Adventure Between the Pages: The River by Michael Neale

10:35 AM


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From the back cover: 
“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.

The common writing advice for today’s authors is to show, not tell. However, many modern books fall into telling you what the point of the story is, or the lesson they wanted you to learn from it. The River was a refreshing change from the norm and trusts the readers to understand this subtle allegory for themselves.

The book design by itself gets five stars. It is made to look like an old, worn book, with rough cut pages. This book would look great on a self or a coffee table and is tempting to any book lover. The design matches the wonderful story inside.

This sweeping narrative not only gives you they story of Gabriel, but an amazingly beautiful and powerful allegory of God. Every time someone talked about The River, it was obvious to me they were also talking about God. Yet, it was written in such a way that that fact isn’t in your face. It pulls you into the story and the allegory rolls gently over you… like a river.

I read this book in one day, even though it wasn’t fast paced or suspenseful. It was a well written and engaging story that left me feeling refreshed.  It also made me want to go spend the day at a river.

If you are looking for a break from heavy story plots and still be challenged, or just a nice Sunday afternoon read, I would highly recommend The River.


I received this book from Thomas Nelson through Book Sneeze in exchange for my honest review.  I was under no obligation to write a positive review.  The opinions in this review are entirely my own.

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1 comments

  1. I also read and enjoyed The River. It's really a book about trusting God, letting go of past hurts so that you can move forward in life. It's an inspiring story about the possibilities that unfold when you are willing to take a risk. Life with God is meant to be an adventure--this book reminded me of that truth! Also, the author has free chapters available on his Facebook page if your readers want to read them. http://www.facebook.com/MichaelNealeOfficial

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