The River Wife

I received The River Wife, by Jonis Agee, as an early reviewer. Although I had expected to receive a different book, I was delighted by this one, from the very beginning. The publishers were supposed to be matching books to reader preferences, and in this case they did very well. This is exactly the kind of novel I would pick up in the store--from the cover through the blurbs on the back--and I was not disappointed by the story.

It's a story of strong women and strong family ties. It follows the interwoven lives of families in a tiny town on the Mississippi, through several generations. There are pirates, with treasure; gangsters; farmers; and ghosts. The author effectively evokes everyday life during each era with details that ring show more true, but includes magical, mysterious elements as well--something I enjoy.

The characters are unique, and we care about their lives and stories. This was a book I hated to put down, yet didn’t want to finish, as I enjoyed the reading of it so much. I wanted to find out what happened, so on I went. It is filled with drama and adventure, and beautifully written. It would be a great book club read, as there are lots of moral issues, compelling stories, and interesting scenes and characters to explore and discuss. show less

The only reason I finished this book was to see if it made any sense at the end- it doesn't. I read this with a group and I think everyone left feeling the same way- disappointed and confused. What drives me crazy is that this had SO much potential, Agee just didn't deliver.
The characters are all so promising and well written but the point of the whole story never comes to a head, it just kind of floats along brining up miscombobulated bits of the past that makes you THINK it's all connected when it's really not.
I feel unfulfilled after reading this book.

Jonis Agee is an ambitious novelist who’ll take a risk. In "The River Wife" she has written a “Western” (how many women writers have tried THAT?) that explores - through the eyes of five very different women - the settlement of a small parcel of land along the Mississippi River in Missouri from 1811, the year of the New Madrid earthquake, until the 1930s.

The life of each woman in this sprawling saga has been touched by her relationship with the French fur-trapper and amoral river pirate Jacques Ducharme. From Annie Lark, the teenager left for dead by her family after the earthquake, who Ducharme rescued and loved, to Hedie Rails, the woman Jacques’ bootlegger grandson would marry in 1930, Agee weaves a tapestry of complex show more themes: isolation, hardship, identity and independence, loyalty and friendship, unspeakable violence and desolation.

Not all the women are as beautifully drawn as Annie Lark and Omah, Jacques’ partner in crime. Laura, Jacques’ second wife, is manipulated more like a paper doll than a human character. (Perhaps I have a bias against gold-diggers?)

The violence in the book may not be suitable for young or squeamish readers.

Agee’s risk pays off. "The River Wife" offers its characters remarkably rich personal histories and explores the consequences of their decisions. The action and uncompromising violence are compelling. If only a thoughtful movie producer would buy this book, we’d be treated to five strong female roles and a potential Oscar-winning male role in a gritty compelling drama. An "Unforgiven" with a feminine twist.

I received this book as part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewer program. I thank Dick and TimmyPal for their invaluable suggestions. show less

The River Wife is a multi-generational saga about the women involved with a mysterious fur-trapper turned river pirate in 19th century Missouri. This is mainly a romantic adventure novel toggling back and forth between different time periods reminiscent of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, although our female protagonists Annie Lark, Omah, Maddie and Heddie have aligned themselves with the proverbial bad guys in this tale. The premise and story structure are interesting with Hedie, our only first person narrator, discovering details of the family history through old diaries, ghosts, and eerie tragic parallels in her own life.

Despite a potentially promising storyline, I unequivocally would not recommend this novel to any serious reader. show more Ms. Agee's writing is inconsistent, uninspired, plodding and devoid of any dramatic tension. She tells us a story (and a rather predictable amateurish one at that); but does not show us the scene, does not show us her characters' hearts or personalities. In fact, even our four main characters have virtually indistinguishable points of view. And although the ostensibly dramatic events of their lives unfold over different historical time periods, the details of the Missouri River fronteir, the end of slavery, the Civil War, and the Depression are almost totally absent from her writing.

