Rating: 
Summary: A Book You Want to Share
Review: The language of this story moved me in a new way. When you read alot and stumble across something this beautiful, you just want to share the surprise with everyone else you know who cares about reading and the beauty of words. This is a very special book.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful Light
Review: I read a review of this in "Book Page", and read on a whim. I thought about Paul Simon's song, "Peace Like a River", and the memories I have of driving out of Pasco, Washington in 1973 to that tune. This book is as melodic, passionate as the song. It is the most incredible book I've read in years, and I'll be giving it for Christmas.Rueben is a boy - a real boy from a real family with real problems. No artifice, no sugar-coating. His burden of asthma is his smallest. Motherless, bonded spiritually to his family, Rueben's world is transformed by Roofing's bullies and the hell they create. His older brother, Davy Land, gives his life to protect his family, but not like one has come to expect. I often thought of the Paul Simon song - "I've seen a glorious day..", while reading. Reuben knows of that day, and tells his listener in earnest. I enjoyed Reuben's frank recollections, his clipped, artistic flow of narrative, and his delightful, boundless sister, Swede.
I was renewed by many of the kind adults and the compassion that Reuben witnessed. Dr. Nokes, the family attorney, August and Birdie, Andreeson, and others did not make up for the evil characters that lurk in these pages, but they offer enough light for the reader to recognize the evil, and cheer for the good. I'll read it again, and cherish this novel always.
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Summary: Words fail me... How to describe this beauty?!?
Review: This is the definitive book for people who love the beautiful and effective use of language, and also for those who know, or want to know, who God is and how He is involved in our lives.
Remembering this book brings me an impression of floating - of beauty - a complete sense of being IN the world that Mr. Enger describes. Reading this book was like eating the most delicious meal you've ever had - each course better than the last, made to perfection, with the enticing promise of those courses yet to come. The dessert was so delicious, and the flavor left when it's over is pleasurable, sweet, deeply satisfying.
BUY THIS BOOK! Don't delay - don't wonder - buy it, and treat yourself to the most beautiful storytelling you've ever experienced.
Rating:
Summary: Delicious
Review: I wanted to devour this book, but forced myself to read it slowly so it would last longer. The best book I've read all summer.
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Read!
Review: This is a heartwarming and touching story of a father's endearing love for God and his children. Jeremiah is a humble, tender, forgiving man with an incredible heart for the Lord who has been given a very "mystical" and special gift. The children are remarkable characters each unique in their personalities and their own perceptions. Each character is described so well, you'll love getting to know them. The book takes the reader on a great journey through tragedy, family commitment, love, pride and humility and even defeat. But never leaves you without hope. The ending, though a little anti-climatic, does leave you wanting something more.
Definitely worth reading!
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Summary: Read this Book!
Review: There was a wrong-headed review of this first novel today in the NY Times Book Review. Ignore it. This is a wonderful book set in the early 60's in rural Minnesota. Jeremiah Land, the father of three children and a man touched by God, is the hero of this book which is told through the eyes of his middle child, Reuben, then eleven years old. I am not particularly spiritual, but to enter fully intpo this book is to be swept up in marvelous writing and into a world where the northern plains and the miraculous, against all odds!, intersect beautifully and convincingly. Wonderful characterizations abound: Jape Waltzer, a horrid villain; Reuben's sister Swede, a tough little poetess; Roxanna, a late-appearing saint--the list goes on! Suspend disbelief and read this with an open heart.
Rating: 
Summary: Great mix of emotions
Review: This book surprised me -- I didn't know it was going to take me home to North Dakota. I bought it on the recommendation of Publisher's Weekly -- a promising new author with a good book. I read it in two days! I enjoy the way Enger tells the story of a family we have all known -- love, tragedy, disfunction, support for each other. The story kept me wondering, not at all predictable. Although I expected the mother to surface, it didn't really matter whether she did or not. The young girl's amazing skill at writing was a delightful addition and gave a balance to the sadder aspects of the story.
Enger does a terrific job with imagery: burning lignite, the Badlands, federal agents, a little girl writing poetry, a father's direct line to the Almighty, bird hunting and a family finding more than they are seeking.
I recommend this book for anyone who appreciates vivid detail, a bit of the unbelievable and a romp across southern North Dakota.
Rating:
Summary: Why literary prizes were invented
Review: This is a truly wonderful book, full of delicious prose, quaint phrasing, and original metaphors. Maybe everyone speaks like this on the plains but I doubt it. The story is simple and flows easily but the language is what kept me going, and smiling.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful Story
Review: This was a beautifully written book that I enjoyed for many reasons. One being my familiarity to the location and a true understanding of ground blizzards,19 below January days and waiting for snow plows. Another was the way in which the story was told by Rueben years later and his descriptions of all he felt. Swede, his younger sister seemed old beyond her years but I loved her. I recommend this if you need a miracle or just a good story about family.
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Summary: A COMPLEX TALE OF FAITH
Review: As an author with my first novel in its initial release, I whole-heartedly salute Leif Enger's debut work--PEACE LIKE A RIVER. Mr. Enger's novel is a tale of genuine family values and the overwhelming power of faith. Reuben is an asthmatic boy who would not be alive if his father had not, in the name of God, commanded him to breathe as a newborn. Jeremiah Land is the simple though faithful man who performed that miracle and who his son Reuben believes is capable of anything. When Reuben's brother Davy kills two attackers who were threatening the Land family, he is charged with murder. Some people see him as a hero. Others view him as a cold-blooded murderer. On the day of his trial, Davy escapes. With the FBI in pursuit, Jeremiah loads his family in their Airstream to find his son first. What follows is an amazingly plotted novel, packed full of references to literary works and American legends, and an inspirational tale of the power faith can have in people's lives. Fabulous read!
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