River of Lakes: A Journey on Florida's St. Johns River

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Summary: A Friend of the River
Review: Every river should have a writer-in-residence as fine as Bill Belleville. He gives the St. Johns its due, and commands a reader's respect with the quality of his prose and depth of his research. "River of Lakes" is personal without being confessional. Belleville is river-absorbed, not self-absorbed, and the result is a rigorous and companionable book. I'm just sorry Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (another important witness to the St. Johns) isn't around to read it.

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Summary: A lot of history in a little book
Review: For those of us who love the St. Johns, this is a wonderful trip, downriver, back in time, and into the unique terrain and history of wilderness Florida. I had the good fortune to meet Belleville at a reading, and the better fortune to meet him through this excellent book. Belleville is a writer with an eye to detail, be it historical, scientific, or in the observation of human nature. His sense of humor is apt, and he clearly loves the subject. My great hope is that this book will bring the right kind of visitor to this beautiful place.

Rating:
Summary: A lot of history in a little book
Review: For those of us who love the St. Johns, this is a wonderful trip, downriver, back in time, and into the unique terrain and history of wilderness Florida. I had the good fortune to meet Belleville at a reading, and the better fortune to meet him through this excellent book. Belleville is a writer with an eye to detail, be it historical, scientific, or in the observation of human nature. His sense of humor is apt, and he clearly loves the subject. My great hope is that this book will bring the right kind of visitor to this beautiful place.

Rating:
Summary: A Modern Thoreau
Review: It is rare to find a 21st century man as aware of his natural environment as Bill Belleville. In a world of turnpikes, shopping malls, gasoline emissions, the shriek of airplanes, the thunder of traffic and the relentless river of asphault that paves over memories and dreams, it is refreshing to find an author who longs to simplify, who notices apples snails and gopher tortoises, who endorses a way of life that has virtually vanished and writes lovingly of a place on earth and a watery path that modern society has all but forgotten.

Rating:
Summary: More Than A Modern Day Thoreau
Review: Quite by chance I was gifted with this book. I picked it up and became so absorbed in it I read it in one sitting. Not since Thoreau's "A Week On The Concord and Merrimack River" has a book on a river and its fauna and people impacted me so. Belleville truly takes you on a trip into the past and on into the present. His humor and his way with words will not disappoint you. This is one of those books you will share with friends and take off of the shelf frequently. How did Belleville know to write a book just for me?

Rating:
Summary: More Than A Modern Day Thoreau
Review: Quite by chance I was gifted with this book. I picked it up and became so absorbed in it I read it in one sitting. Not since Thoreau's "A Week On The Concord and Merrimack River" has a book on a river and its fauna and people impacted me so. Belleville truly takes you on a trip into the past and on into the present. His humor and his way with words will not disappoint you. This is one of those books you will share with friends and take off of the shelf frequently. How did Belleville know to write a book just for me?

Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Books Ever Written!
Review: River of Lakes is a masterpeice and will sell itself! Environmentalist and adventurer Bill Belleville traveled the entire length of Florida's fabled St. Johns River in a very small boat. The past comes alive! He writes so vividly you can almost see, hear and smell the Timucuans, Spanish explorers,the early settlers and the smoke belching paddlewheelers and, especially, the reality of the present day St. Johns. I thought an alligator tried to bite me while I was reading this book! The author has probably researched this river better than anyone in history and turned it into a fascinating story as well as a benchmark for generations to come. Also, the exploitation of this beautiful river is detailed and its future is brought into perspective. Belleville who is best known for his expeditions on behalf of the Discovery Channel has written a great book. His style, at least in my mind, resonates with the travel writings of Paul Theroux. River of Lakes is a delight to read and I loved it!

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Summary: natural charm
Review: The mix of nature, history and good writing is perfect. Find a comfortable chair, put your feet up, and settle in for a good read. When you get to the last page, try Cracker Childhood or Bullough's Pond.

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Summary: The Tampa Tribune April 25, 2000
Review: The north-flowing St. Johns River has always had a special place in the state's history. William Bartram was exploring the wilderness around the St. Johns when he discovered northern songbirds did not fly to the moon, as was commonly believed, but flew south for the winter. The waterway served as the state's first tourist attraction, though as Harriet Beecher Stowe, an early Florida transplant, reported, "Fully half the tourists and travelers to Florida come back intensely disappointed." And the river allowed commerce to extend into the state's core. In this fascinating work, Belleville explores the state's longest river firsthand. He kayaks and boats the St. Johns, hikes its forests, dives its springs. He talks to scientists, fisherman, historians, and residents. And he depicts, with finely tuned prose, the natural beauty of the river and the many threats it faces from haphazard development and destructive pollution. Readers will learn a lot about the state's history, its ecology, and its too-often shortsighted political policies. Throughout are fascinating facts -- from tidbits on the moans of spawning fish to the disappearance of Fort Picolata -- and interesting characters. Also throughout Belleville captures the beauty and appeal of the river of which Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings once wrote,"If I could have, to hold forever, one brief place and time of beauty, I think I might choose the night on that high lonely bank above the St. Johns River." A superb book.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing reading
Review: This is a fantastic book about the St. Johns River in Florida. Many people see this river every day but few people experience the river the way the author did. To read this book is to undertake a journey down the St. Johns as people did in the 1800's, from the headwaters to the mouth and all points between. After reading this book I realized what I was missing and determined to go back and really see the river again for the first time. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who appreciates what is left of the true Florida or who is even the slightest bit interested in the real world. The author's style is casual but compelling and you may have a hard time putting it down except to rush out, load the canoe, and head to the river! A must have book for anyone who lives near the river, nature lover or not.