Two Rivers
Dec 2008 · Kensington Publishing Corp.
4.7star
10 reviewsreport
eBook
384
Pages
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About this eBook
“Ripe with surprising twists and heart-breakingly real characters . . . a remarkable and complex look at race and forgiveness in small-town America.” —Michelle Richmond, New York Times–bestselling author
In Two Rivers, Vermont, Harper Montgomery is living a life overshadowed by grief and guilt. Since the death of his wife Betsy, Harper has narrowed his world to working at the local railroad and raising his daughter Shelly the best way he knows how. Still wracked with sorrow over the loss of his life-long love and plagued by his role in a brutal, long-ago crime, he wants only to make amends for his past mistakes.
Then one fall day, a train derails in Two Rivers, and amid the wreckage Harper finds an unexpected chance for atonement. One of the survivors, a pregnant fifteen-year-old girl with mismatched eyes and skin the color of blackberries, needs a place to stay. Though filled with misgivings, Harper offers to take Maggie in. But it isn’t long before he begins to suspect that Maggie’s appearance in Two Rivers is not the simple case of happenstance it first appeared to be.
“A stark, haunting story of redemption and salvation . . . the story of a man who learns the true meaning of family.” —Garth Stein, New York Times–bestselling author
“A dark and lovely elegy, filled with heartbreak that turns itself into hope and forgiveness. I felt so moved by this luminous novel.” —Luanne Rice, New York Times–bestselling author
“Greenwood is a writer of subtle strength, evoking small-town life beautifully while spreading out the map of Harper’s life, finding light in the darkest of stories.” —Publishers Weekly
In Two Rivers, Vermont, Harper Montgomery is living a life overshadowed by grief and guilt. Since the death of his wife Betsy, Harper has narrowed his world to working at the local railroad and raising his daughter Shelly the best way he knows how. Still wracked with sorrow over the loss of his life-long love and plagued by his role in a brutal, long-ago crime, he wants only to make amends for his past mistakes.
Then one fall day, a train derails in Two Rivers, and amid the wreckage Harper finds an unexpected chance for atonement. One of the survivors, a pregnant fifteen-year-old girl with mismatched eyes and skin the color of blackberries, needs a place to stay. Though filled with misgivings, Harper offers to take Maggie in. But it isn’t long before he begins to suspect that Maggie’s appearance in Two Rivers is not the simple case of happenstance it first appeared to be.
“A stark, haunting story of redemption and salvation . . . the story of a man who learns the true meaning of family.” —Garth Stein, New York Times–bestselling author
“A dark and lovely elegy, filled with heartbreak that turns itself into hope and forgiveness. I felt so moved by this luminous novel.” —Luanne Rice, New York Times–bestselling author
“Greenwood is a writer of subtle strength, evoking small-town life beautifully while spreading out the map of Harper’s life, finding light in the darkest of stories.” —Publishers Weekly
Ratings and reviews
4.7
10 reviews
A Google user
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10 February 2010
Harper Montgomery works at a local railroad station. He rides his bicycle to work each day and is raising his daughter, Shelley, by himself. He still grieves over the death of his wife which happened twelve years ago.
One day, he's informed that there was a train derailment in Two Rivers, Vermont with people still trapped in the train. Harper runs to the river and crawls through the water into a train car. However, he isn't able to find anyone to help. Back on the shore he sees a teenage girl, shivering from the cold water. She has skin the color of blackberries and is desperate for a place to stay. Harper still remembers an event connected to his wife's death, permits her to move in with him and his daughter. Later, he finds that she is pregnant and came to Two Rivers to look for her brother. Harper fears what this might mean.
This plot driven story dwells on Harper's turmoil throughout the book. It is oppressive and this reader felt that it would have been better if he had gotten some counseling and gotten on with his life.
The setting in rural Vermont was vivid and picturesque but the sadness that Harper seemed to have as a constant feeling became a hinderance to a more enjoyable story.
Juan Olivares
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22 July 2013
If you take time to truly read it and let your feelings feel, this is the greatest book I have read
Mathias Buffington
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12 March 2017
Great love story, but Harper just wants to be happy again. And have his daughter Shelley be proud of him.
About the author
T. Greenwood is the author of more than a dozen novels with more than a quarter-million copies sold. A two-time winner of the San Diego Book Award and LAMBDA Literary Award finalist, she has received grants from the Sherwood Anderson Foundation, the Christopher Isherwood Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Maryland State Arts Council. Five of her novels have been Indie Next Picks and her twelfth novel, Rust & Stardust, was a LibraryReads selection. Her novels have been translated into five languages. She lives with her family in San Diego, California, where she teaches creative writing, studies photography, and continues to write. Please visit her online at TGreenwood.com.
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