Even fans of easy plot driven reading for women are bound to be disappointed as the action scenes are so dispiritedly written they are almost nonsensical. This book seems to be written in a hurry with the best writing at the beginning surrounding Annie Lark and culminating in the night of the dog fight, and rapidly spiralling downward to a lackluster and unconvincing ending surrounding the Gattos and Hedie's husband Clement. I only finished this novel out of a sense of obligation having been selected as an early reviewer. I am sorry to say it was one of the worst books I have ever read. show less

The River Wife by Jonis Agee is a multigenerational, epic novel covering the lives of five women related either by marriage, partnership, or birth to the 19th-century French fur-trapper and river pirate, Jacques Ducharme. These are the stories of Ducharme women—Annie Lark, Laura, Omah, Maddie, and Heide. Their stories cover the period from the great New Madrid earthquake of 1812, through the Civil War, and into the bootlegging era of the 1930s. These women inhabit a wild, harsh land in the boot heel of Tennessee, a difficult unforgiving place. Each Ducharme woman is unique, but they share the same traits of intelligence, beauty and headstrong passion for a better life. Some radiate warmth, gentleness, forgiveness, and loyalty. Others show more hide cunning and manipulation. In the end, each woman falls prey to, and must find some way to deal with, the charm and all-consuming possessive love of Jacques Ducharme—a man who is as charismatic as he is ruthless.

This is not a romance novel. The ecstasy of being in love, the slow process of learning to love, and the utter devastation of being the focus of narcissistic love are central to the text. But the major theme of this novel is more subtle. The five women at the heart of this novel feel chained, and each seeks her own unique path to freedom and self-fulfillment. Some succeed well, others succeed with significant compromise, and some fail. This is a redemptive tale about the life-changing choices that move us toward self-fulfillment. Don't expect these five Ducharme women to be bigger than life; this book is not epic in that definition of the word. These are everyday, fully realistic heroines—women who must survive whatever way they can.

Agee's prose is cinematic. The overall experience is like watching an addictive miniseries. There is a lot happening, with many parallels between the different women. There is danger, violence, suspense, ghostly apparitions, treachery, pirate's treasure, intrigue, and murder—enough to keep almost anyone's interest piqued. Even the famous naturalist John James Audubon makes a brief, stunning appearance and has an important impact on the plot. But don’t expect a fast-paced novel; this is a subtle, slow, lyrical, sensual, and heart-felt novel about what it means to make life-changing choices.

Typically, I shy away from multigenerational novels. But, I had plenty of time, and a desire to find out what all the fuss was about this notable, prize-winning author. So, I let this book take possession of me and I was mesmerized. What I enjoyed best about this book are its many take-your-breath-away, astonishing, wide-screen images—like hidden treasure—so lyrical and lovely that they will probably stick with me for a lifetime. Take, for example, the singularly startling image of crippled, weak, grief-stricken Annie Lark, secured to a chair, resting on a small wooden platform, hoisted up into highest branches of a tall tree, and there, for hours on end gazing out over the far expanses of the flat Mississippi bottomland, feeling the breeze, and closely studying the insects and birds. Here we are spellbound while Annie Lark experiences the first stirrings of freedom and self-discovery. This is powerful stuff. No wonder so many have made so much about this talented author. show less

***This review contains mild SPOILERS***

"The River Wife" spans several generations of a southern Missouri family living alongside the Mississippi River, starting with one of the New Madrid earthquakes in 1812, and taking us beyond the Great Depression in the 1930s. I enjoyed this book very much; it kept me turning the pages, even when the events in the story were troubling (which, of course, is to be expected in a book about pioneer life; it was not unusual for people to die sudden and even violent deaths).

