Editorial Review:Product Description:With a strong, warm voice that brings the South to life,
New York Times bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe writes richly textured stories that intimately portray the complex and emotional relationships we share with families, friends, and the natural world. 'Every book that Mary Alice Monroe has written has felt like a homecoming to me,' writes Pat Conroy, bestselling author of
The Prince of Tides.
Time Is a River is an insightful novel that will sweep readers away to the seductive southern landscape, joining books by authors such as Anne Rivers Siddons and Sue Monk Kidd.
Recovering from breast cancer and reeling from her husband's infidelity, Mia Landan flees her Charleston home to heal in the mountains near Asheville, North Carolina. She seeks refuge in a neglected fishing cabin belonging to her fly-fishing instructor, Belle Carson.
Belle recently inherited the cabin, which once belonged to a grandmother she never knew -- the legendary fly fisher and journalist of the 1920s, Kate Watkins, whose life fell into ruins after she was accused of murdering her lover. Her fortune lost in the stock market crash and her reputation destroyed, Kate slipped into seclusion in the remote cabin. After her death the fishing cabin remained locked and abandoned for decades. Little does Belle know that by opening the cabin doors to Mia for a summer's sanctuary, she will open again the scandal that plagued Belle's family for generations.
From her first step inside the dusty cabin, Mia is fascinated by the traces of Kate's mysterious story left behind in the eccentric furnishings of the cabin. And though Belle, ashamed of the tabloid scandal that tortured her mother, warns Mia not to stir the mud, Mia is compelled to find out more about Kate...especially when she discovers Kate's journal.
The inspiring words of the remarkable woman echo across the years. Mia has been learning to fly-fish, and Kate's wise words comparing life to a river resonate deeply. She begins a quest to uncover the truth behind the lies. As she searches newspaper archives and listens to the colorful memories of the local small-town residents, the story of a proud, fiercely independent woman emerges. Mia feels a strange kinship with the woman who, like her, suffered fears, betrayal, the death of loved ones, and a fall from grace -- yet found strength, compassion and, ultimately, forgiveness in her isolation. A story timeless in its appeal emerges, with a power that reopens old wounds, but also brings a transforming healing for Mia, for Kate's descendants, and for all those in Mia's new community.
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
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I've seen this one before
Mia is one tough, courageous woman, but I can't help feeling that I've seen this in a movie on Lifetime. I enjoyed the setting and thought it was well presented. I initially felt that the fly fishing aspect would keep my interest, but the entire story did. Maybe they should make this into a movie!
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Time is a river - Life is a metaphor
This is book is full of metaphors, some of them better than others. Most of them relate to nature or fishing or hiking or weather. Cancer is a storm. Recovery is being lost in the woods. Fly fishing is about knowing when to let go. Poorly tied flies can cause you to lose a fish. A poorly tied marriage can cause you to lose your spouse. And so on.
Metaphors describing life as a path or a journey abound. Mia changes direction. She charts a new course. She strives to find herself. At one point she goes to a bad place where her sister can't follow. And so on. This book is all about metaphors relating to Mia's self-awareness.
The problem is, other people's self-awareness is frankly boring. And Mia's self-awareness is painfully so. Did she expect the peace and quiet of a mountain cabin would lead to some kind of epiphany? Because it never happened. Whatever meaning of life she expected to find never got found. Instead the story sort of got lost in a long-winded history of another woman who used to live in the same cabin.
The thing that happened to Mia that turned her attitude around and restored her health was, guess what, a man. And not just any man. This was a two-dimensional paragon of a man, a perfect opposite of her two-dimensional lout of a husband. Neither man had any discernable personality. One was simply insensitive and mean, the other was too perfectly sensitive and good, and neither was very interesting.
Add to this long-winded discussions of food, clothes, antiques, and paintings, and you get a really slow-moving story.
Now I am not going to say that nobody will like this book. I am sure there are people with a certain mindset who are truly interested in slow-moving stories about one woman's emotional recovery and the empowerment of women in general. If that is the sort of thing that appeals to you, then go ahead and give this book a try. For me, I was just glad when I finally turned the last page and was finished with it.
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Great story about a woman who overcomes so much
At first I was skeptical about if I would like this book or not. But this book drew me in the minute that I started reading it.
The main character goes through an exceptional amount of loss in a short time. You really feel for her and the pain that she is going through - I frequently found myself with tears running down my face while reading.
I think that it is rare to be able to connect with a character and find strength in her as the story progresses.
I also love that this story was set in the south - to me it adds a warmth and charm to the story.
I would definately recommend to anyone looking to sit down to a good read. You will definately be glad that you did and feel warm at the end of the book.
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I feel very warm inside after reading "Time Is A River"
WoW! I just finished reading this book and I could not get to the computer fast enough to compose my review. I have not cried tears over a book in ages and this is what I did while reading "Time Is A River."
Mary Alice Monroe has such an easy writing style that draws one into her story and characters. Mia is the main character and she is recovering from breast cancer surgery while restoring a remote cabin and learning to fly fish. Her journey from victim to survivor and her growth during the whole process kept me turning the pages. Most importantly, was how at the end of each chapter I just wanted to absorb each faze of Mia's progress.
I really enjoyed reading of her journey and learning her fears and thoughts. Each character in this book is slowly brought to life as a friend, much like one would meet new friends. In addition to Mia's growth in her self, there is also the discovery of a mystery which Mia leans on to learn of the enigma Kate Watkins. In the process Mia "Muddies the Waters" while unearthing Kate's scandal. "Time Is A River" is about family, hurts, dealing, healing, and growing form life's experiences. I will most definitely come back to this book again and again in the future.
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Nice story set in the South
Since I've lived most of my life in the South, I have a soft spot for fiction set in Southern states. This story is mostly set in the mountains of North Carolina. The plot weaves 2 stories together -- one from the present and one from the past -- the story of a breast cancer survivor escaping to the mountains to lick her wounds from her unfaithful husband and the story of a woman flycaster that in her time was the best.
I found it an enjoyable book and look forward to reading other titles by the author. I liked her detailed descriptions of the people in the story and felt connected to the story so that I was sad to reach the end of the book.