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"The River is a story that will transform how you see yourself and the world." --Andy Andrews, New York Times best-selling author of The Noticer, The Traveler's Gift, and How Do You Kill 11 Million People? "You were made for The River . . ." Gabriel Clarke is mysteriously drawn to The River, a ribbon of frothy white water carving its way through steep canyons high in the Colorado Rockies. The rushing waters beckon him to experience freedom and adventure. But something holds him back--the memory of the terrible event he witnessed on The River when he was just five years old--something no child should ever see. Chains of fear and resentment imprison Gabriel, keeping him from discovering the treasures of The River. He remains trapped, afraid to take hold of the life awaiting him. When he returns to The River after years away, his heart knows he is finally home. His destiny is within reach. Claiming that destiny will be the hardest--and bravest--thing he has ever done.… (more)
User reviews
The story begins with a hike in the woods. Father John Clarke and his five year old son Gabriel take a long hike to a beautiful view over the canyon and the river below it and engage in an intense game of marbles. While playing, they hear two kayakers in trouble, headed for an un-navigable section of the river that would certainly result in their deaths. In the process of rescuing the men John Clarke loses his life before young Gabriel's eyes. Gabriel, his little life shattered, finds himself living with his mother on a Kansas farm. He grows up, still haunted by the loss of his father, and becoming a young man who is quiet, reserved, frustrated, unable to really live. When his best friend calls one day and invites him on a camping trip to Colorado, he reluctantly agrees, facing his demons hoping to find himself were he was lost so many years before.
Instead of finding himself in Colorado, he finds The River. It seems to call to him, speak to him, and draw him near. He becomes friends with Tabitha, a girl he meets on the trip, and she invites him to Colorado for the summer to work at her father's white water rafting camp. He agrees, after being drawn both to Tabitha and The River, and the trip changes his life forever. Gabriel finds himself, but also finds his home.
The River is a nice story about a boy fighting his demons, over powering them, and becoming a man. I enjoyed reading it; freshman author Michael Neale is a good storyteller. Although I liked the book, I feel Mr. Neale tried too hard to make his point about the role of The River in the story. For example, he capitalizes The River at every mention, uses the words The River more often than would be natural, and includes scenes where dreams and reality are confused. All of this was unnecessary, the spiritual and metaphorical significance of the river was well made without it, and it could be argued that overdoing it in that sense detracted from what someone else's metaphorical River could be.
There are also several other relationships in the book that had great potential and could have been much further developed. Gabriel and the farmer with whom he and his mother lived; Gabriel and Tabitha; Gabriel and his mother. All had potential, but left me wanting more.
Despite the criticisms above, The River is a great story of a boy becoming a man, overcoming his demons, growing strong and confident, facing his fears, and finding success despite the serious blows and set-backs. That story is always empowering for me.
• Neale, Michael. El río. Nashville: Grupo Nelson, 18/09/2012. ISBN-10: 1602559252 ISBN-13: 978160255925 Prescio de lista del libro
• Neale, Michael. The River. Oasis Audio, 9/18/2012. Audio, CD, Audiobook, CD, Unabridged. ISBN-10: 1613752733 ISBN-13: 978-1613752739 List price $19.99
• Neale Michael. The River. Waterville, Maine: Thorndike Press. ISBN-10: 1410452255 ISBN-13: 978-1410452252 Large Print Softcover (10/5/12) list price $14.99 Large Print Hardcover (11/6/12) list Price $32.99
• Neale, Michael. The River Discussion Kit. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 11/6/12. ISBN-10: 1401677738 ISBN-13: 9781401677732 list price $19,99
• Neale, Michael. The River Experience (Soundtrack) – Digital MP3 Download (320 kpbs) id475948881 $9.99 10/26/11
Life through the bottom of a Coke bottle
Already a sermon series and a live musical multimedia experience, The River is about to crash into a waterfall of books.
Stuck in the Denver airport, two men share delay time sitting next to one another. Gabriel Clarke is returning home to Corley Falls, Colorado. He has just run the world’s Top Ten Most Dangerous and Beautiful Rivers for National Geographic. Gabriel shares his story with his fellow traveler, and we experience The River.
Five year old Gabriel watched his father, a second generation river guide; climb down the treacherous rocks to save the man who went over the falls in a yellow kayak. Over the falls into Firewater Gorge on the Whitefire River. He watched it all unfold. His hero disappeared into the white water of the river. All he had left was a bag of old Benington marbles and a hole in his heart.
Gabriel’s mom rented the back room of Mr. Earl and Miss Vonda’s home outside Cairo, Kansas. As he grew up helping on the farm, quiet and sad at home and at school, Gabriel felt like he was “Looking at life through the bottom of a Coke bottle – blurry and ill-formed. He could see laughter and joy of the other side of the thick glass, but he couldn’t hear or experience it.”
As he grows, rivers run through Gabriel’s life. A finger-sized river created by a mysterious marble man at the county farmer’s market to show his marbles at their best. A painting of the river in North Carolina where his second-grade teacher grew up. The Arkansas River on the border of Kansas and Oklahoma where Mr. Earl taught him to fish. Rio, Gabriel’s dog who saved his life. Eventually full-circle Gabriel comes to the banks of the Whitefire when his friend Jimmy invites him on a camping trip.