In a way, the title is somewhat deceptive, as there is not one, but several "river wives." Really, the story centers around "One-Armed" Jacques Ducharme, a French fur trapper who turns inn-keeper and river pirate. Over the years, the show more story is told by the various women in his life, so it's their stories we can actively experience, although all the way through, Jacques is really the central figure, the one who holds everyone else together over the years. I found it interesting that, in spite of his importance to the story (or perhaps because of it), the author chose not to divulge certain details about this man. We never hear the full story, for example, of how he loses his arm. In a lesser book, this would have seemed like a failing, a "loose end" which was stupidly neglected, but in this case, somehow it worked (and, it was obviously deliberate, not an oversight). We're not supposed to understand him fully, just as none of the women in his life ever could, with the exception perhaps of Omah (but she was good at keeping her own counsel).

The story is well-written, with beautiful, descriptive prose, but not so flowery as to be distracting. Great characters, all of whom are flawed in various ways, their sins ranging from vanity and pride to outright murderous greed. And yet, there were none of the main characters whom I found truly unlikable, or so despicable that I couldn't feel compassion for their trials, or hope for them to succeed in their endeavors (even criminal ones). I also enjoyed the appearance of J.J. Audubon, who's something of a personal hero for me.

Probably my favorite thing about this book is the way it kept it's pace and flavor throughout, something which historical "sagas" like this often fail to do, in my experience. I tend to really enjoy the early parts of the story, but as it comes closer to the present day, the narrative speeds up, the characters are less well-developed, the stories fall apart, and I lose interest. This one stayed fresh and interesting all the way through, and the characters in the later part of the story were every bit as well-drawn as the ones we met early in the book.

Something I found seductive about this book is the way the author leaves some things open to speculation, even some things which seem very important in the story (the story behind Jacques losing his arm, for example). I kept waiting for explanations for certain things, until I realized that they just were not coming, and I had to decide for myself. I was also intrigued by the way the author wove in the ghosts and supernatural elements, without making them the focus of the book, which is almost always the case when supernatural things appear in literature. Certainly, the property was haunted by Annie, and others. Jacques must surely have done some sort of sorcery in order to keep his youth for so long. Here again, though, these things are never spelled out; only mentioned in passing, which made me even more curious while at the same time leaving the reader to decide for her/himself just what might have been happening.

With all the things I loved about the book, I will also say that at times I found it challenging. Yes, I expected people to die, but a few of those deaths were very difficult to read. Also, on the whole, I found the story depressing, rather than uplifting, leaving me with the feeling that this was an excellent book I enjoyed while I was reading it, but not something I'll want to contemplate at length, or read again someday. (I also feel this way about many of the books Oprah chose for her bookclub in the early 2000s). On the whole, I took it as a study of how greed destroys people and families. And yet, this one family does manage to hang on, if only by a thread; as far as we know, by the end of the book there is but a single descendent of Jacques remaining, and Jacques' treasure hoard remains undiscovered. What we learn in the epilogue came as no surprise (although I don't think I'd actually guessed about Vishti's parentage), but it was still a flat note on which to end the story. We are given a ray of hope, though (or the possibility of hope, anyway); will Swan be able to overcome the family curse? (The author never comes out and says the family is cursed, but surely that's what we're meant to conclude from all that happens over the years). In any case, if they do find the treasure, I have little hope that it will really "save" them. Jacques had his wealth throughout most of the story, yet the happiness his family experienced was always fleeting, nonetheless.

So, I would definitely recommend this book, as it was well-written and interesting, and I would read other books by this author. Just don't choose it when you're looking for something light and cheerful.

(Note: I received this book through Random House's Early Reviewers program). show less

The New Madrid earthquake is the beginning of this novel, and the natural history of the area is an underlying symbol of life at the side of the treacherous, changeable Mississippi River, from sand boils to hardwood forests. A fascinating cast of characters takes this family tale through three generations, with the focus on the women who try to hold things together. I loved the interweaving of the stories and the strength of the women, each of whom is a "River Wife." Not a happy-endings type of story, but a realistic, gritty novel of hard times, betrayal, love and loyalty.