Leif Enger, author of "Peace Like a River," will appear in Northfield on May 1 as part of the Northfield Reads! community-wide book club. The book to be read is "So Brave, Young and Handsome," a novel that will be published this spring. Additional details are still being determined.

LEIF ENGER, author of the bestseller and Book Stall favorite Peace Like a River, signs his new novel, So Young, Brave, and Handsome about an aging train robber on a quest to seek forgiveness from the wife he abandoned, and the failed writer who goes with him.

Peace Like a River, by Leif Enger, tells the story of 11-year-old Reuben Land, an asthmatic boy who has reason to believe in miracles. The South Branch Book Group meets monthly on the third Thursday of the month at the South Branch, 949 chicago Avenue. Register at South, or call 847-866-0333.

Newest book by the author of Peace Like a River

"Leif Enger, the acclaimed, bestselling author of Peace Like a River, will read from and sign his new novel So Brave, Young, and Handsome ($24.00 Atlantic Monthly Press), a touching, nimble, and rugged story of an aging train robber on a quest, and the failed writer who goes with him. With its smooth ... (more)mix of romanticism and gritty reality, Enger's novel often recalls the Old West's greatest cowboy stories. But it is also about an ordinary man's determination as he risks everything in order to understand what it's all worth, and follows an unlikely dream in the hope it will lead him back home. Free tickets for a place in the booksigning line will be handed out at 6:30 pm. Seating for the presentation prior to the booksigning is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis to ticketed customers only."

"Set in 1921 Minnesota, Enger’s second novel traces a failed novelist’s quest for the vanishing American West. As he did in Peace Like a River, Enger writes powerfully about a family, and here includes such colorful historical characters as Pancho Villa.: (booksite.com) 202-364-1919.

Author:  Leif Enger, Bestselling Author of Peace Like a River.  Leif Enger was raised in Osakis, Minnesota, and worked as a reporter and producer for Minnesota Public Radio for nearly twenty years.  Leif grew up and lives on a farm in Minnesota with his wife and two sons.  Leif Enger's Peace Like ... (more)a River has been a bookseller favorite from the moment it was published; it was a No. 1 Book Sense 76 pick, and won the 2002 Book Sense Book of the Year award!  It hit the top of numerous bestseller lists, and was named a Best Book for 2001 by Time magazine, The Los Angeles Times, The Christian Science Monitor, and The Denver Post.  Before his solo writing venture, Leif wrote several books with his brother Lin, including The Sinners' League. Title:  So Brave, Young and Handsome, $24.00 Hardcover, ISBN 9780871139856, On Sale Date:  May 01, 2008 What:  Leif Enger will talk about his new book, his life, his work, answer audience questions and he will autograph copies of his new book purchased from Rainy Day Books, on our website and / or at our Author Event, that are accompanied by a Stamped Ticket. When:  Tuesday, June 10, 2008, 7:00 PM Where:  A Rainy Day Books Author Event at Unity Temple on The Plaza, Sanctuary, 707 W 47th Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64112 Admission Package (Click on the ADD TO SHOPPING CART button):  $24.00 plus Tax, includes from Rainy Day Books, One (1) Stamped Ticket, One (1) Guest Ticket (if needed) and One (1) Copy of So Brave, Young and Handsome (Hardcover) to be Autographed after the Author Presentation.  Please specify your need for One (1) Stamped Ticket and One (1) Guest Ticket (if needed) in the Notes field of your Online Order.  If you choose Option 1 for In-Store Pick-Up, then you can specify At-Event Pick-Up in the Notes field of your Online Order.  Thank you.  Book Orders can be shipped worldwide.  All Author Event Book Sales are Final and Non-Returnable.

From the author of one of Time magazine's top five novels of the year (Peace Like a River) comes a new novel, So Brave, Young, and Handsome - a touching, nimble and rugged story of an aging train robber on a quest to reconcile the claims of love and judgment on his life, and the ... (more)failed writer who goes with him. In 1915 Minnesota, Monte Becket has lost his sense of purpose. His only success long behind him, Monte lives a simple life with his loving wife and whipsmart son. But when he befriends outlaw Glendon Hale - his fugitive guide on a journey to the unruly West - a new world of fiery adventure presents itself. Books for signing must be purchased from Left Bank Books or at the event.

Set in 1915, Enger's (Peace Like a River) new novel tells the tale of Monte Becket, a disappointed, one-time novelist who lives simply with his loving wife and whip-smart son. As a writer he has lost his sense of purpose and five years after the successful publication of his first book, he has failed ... (more)at completing a new one. Things change, however, when he befriends outlaw Glendon Hale, a charming, enigmatic, aging cowboy who has been hiding out in Monte's small town for two decades.

SO BRAVE, YOUNG & HANDSOMEIn the store's recent history, Leif Enger's 2001 debut, Peace Like a River, is among the books that have received the most unanimous enthusiasm among our staff. We are proud to welcome Enger to present his splendid follow-up—an expansive saga of redemption in the early 20th-century ... (more)American West—which pairs up a former outlaw in search of his estranged wife and a failed writer who accompanies him on the journey. Pursued by a relentless ex-Pinkerton, they encounter memorable characters and surprises at every turn in a road trip that is long, rich, and full of adventure. "Enger has surpassed Peace Like a River with this tale of outlaw Glendon Hale's search for the wife he abandoned many years earlier. Monte Becket, the narrator, tears himself away from his home and family, irresistibly drawn by Hale and his quest. The journey, set in 1915 and moving from Minnesota across the fading Wild West, reveals that Enger has honed his direct-from-the heart style with a story that both men and women will find immensely satisfying and appealing." ~ Recommended by Mary