This coming of age story is intensely emotional and masterfully written. Neale is an excellent storyteller. A Dove Award winning song writer, Neale’s songs are recorded by a who’s-who list of contemporary Christian artists. This is one book the reader will need to get at least two copies of, one to keep, and one to give to another reader. A great book for book clubs or Bible studies to read and share. Neale will make you hold your breath, laugh, cry, all the while healing the hole, not only in Gabriel’s heart, but in yours, as well.
NetGalley provided a digital copy for my unbiased opinion.
This is his journey back to the
An uplifting read. It encourages us.
I would recommend this book to anyone.
The story takes place in the Colorado Rockies and “The River.” Gabriel Clarke is mysteriously drawn to The River; he witnessed
New York Times bestselling author, John C. Maxwell said The River will “…inspire readers to live a life they were destined for.” It is a story blended with metaphors, encouraging readers to imagine. Expect to find yourself evaluating your life about forgiveness, letting go of the past, and finding the courage to move on.
It is obvious Michael Neale is an experienced preacher and a gifted storyteller. With vibrant and multilayered characters and settings, this is one of those stories to be told aloud. He must be aware of this, as he created a live performance, based on this book called “River Experience”; visuals and the soundtrack he recorded with Michael Whittaker for “The River” timed with his compelling narrative.
It is a great story about coming of age, facing fears, and change. However, it sometimes feels as the writer tried too hard to make his point about The River’s role. Its spiritual significance was well made even without over using the words “The River”, capitalizing them at every mention, and confusing dreams with reality. But Neale is a freshman author after all.
As Neale writes : “ You can’t fully experience The River from the banks… You have to get in… all the way in.”
So here's the thing, I ditzed out when I first requested the book, and somehow I missed that this was a Christian novel. So I was being me, and updating my status on GoodReads to having it as 'read' and lo, I saw that it was a Christian > Inspirational book. So that kind of changed my framing of how I read the book because at the same time it makes more and less sense. So again, full disclaimer, I am not Christian, and didn't realize it WAS a Christian book. So basically my take away is this book can either be read as an adventure story, or an inspirational story. I read it as the former.
This book was... emotional. For lack of a better term. There were a lot of highs and lows and even though it was a bit of a slow read, I don't mean that in any negative way. The River makes a lot of promises that it will change your worldview and it fell a bit short on that to me. It was a good book, that draws you in and you don't want to stop reading it - even when you are a bit frustrated with the writing. Basically, I think what I'm saying is I see why people loved the book, and I see why people were totally apathetic to it. This is probably a horrible review, but it's actually not because I've recommended this book a few times, and I would recommend it again.
**I received a free copy of the e-book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
There are many characters in this book but only two who are the main focus of this story. Gabriel Clarke and The River. Gabriel spends most of his life, from the time he is three years old and tragedy strikes forcing him to go live with his mother, hating and being angry
In his anger Gabriel Clarke misses a great deal that life has to offer by locking himself into himself and not taking chances or forgiving The River for the tragedy that would change his life, at least for a short time, turning him into someone he is not supposed to be.
Gabriel tries to overcome his fear of life and taking chances but those times usually turn out badly. In this story Gabriel must learn to overcome his fears, to forgive, and to jump into the waters of life. As life would have it he gets the opportunity to experience all of this and so much more when some of his school friends invite him to go on a trip that will take Gabriel back to Colorado and The River. On this trip Gabriel will have his life changed and set on the path he was meant to take and become who was really meant to be.
Michael Neale, in his story The River, focuses on two main characters: Gabriel and The River. Neale uses The River in this story symbolically to depict life with all its ups and downs, ebbs and flows, and white water times as well. For we all know just how rough life can really be at times.
I am thankful I got to read this story because it honestly holds a brilliant lesson in forgiveness for me and others who are suffering through life unable to release the anger that has been acquired over time. A great story with a great lesson we can all benefit from.
I found the characters to be likeable, yet not fully developed. Knowing that past events make them tick, and getting to know them in more depth are two different things. I also know the author wanted to convey a sense of reverence toward the river itself, but I found this to be a little overblown. That said, I truly enjoyed the storyline and found myself wanting to be in the settings; those were descriptive and beautiful!
I found the characters to be likeable, yet not fully developed. Knowing that past events make them tick, and getting to know them in more depth are two different things. I also know the author wanted to convey a sense of reverence toward the river itself, but I found this to be a little overblown. That said, I truly enjoyed the storyline and found myself wanting to be in the settings; those were descriptive and beautiful!
The River is a novel of timeless themes: love, loss, sacrifice, family, beauty, and, ultimately, forgiveness and redemption. In this inspirational narrative, The River is symbolic of God's call on a Christian's life to forgive and step forward with courage and conviction, as well as other metaphorical significance. This is a book you can read quickly and it will keep your interest.
Be sure to check out Neale's website for the book trailer and a short clip showcasing the live event. Neale is an award-winning musician and performer who composed the score for the HD film footage in the live show. After watching the clip, I have a feeling the live show would be a great multi-media experience.
I also have a feeling that the whole multi-media experience might be, in totality, more moving and riveting than the book. While the book was heartening and certainly affirmed enduring lessons, the constant references to "The River" always capitalized and named only in that way became a bit distracting. I think a case could still be made to compare God to an unnamed river without making it The River.
Highly Recommended
Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Thomas Nelson, the publisher, and Netgalley for review purposes.
Mr. Neal is a superb story teller. The characters are well developed and believable. This is a story of courage and it is inspiring, as well. The author's attention to detail and his use of imagery result in a wonderful reading experience. I recommend reading this book.
I received this book free from the publisher, Thomas Nelson, through the BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I give this review of my own free will.