Not what I was expecting -- maybe a little too raw and honest and brutal, maybe a little too sad for my tastes, in my comfortable unchallenging life. I admire how Lawrence and her family exist in a harsh land, with harsh acceptance for what can't be changed. I am astonished at the obsession with water (rivers for Sarah and the ocean for her dad) and how they single-mindedly pursue time to chase those needs. I appreciate how desperately unromantic this book is about building a log cabin -- it sounds terrifying and all consuming and very, very hard. I can't say that I found it an enjoyable read. I guess a descent into madness and a dissolution of family is not an enjoyable subject, but it is extraordinarily honest. ( )

This is a very interesting, true story. I live in Central Oregon and I have river rafted, (not as a guide) and I could relate to the weather, the land and water issues, the people, the traveling and the challenges and rewards that go with all of these experiences.
Sarahlee's relationship with her father was very moving as she came to terms with his passions and views and how she came to terms with her own views while being with him.
I would love to see the house that she built and while her descriptions were very detailed, photos might have helped to give the reader a visual display of some of the processes. Not many of us have been in a log cabin, and even fewer of us have ever built one.
Overall it was a very satisfying read and I will be recommending to our book club this next year. ( )

I liked this book and the story about yet another quirky Oregon family!

I was a little disappointed in this book but in fairness to the author I should really only be disappointed in myself. It was exactly what it set out to be - and nicely written as well. Somewhere along the line I wanted it to be more. Sarahlee Lawrence is a strong and interesting woman who builds a house in Oregon during an incredibly harsh winter. That's what she set out to do, and she does it. She also comes to terms with her parents and their disparate lives and dreams. I think the reason I didn't like it more is that I wanted more. ( )

As a Western Oregonian who has from time to time crossed over the Cascade Range and wondered about how mysterious and magical it seems in the High Desert I found River House to be a very satisfying read. If you've ever wondered about what it would be like to live in this area, it is a memoir that reads like a novel and will make you still stay with the story. The author's frames her narrative of building a log cabin on her parents' property in Terrebonne, OR around her rafting trips around the world. Her rafting descriptions seemed like only a necessary literary device. Rather, I was more interested in the leaving the rafting trip. Perhaps this is in part due to the fact that the author did more telling in this part than showing.

The author's relationship with her father carried most of the narrative, and it was neat. I however found that the last few chapters where her father was leaving, were almost too expected and redundant. She could have shortened them or ended the story early. Thus we are left with a story that has a really good middle, but the ending and the beginning were not as good.

Also interesting, if not completely helpful were the author's descriptions of how she built her house. I got a sense of the hard work she put in, enjoyed the writing, yet still had trouble visualizing the house or the process. The other land use issues the author shared about were interesting as well for Oregonians. They were a great description of how one community dealt with recent land and water use issues.