RIVERS END

Recently I finished River's End by Melody Carlson. First of all I knew it was going to be about a river, and that was about all I knew. As I read the book, and learned how the river entwined with the lives of the people, I loved it more. The book comes out August 1, 2012

River's End is not a strong romance, but there is so much love with the people involved. Love of a family, and love of the river. Also love of the ancestors who came to the river before them. There are trials as with any family, but the trials are solved by the end of the book. I think I would call it a peaceful book. I was hurrying to get through my writing one day so I could find out what was going to happen next.

Anna is the strong main character of the book. She holds the family together. She is a peacemaker and a thinker. She longs for peace in her family. Clark is her husband and is kind and gentle, and longs to give her a surprise. They live in Shining Waters, an inn on the river. It's very charming and the description is wonderful. Anna's daughter, Lauren, manages the inn until her daughter, Sarah, comes home from a commune. There is friction between them, and Sarah runs away again.

This book is a story of forgiveness. How we can't dwell on hurt, but the hurt has to flow out of our lives like the river. A very good book. Well written. I enjoyed it so much. I give it five stars. Here's the picture of the cover and the blurb.

In the final story of The Inn at Shining Waters, Anna Larson's granddaughter Sarah is beginning to find her independence. But her relationship with her parents suffers as a result and she travels away from all that is familiar.

While the solace of the river calls Sarah back, surprises await upon her return. Three generations of family heartbreak and disappointments converge at Shining Waters as Sarah finds God right in the center of it all.