Peace Like a River by Leif Enger (2001-09-02)

I love classic literature. My two favorite books have, for a l-o-o-o-o-ng time been To Kill a Mockingbird and Huck Finn. I have to say Peace Like a River is right up there with them. Each character is precious in their own way. Just like Huck & Scout, the child narrator is the perfect voice for this powerful, funny, sweet, and memorable story.

The book adds magic to what we experience as reality. As such it brings hope to despair and anticipation to dread. Highly recommended and I will be an ongoing fan. Reminds me somewhat of Mark Helprin.

This is my most favorite contemporary novel. I love it! My husband read it twice. The language is gorgeous, the characters are so interesting and engaging, the plotline is unexpected. I cried like a baby.

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.

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.

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 read this book as a result of Mayor Hickenlooper's "one book" program for Denver. From the beginning, it was a substantial disappointment.
Overall, I found _Peace Like a River_ dull and not at all engaging. I did not find myself caring about the characters or what happened to them. Instead, I was mostly annoyed by them. The narrator, Reuben, is an inconsistent voice. It is clear from the beginning that the perspective is one of an adult looking back on his childhood, but that perspective is not maintained throughout the book. Also, I got very tired of Reuben saying "If Swede (his sister) were present, she would have had words enough to describe it," or some variation thereof. Every time this was said, I kept thinking, "so why isn't Swede narrating the book?" Speaking of Swede, I found her not believable for a 9-year-old (she makes a Christmas dinner most adults couldn't make, she writes like an adult, and her vocabulary is way too advanced, especially considering her upbringing and background) and somewhat irritating. The character (and its creator) seemed very self-satisfied. To sum up, many of the characters were archetypes with no surprises or variations.
The story itself was intriguing, but the way the author and characters approached it made it boring. I was able to anticipate the surprises and plot twists. There were spurts of decent writing, but mostly it was dull and common. I also found the book's fantastical/magical component unbelievable and uninteresting. Unlike talented magical realists such as Garcia Marquez, Enger does not make the out-of-the-ordinary seem wonderful or acceptable. The reader is almost hounded with miracles and faith instead of being intrigued by them. I especially found the final miracle to be desperate rather than amazing. The ending is perfect for this book: it is just as disappointing. There are a bunch of very unsurprising, smarmy-sweet events that tie things up, some of which don't even make sense, such as the romance that comes out of nowhere and how Swede's life turns out. In other words, everything is just SO perfect.
I will say, however, that I enjoyed the Sunny Sundown epic, although even that grew tiresome and less skilled as the book wore on. Like other reviewers, I am astounded that so many reputable publications/establishments, even the City of Denver, adored this book.

I read this book as a result of Mayor Hickenlooper's "one book" program for Denver. From the beginning, it was a substantial disappointment.
Overall, I found _Peace Like a River_ dull and not at all engaging. I did not find myself caring about the characters or what happened to them. Instead, I was mostly annoyed by them. The narrator, Reuben, is an inconsistent voice. It is clear from the beginning that the perspective is one of an adult looking back on his childhood, but that perspective is not maintained throughout the book. Also, I got very tired of Reuben saying "If Swede (his sister) were present, she would have had words enough to describe it," or some variation thereof. Every time this was said, I kept thinking, "so why isn't Swede narrating the book?" Speaking of Swede, I found her not believable for a 9-year-old (she makes a Christmas dinner most adults couldn't make, she writes like an adult, and her vocabulary is way too advanced, especially considering her upbringing and background) and somewhat irritating. The character (and its creator) seemed very self-satisfied. To sum up, many of the characters were archetypes with no surprises or variations.
The story itself was intriguing, but the way the author and characters approached it made it boring. I was able to anticipate the surprises and plot twists. There were spurts of decent writing, but mostly it was dull and common. I also found the book's fantastical/magical component unbelievable and uninteresting. Unlike talented magical realists such as Garcia Marquez, Enger does not make the out-of-the-ordinary seem wonderful or acceptable. The reader is almost hounded with miracles and faith instead of being intrigued by them. I especially found the final miracle to be desperate rather than amazing. The ending is perfect for this book: it is just as disappointing. There are a bunch of very unsurprising, smarmy-sweet events that tie things up, some of which don't even make sense, such as the romance that comes out of nowhere and how Swede's life turns out. In other words, everything is just SO perfect.
I will say, however, that I enjoyed the Sunny Sundown epic, although even that grew tiresome and less skilled as the book wore on. Like other reviewers, I am astounded that so many reputable publications/establishments, even the City of Denver, adored this book.

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.