Swede, loves to write, and her family gets her a typewriter. It is older brother, Davy, who gets into trouble, which sets them all on their journey. Two huge positives – it is so refreshing to read about a devoted father, who loves and listens to his children, and Roxana is such a lovely character – caring and unsentimental, intelligent, good and practical. The book doesn’t end the way I thought it would, and Reuben’s attachment to his wife left me a little weary – the “why” wasn’t explained. But I was hooked. It is so enjoyable to read about good people, who are smart and strong.

From the very beginning, the "narrator," an eleven year old boy, is loveable and relatable, as well as his relationship with his siblings, father, and others. The writing evokes wonderful images, and I could see the story play out. This is not a book to rush thorough, but to savor.

This would be a wonderful book for a book club, especially one with some spirituality. There is a lot of depth and complexity to the characters and the events. (I am not personally spiritual and still enjoyed this book, placing it in my top 10, and have bought 3 additional copies for gifts.)

This book was written with a melody. From the character development, to the plot, the relationships, the landscape. . .each was written with such beauty. It was hard to put this book down and I was sad to close the book when I was done.

Just a great, entertaining read. I loved the first person narrative style, and the relationship between him and his little sister. Good sense of humor woven through a story that has unhappy parts. Living with the frustration and suffering of asthma before today's treatments was so realistically portrayed I had to take deep breaths at times.

Wonderful. One of the most beautiful books I've ever read. I find myself thinking about the prose and style weeks after completing this book. Amazing. Highly recommend; I took too long to start this, I wish I had commenced the minute I purchased it.

The first half of this book is wonderful, particularly the writing, which is full of eloquent phrasing. But the story ran out of steam well before the end of the book. Very sad as it started with such promise.

A family put in a very difficult position because of a murder committed by one of the sons experiences a multitude of ups and downs to get on with their lives. The younger son and daughter develop unusual coping skills but are forced to become part of the problem, not the solution.

I loved the narrative style. It kept me interested and engaged. It was humorous yet had some intensely painful episodes. The juxtaposition of religious elements with cowboy ballad kept the story serious and comic at the same time.

A family put in a very difficult position because of a murder committed by one of the sons experiences a multitude of ups and downs to get on with their lives. The younger son and daughter develop unusual coping skills but are forced to become part of the problem, not the solution.

I loved the narrative style. It kept me interested and engaged. It was humorous yet had some intensely painful episodes. The juxtaposition of religious elements with cowboy ballad kept the story serious and comic at the same time.

I've taught reading and writing at my junior high school for 18 years. I absolutely love this book. The writing is unbelievable; it's a complete art. I love the christian appeal to the book - the father character is so inspiring. He makes me want to be a better parent! I'm going to have to rate this in my top 20 reads of all time and I've read thousands of books! I will continue to read Leif Enger books without a doubt.

This is my second reading of this book, returning to it after reading his "So Brave, Young and Handsome" and remembering his unique talent in capturing the textures of family dynamics, romantic love, adventure and mystery. He creates several special voices and full-sized characters throughout this tale. Some suspension of disbelief might be helpful, if unable to just allow some acceptance of mystery and miracle in life. Am reminded of "Mockingbird" in the voice and viewpoints of the youngsters who tell the story. This is not a modern story, and is the better for it.

Fantastic book. This is best fiction I've read in a really long time. The author writes in such a way that the reader is pulled right into the story and makes the reader experience everything along with the characters. It's just beautifully written. It's poetic. It felt a little bit Mark Twain-ish and a little bit To Kill a Mockingbird-ish. Loved it.

I loved every minute of reading this book. The author grabbed and held me, and it was pure enjoyment from first to last. Only rarely do I meet a book like this one, a compelling fantasy anchored with a sheer truth that is almost too bright. Read it.

A pretty unusual growing-up experience for a young boy in the Midwest in the 1960's! Gives insight into that part of the country and culture. The characters, especially, and the story kept me reading.

I really liked this book and how it revolved around a family; their support for each other in spite of many difficulties led to a believable tale. I read this during a time of extreme cold weather and it was a great book to curl up with.

This story is about a man raising his three kids. It is in the voice of his middle son who has serious health issues. The oldest son gets in trouble with the law and the story soon wraps around how that affects them. I loved the writing and hated for it to end.

This book had great characters and a great story with a mystical theme running through it. I was a part of the story and was sad when the book ended. Did brother Davy do the right thing? I liked it so much that I am afraid to read the author's second book for fear that I will be disappointed.