Book Review

Once Upon a River by Bonnie Jo Campbell


My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Harrowing story with lots of violence, casual sex and heartbreak; all the stuff of life for some. I cannot say I really "liked" this book, but felt compelled by the story to read it.




Margo is a teenage girl with a mother who has left town and a father who is killed, leaving her alone and desperate to make a life for herself. Having grown up on the river and knowing how to fish and hunt, she makes plans to continue life on the river.




Her next two years involve relationships with several men, more violence and being led to care for an elderly man who is dying.




The journey her life takes is an amazing one that is hard to comprehend. The many passages about her killing and skinning animals was a bit much for me.




I read not only to learn and to be entertained, but also to better understand other personalities and human conditions. This book gives the reader a definite idea of a young, rough life with a determination to get through each day the best way she can.




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