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The River Within
Critic Reviews
Good
Based on 3 reviews on
A novel about infatuation, class, and obligation, The River Within will take its place as a classic in a tradition of English fiction that takes in Thomas Hardy, Graham Swift, and Helen Dunmore.
It is the summer of 1955. The body of Danny Masters is found by three of his friends in the river that runs through Starome, a village on the Richmond estate in North Yorkshire.
Alexander, one of the three friends that found Danny and the sole heir to Richmond Hall, has always been unpredictable but lately he has grown elusive, his behaviour becoming increasingly erratic. His mother, Lady Venetia Richmond, is newly widowed and too busy trying to keep the sprawling family estate together to worry about Alexander, though she could use his help.
A second friend, Lennie Fairweather, "child of nature" and daughter of the late Sir Angus Richmond's private secretary, has other things on her mind too. In love with Alexander, she longs to escape life with her over-protective father and domineering brother, Tom, who was also there when Danny's body was discovered.
In the weeks that follow the tragic drowning, the river begins to give up its secrets. As the circumstances surrounding Danny's death emerge, other stories surface that threaten to disrupt everybody's plans and to destroy an entire way of life.
Book Details
- Publisher: Europa Editions
- Publish Date: Dec 1st, 2020
- Pages: 272
- Language: English
- Edition: undefined - undefined
- Dimensions: 8.20in - 5.30in - 0.90in - 0.80lb
- EAN: 9781609456153
- Categories: • Literary• Small Town & Rural• Women
About the Author
Karen Powell was born in Rochester, Kent. She left school at 16 but returned to education as a mature student to study English Literature at Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge. She lives in North Yorkshire. An early draft of The River Within was awarded a Northern Writers' TLC 'New Fiction Reads' prize, which seeks to support work-in-progress by new, emerging and established writers across the North of England.
Critics’ reviews
Praise for this book
★ "[Karen Powell's] novel about love, class, and secrecy in 1950s England reads as if it were written in the era the characters inhabit, her style and tone reminiscent of an earlier generation of reticent yet emotionally brutal writers like Shirley Hazzard and Graham Greene. A mesmerizing escape."--Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
"Powell has not written a pale imitation of "The Crown" or "Downton Abbey." The River Within contains multitudes; it's a fresh look at the pressures our caste systems place upon all of us, no matter where we come from."--Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times
"Hamlet comes to fifties Yorkshire in this compelling riff on love, grief and family strife. Powell is a talent to watch."--Lisa Appignanesi, author of Everyday Madness
"Consistently elegant and absorbing, The River Within is a supremely accomplished first work [ . . . ] Throughout the book, Powell explores friendship, desire, mental health and class divides. She excels with her descriptions of untamed nature, in particular the river, which turns out to be both a vital life force and a watery grave. This is a novel whose shimmering surface conceals hidden depths."--Malcolm Forbes, Minneapolis Star Tribune
"Evocative and engrossing."--Heat Magazine
"A gripping mystery, revealing dark truths around class and love in the aftermath of war, with beautiful prose depicting Yorkshire and life on a country estate."--The Yorkshire Post
"This is a fine mystery as well as a fine story. People fond of well-written fiction will love this tale of class lines, young angst and our obligation to ourselves and to others."--Linda Bond, Auntie's Bookstore (Spokane, WA)
"This precisely plotted dramatic mystery, with an extraordinarily personal gaze, is perfect for fans of Kate Atkinson and Susanna Clarke."--Cindy Pauline, The River's End Bookstore (Oswego NY)