Rating: 
Summary: Gripping
Review: Thom has fictionalized a true story with such powerful description that one forgets the fact that most of the details are imagined. They are, however, totally believable, and even though the reader knows the ending (she finally makes it home), the book is difficult to put down. Every footstep of the journey is vivid. The author also manages to portray the Indians as human beings in spite of the gory details of the massacre. Mary Ingles was a fourth great-grandmother of a friend of mine, and this makes the book more immediate for me. My own great-great grandfather was survivor of a Shawnee massacre in the same area 20 years later. I am astounded at the courage and endurance of these brave people who were our forebears. As a writer, I was amazed at how many different ways Thom describes weather, terrain, pain, and terror. Mary's decision to give up her baby to the Indian girl was a selfless, practical act, and her mental and emotional strength kept her from descending into a morass of romantic, sentimental, blubbering guilt. This book should be required in American history courses as adjunct reading material. It tells us what a history book cannot--the human side of the early development of this country.
Rating:
Summary: Welcome to the reality of that time period...
Review: My very gentle (79 yr old) mother gave me this book to read, indicating I was to be sure and return it as it is a wonderful story she wanted to read again. So with delight I began reading ... the first few chapters were (as noted in other reveiws) very gory, and hard to imagine, but that's the reality in the story. I am sensitive, and have a squeamish nature, and don't gravitate towards this type of novel, however, I could understand my mother finding it an inspiring story about a woman of great strength and courage.
Rating:
Summary: Follow the River
Review: After reading this book a couple of years ago I became a James Alexander Thom fan! I could not put this book down either like many have said. Mary does come to life and it is extremely difficult to put this book down. Excellent reading.
Rating:
Summary: Story Of Survival And Inspiration
Review: James Alexander Thom makes the past feel like present. This true story about Mary Ingles and her struggle to return to her husband kept me up at night. Thom had done his research and mastered it by writing an intriguing novel. The story takes you along the Ohio River with Mary while she is taken from her family, and then her return home. He gives you many facts about living in past times and also about the area scenery of Ohio and Kentucky.This book was recommended to me because I am a hiker and I live on the Miami River, which is mentioned in this book. This has given me inspiration in all my mountainous travels after I have read this book. It was also more interesting because I live in the area. If you live in northern Kentucky or southern Ohio area, or are a hiker, I'm sure you will enjoy this book.
Rating:
Summary: Could not put it down!
Review: Just as a casual read I picked this book up and found in it the most excitement I have read in a long time! It keeps you drawn into it's pages and does not let you go until you read the very last page!
Rating: 
Summary: a more realistic review
Review: I am surprised that three reviewers hated this book, but I am also surprised that the other 48 almost all gave it 5 stars. This novel, while absorbing, is not perfect. Mary's inner dialogues (and her dialect) may or may not be historically accurate, but she does suffer from shades of melodrama. The descriptions of scenery on her journey home could have been edited down some. However, these are not fatal flaws. The book is graphically violent in places, but much less than, say, _All Souls' Rising_, which was a National Book Award Finalist. The violence in _Follow the River_ is not gratuitous but presuamably accurate to its time and place. No, this is not a children's book, but no one said it was; and my best friend and I first read and appreciated it at twelve or thirteen in a way a few adults have obviously been unable to. Finally, does Mary "willingly abandon" her children? Good grief, what a claim!
Rating:
Summary: Survival story
Review: I love survival stories, and this is one of the highest quality. Like what everyone else said, I couldn't put this book down. The descriptions were great, and I felt like I was traveling with them along the banks of the river. Mary Ingles, also rings strangely true, her character came across as different to me from so many other fictionalized characters, as more honest, human, like James Alexander Thom actually took some time to think about her and what she was actually like. I admire Mary's good cheer in the face of so many odds, and everything she did to get home. I also like the fact that this was actually a real person, and I felt like I had learned a small, valuable chip of our nation's history. The author should be congratulated, I'm definetely going to read more of his books.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful book
Review: Not for the faint of heart, this book is a powerful look into the true story of Mary Draper Ingles. After her life is shattered by a Shawnee raid on her small village, she flees her captors to traverse nearly 1,000 miles on foot with only the clothes on her back and what food she can find along the river. The writing is excellent, pulling the reader into the story and bringing it to life. The gruesome brutality in parts of the book is vivid, but laid out in a matter-of-fact manner that doesn't exploit it for its shock value. A well written and captivating read.
Rating:
Summary: My First of many Thom books!!
Review: This was my first Thom book and since I have completed three more and have two waiting. I have been intrigued by the history being interlaced with real-life and intense situations that keep me from being able to put his books down. Thom's books have spurned me to want to visit these places that really exsist and I plan on seeing many of them. I feel that Indians were dealt a severe injustice and am ashamed of some of what I now am more aware of, due to Mr. Thom's sharing. I can only imagine some of the horrors the original natives of this beautiful land endured. I have shared these books with friends & family since. Living in Michigan, with family in Ohio, I like hearing about historical links to towns and people past. Keep it up Mr. Thom!
Rating:
Summary: Clear your schedule before starting to read it!
Review: I couldn't rest until I finished this book! Mary Ingles went through an amazing ordeal. I was so involved in the story that I could hardly think of anything else for days. I felt like I was there with her, and I know I wouldn't have been strong enough to do the things she did. I know this book has changed my life for good. Often when I think my life is hard, I remember Mary, and I realize that I have it pretty good. I would definitely NOT recommend this book for children. It has some very disturbing and graphic themes.
|
