Bee Ridgway

Loved it!! This book was utterly captivating; it's a lively romp that neatly ties present-day with 1815 in such a manner that you are riveted from the first page until the very last. The "river" metaphor that is the undercurrent of the story (no pun intended) explaining time was beautifully crafted and executed. In this way the book also holds a wonderfully thought-provoking philosophical aspect that gives each interaction between the characters new meanings and a stronger connection for the show more reader. And, most importantly, I ADORED the characters. I struggled with Nick as he fought against himself. I was breathless with Julia as she raced to learn more about her world.

My one complaint is that I felt slightly cheated at the end. Many things were unresolved in the resolution of this book. it left me confused and wondering where the conclusion really was. I'm hoping there is a sequel that will answer the many questions that were left unanswered for me by the time I reached the last page. (Please, let there be a sequel!)

As someone who has worked with this professor at Bryn Mawr, I had high expectations for this book - and in typical Bryn Mawr fashion, she exceeded every one! show less

It's rare these days for me to get so caught up in a book that I can't put it down, but this book was surprisingly addictive! I had little faith when I read the premise - two lovers separated by time travel blah blah blah - but the characters and their adventures soon proved me wrong. Julia is such an upstart female character and I was pleasantly surprised when she basically took over the protagonist role from Nick. He's great, but she's the one with the real mystery and I can't wait to show more figure out how they're going to deal with time collapsing backwards. I'm also curious to discover how Julia's mother actually got across The Pale in the first place, and how she managed to conceive and birth a child along the way. The next book is forthcoming, so I hope that it doesn't disappoint. show less

Time travel is something that has fascinated scientists and non-scientists alike for centuries. Bee Ridgway uses this fascination in The River of No Return. In her story, time travel is an innate skill accessible by only a select few. An entire organization called the Guild exists to help those who make the jump and to monitor the “river of time”. Nick Falcott is one such jumper, discovered after he jumps from a battlefield in 1812 to two hundred years into the future. Comfortable in his show more new life, the Guild soon calls on him for help and the chance to jump back to 1815, three years after he was given up for dead by all those who know him. This jump also leads him back to his mysterious brown-eyed girl and neighbor, Julia, for whom his longing has only increased over the years. Once back, Nick finds himself embroiled in a situation for stickier than what was initially explained to him, and as his past and his future collide, both Julia and he must navigate their way to the truth if they ever hope to save the future of mankind.

Perhaps it is an incorrect interpretation on this reader’s part, but one cannot help but feel that Ms. Ridgway is ever so slightly mocking the same genre into which The River of No Return falls. There is nothing overt about this subtle sarcasm, but it is more of a gut feel that comes from reflection. The story has an earnestness and urgency to it that only makes sense when one considers it as satirical in nature. It is as if Ms. Ridgway is poking fun at the game-changing cliffhanger ending, the serious and uber-manly male lead, the beautiful, intelligent, and spirited female lead, the bad guys posing as good guys, and all of the other plot devices used by the genre. Ms. Ridgway knows her story is not meant to be life-altering, and so she has fun with it. The fact that Ms. Ridgway gives readers permission to not take the narrative too seriously only serves to increase a reader’s enjoyment and relish the clichés she uses throughout the story.

There is something about The River of No Return that makes it highly enjoyable in spite of its flaws. The time travel elements and their explanations are weak on science and long on wishful thinking, while the characters barely expand beyond a character sketch. The world-building is confusing at times, the plot flows at a feverish pace, some of the connections are predictable, and a reader gathers more questions than answers. Yet – and this is a big yet - the story is compulsively enjoyable. The River of No Return is one of those novels that is meant to be enjoyed for what it is – a science fiction/historical fiction/thriller crossover meant to entertain rather than educate – and entertain it does. It is as if the entire stories revels in its familiarity to similar and very popular stories, while at the same time one knows instinctively that one should not take the story seriously. It is like a summer rom com with more gravitas. Readers can sit back and appreciate the fun world created by Ms. Ridgway and appreciate it they should. show less

So many things to love in this book. I love it that there are no all-knowing characters who the author uses to explain the world. Instead, what the reader gets from the characters is more like puzzle pieces. The different characters differ in their opinions of how their time traveling and time manipulation abilities work, and how the flow of time ("the river") is affected by them. None of them knows for sure what's going on or how to solve the problems connected to the "river". I've never show more seen such an imaginative treatment of time travel. The author's bottomless imagination just keeps coming up with new twists to keep you guessing throughout the book.

The other thing I really liked about this combination of science fiction, time travel and romance, was that the female characters weren't pitted against each other. I could imagine this going a very different direction once Nick was told to become Alva's lover, but instead of introducing a stereotypical siren to be Julia's rival, the author created a wonderful character in Alva, who was perfectly happy to be friends with Nick, even relieved that she didn't need to include the extra step of sex to their charade. I appreciated her compassion and matter-of-fact attitude, and her treatment of Bella's insensitivity made me cheer.

The book ended with much more to resolve, but it still left me satisfied and hopeful that there will be more books to come about our time-traveling friends. show less