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In the Heart of the Canyon

by Elisabeth Hyde

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2851691,705 (3.95)30
Fiction. Literature. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:

Over the course of thirteen long days, twelve assorted passengers, three rafting guides and one stray dog will navigate the rapids of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon together. From their early-morning rise on the shore of the river to the adrenaline rush of paddling through Lava Falls, they will soon come to know each other more intimately than they could have expected. Tempers will flare and decisions will be second-guessed . . . and ultimately all of them, from an unhappy teenager to an aging river guide, will realize that sometimes the most daunting adventures have nothing to do with white-water rapids, and everything to do with reconfiguring the rocky canyons of the heart.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

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» See also 30 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 16 (next | show all)
Nothing too extreme in this book: a group of people doing an adventure white water raft through the Grand Canyon with guides. The reader gets to know all the characters through a shifting omniscient POV. Of course they've all got their baggage and issues and through the ride things "work out" so to speak and they "find themselves". I kept expecting huge disaster of the bare bones, survival sort, but instead got lots of little adventures. Nothing too profound, nothing too great, but a reasonable story and writing; very middle of the road.
It does pique my interest in going on such a trip myself (if it didn't cost $3000).

( )
  LDVoorberg | Dec 3, 2017 |
In the Heart of the Canyon is an accurate portrayal of a thirteen day river trip down the Grand Canyon; so much so that I felt I could have been there. Hyde effectively describes the guides, the tourists, the scenery, and of course, the Colorado River picture perfect. The character development of everyone involved in the trip builds just as if you were in the boats with them, getting to know them as the days and miles pass by. The weather (and how to deal with the heat) and surrounding nature comes alive with Hyde's words. And when it comes to rafting down the river you can tell Hyde has seen rapids and even had a "maytag" experience or two. She puts you right in the action. A story about a rafting trip down the Colorado would be enough material for a book but Hyde takes it a step further by introducing a stray dog early in the story and creating characters that are not only interesting but complex. One character in particular, seventeen year old Amy keeps a journal. Her journal gives the events described by Hyde a new perspective. She introduces a different point of view and her comments serve as a reminder that everyone has an alternate truth based on their own unique personality. It's what happens when you put twelve strangers and three guides together. ( )
  SeriousGrace | Apr 18, 2013 |
The following statements from the book emphasize what the story meant to me:

"The fact that there was no turning back, that they could not go forward--that they were committed to the [river] run, like it or not--suddenly seemed profound...."

"'You can do it', said Don, 'because you have to do it.'"

A very powerful story, with adult themes, that I highly recommend especially if you enjoy stories set in the Grand Canyon, the American West, river runs, or outdoor adventures. I thoroughly enjoyed the story whose themes and ideas are very much present in my life. ( )
  Ocean_Mist | Mar 27, 2013 |
Perfect vacation reading for me. I've read a few books, both fiction and non-fiction, about rafting the Grand Canyon and I enjoyed spending a couple of days doing so from the comfort of a big easy chair. As usual, there were likable characters and a couple of jerks, and everyone experienced psychological growth on the trip. The descriptions of the experience and the canyon are based on real life experience and beautifully written. Yes the story is a little trite - just what I needed for relaxing. If you're more interested in non-fiction I recommend Canyon Solitude by McCairen. ( )
  mkboylan | Mar 27, 2013 |
I loved this book. It brought back so many memories of our trip down the Grand Canyon--it was so spot on in places that I kept checking the author's background, the guide company she used, etc. to see if perhaps she had been on the same trip. So much is there--the heat, the groover and the incredible beauty of the canyon. Floating in PDF-diapers down the Little Colorado, the hikes, the teasing of the guides--or their reading from books. She wove a credible story populated with real people--not as easy a feat as it seems--and brought it all to a plausible conclusion. ( )
  CaptainsGirl | Nov 21, 2010 |
Showing 1-5 of 16 (next | show all)
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Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Elisabeth Hydeprimary authorall editionscalculated
Campbell, CassandraNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Deakins, MarkNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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For what you want, above all things, on a raft, is for everybody to be satisfied, and feel right and kind towards the others. Mark Twain

All the greatest adventures begin with a mistake. Anonymous
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Down in the heart of the canyon, in the bone-baking heat, they put their lives on hold.
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Fiction. Literature. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:

Over the course of thirteen long days, twelve assorted passengers, three rafting guides and one stray dog will navigate the rapids of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon together. From their early-morning rise on the shore of the river to the adrenaline rush of paddling through Lava Falls, they will soon come to know each other more intimately than they could have expected. Tempers will flare and decisions will be second-guessed . . . and ultimately all of them, from an unhappy teenager to an aging river guide, will realize that sometimes the most daunting adventures have nothing to do with white-water rapids, and everything to do with reconfiguring the rocky canyons of the heart.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

.

No library descriptions found.

Book description
Meet Peter, twenty-seven, single, and looking for a quick hookup; Evelyn, a fifty-year-old Harvard professor, and Ruth and Lloyd, river veterans in their seventies. There's Mitchell, an overeager history buff with no qualms about upstaging the guides with his knowledge. There's Jill from Salt Lake City, wanting desperately to spark some sense of adventure in her staid Mormon family; and seventeen-year-old Amy, so woefully overweight that she can barely fit into a pup tent, let alone into a life jacket.

Guiding them all is JT Maroney, who loves the river with all his heart and who, having made 124 previous trips down the Colorado, thinks he has seen everything. But on their first night, a stray dog wanders into their campsite, upsetting the tentative equilibrium of this makeshift family. Over the next thirteen days, as various decisions are second-guessed and sometimes regretted, both passengers and guides find that sometimes the most daunting adventures on a Colorado River trip have nothing to do with white-water rapids, and everything to do with reconfiguring the rocky canyons of the heart.

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