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Summary: Such pleasure. From an Author with such talent.
Review: This book is so lovely from the first sentence that you will have to put it down (reluctantly) once in a while in order to reconnect with reality. I didn't give it 5 stars because it is not Huckleberry Finn, To Kill a Mockingbird, or Lonesome Dove. But, gosh, it is sure beautifully written. Enger's use of the English language, both to place his reader in the setting, and to place the characters in the heart of the reader, is prodigious. I am an atheist, but I accepted the miracles. Now, THAT is writing. Enger's writing is so precise and quiet that you care deeply about these people, even before you realize you know who they are. It's been a privilege and a pleasure to participate in the reading of Peace Like a River. No hack writing here. Read this book.
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Summary: wholesome, yet. . .
Review: peace like a river is a trotting, wholesome book, and were it not for the hammered out writing, i'd be tempted to say something silly like: "a book the whole family can enjoy." enger's writing is poetic, flowing along like water, and the story cruises well, too. the only problem, really, is it's wholesomeness--a bit like an aproned granny handing out cookies to the t-ball team. at times the characters appear too good, too lofty. and swede, a nine-year-old homer, seems a bit, oh, far-stretched.
but why then, ben, the four stars? you ask. because it works. and, geeze, this dude can write. don't get me wrong, the story is grand, and my what a villain mr. waltzer makes.
read on, i say; buy it, i say--it's a great book.
Rating: 
Summary: Plains poetry
Review: This is more than a novel. It is thoughful verse, lyrical storytelling, as you briefly follow a North Dakota family in the 60s, getting to know them through the eyes of a young boy as he sees his older brother shoot and kill (justifiably you think) two boys breaking into the family home. Then as the older brother goes on the lam, Rube, the younger one describes the family's cross-country journey to find him. If you loved Steinbeck, you'll find these characters and story equally worthy. These are common folk all doing uncommon things. Or so you think, until you realize this is what happens around us every day if we take the time to see it.
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Summary: Mesmerizing Work
Review: Leif Enger has crashed the literary gates, and he should be welcomed with wide embrace. His work succeeds in many ways, as fine fiction always does: characters who engage and grow; narrative reach that grabs the throat and won't let go until the last sentence is read (and then breaks your heart as it reassures everlasting love); thematic tension that insinuates the big qestions (such as the limits and boundaries of kinship and honor, faith and divine intervention, free will and fate); and of course a rollicking-good story, commanding absolute belief. And there are many passages -- so well written and so wise -- that leave you gasping in admiration. In Reuben and Swede (narrator and sister), Enger has created characters who belong beside Holden Caulfield and Huck Finn and Owen Meany, they are that richly realized and that memorable. Like Cold Mountain, which made a similar entrance, this work deserves an award or two. In contrast, however, Peace is comforting and amusing, fast-paced and unpredictable -- like hanging with good friends and telling stories about shared adventures. And, yes, as other reviewers have shared, it will rest on the shelf reserved for books I love and plan to read again and again. It's one of the best books I've read in some time. Get it. Read it. Savor it.
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Summary: If you liked "To Kill a Mockingbird"...
Review: Loved this book. It goes on my bookshelf beside "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "The Last of the Mohicans". There, it too will be one of those books I will read over from time to time for the sheer pleasure of visiting these characters again and for marvelling in awe at the beautiful writing that paints this world for us. Read it! Honestly, there are lines in this book so lovely in themselves, you will read them over a few times before going any further.
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Summary: One of the BEST BOOKS I've read all year!!
Review: The prose in this book is overwhelming. I was so caught up in the profiling and development of the characters that it was very difficult to put this book down. The plot in the story, the relationship of the siblings and their father along with the city, you really care about them and what happens in their lives. The younger sister and her writing was phenomenal, her insights. The maturity of the children, the comradarie of family and friends assisting this family all along the way. You begin to really want things to turn out wonderful for the family, in a way it does and in another way, they have to go on and find the strength to live.
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Summary: First books I tell everyone about!
Review: I definitely enjoyed this book. It ranks among my favorites this year for narrative voice, interesting story, and touching observations about the bonds of family. In fact, it takes second place right behind my favorite this year, Tending Roses by Lisa Wingate, which is similar in tone, and I liked even a little better. I learned about both of them through the ... chat board, which I turn to often for book suggestions. If you love good books, don't deprive yourself of either one.
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Summary: Wow! What a great book!
Review: This book was like nothing I've ever read before. The story and writing style were unique and wonderful. It made me laugh, cry and think! And sometimes, I wasn't really sure who were the good guys and who were the bad guys. It was a book I could not put down, yet tried not to pick up because I knew it would be finished far too quickly and I didn't want it to end.
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Summary: The Waltons by way of Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Review: I bought this book because of all the hype both Amazon and the reviewers gave it here. When I read the last page I shrugged with a small smile on my face. It's obvious that many readers took the book to heart and found something in it that deeply mattered to them, one of the truest signs of a meaningful book. My reaction however was to think it was well written but constantly going for the heartstrings in a precious, manipulative way that often got in the way of really good writing. There is an implicit cuteness in the book that I found cloying and ultimately annoying. Everyone is too adorable, and when they aren't being adorable they are put up against people or things that test their adorableness in a way that reminded me of Victorian villains twirling their black moustaches and snickering. If I were trying to pitch this book to movie makers in Hollywood I would say it is the Waltons meets Magical Realism and the meeting is sometimes successful, sometimes not. I fully agree with the reader who suggests you have a look at Kent Haruf's wonderful novel PLAINSONG if you want to get the real goods.
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Summary: DId Not Like this book
Review: The story and plot seem good, maybe it's the way it's written that turned me off, forced myself to finish it though.
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