Over the River
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Book Overview
A young girl comes to terms with the father she thought didn't love her. "Your daddy isn't a bad man," Aunty Rose said. "He just doesn't have anything to do with us. So why do you keep asking?" It seems like everything eleven-year-old Willa Mae wants to know just isn't proper material for her curiosity. But some mysteries have a way of unraveling on their own. When her long-absent father returns after the war and sets about laying claim, Willa Mae finds her quiet country life suddenly stirred into a mix of buried secrets. Why does Grandpa despise her daddy, and what does it have to do with Mama's death? But before Willa Mae can find the answers to these questions, sheis pulled away from her rural Illinois home to begin a new life with her father across the river in Oklahoma. As pleased as Willa Mae is to finally have her daddy back, she misses her home and wants desperately to return. Will she be forced to choose one side of the family over the other? In this beautifully written novel set in the late 1940s, Sharelle Byars Moranville explores a critical time in a young girl's life, as Willa Mae comes to accept her parents, her sense of home, and especially what it means to be loved.
Format:Hardcover
Language:English
ISBN:0805070494
ISBN13:9780805070491
Release Date:October 2002
Publisher:Henry Holt & Company
Length:240 Pages
Weight:0.90 lbs.
Dimensions:0.8" x 6.3" x 8.8"
Age Range:10 to 14 years
Grade Range:Grades 5 to 9
Customer Reviews
3 ratings
dynamite dude!!!!!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 20 years ago
i thought this book was awesome!!!it was sooo good!!!!!if i could vote any book to be book of the month it would probably be this one!!!
A Work of Art
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
Could there be a better combination than a cold January week in Iowa and a delicious book to settle into? Over the River is an amazing tale-- I held my breath as I read, not because the suspense was Hollywood intense, but because the author writes so intimately, carefully and beautifully that I didn't want to miss one single word or image. Sharelle's descriptions of ordinary things-- like the Mason jars of peaches in the back of a pickup truck, Willa Mae's first bath, handwashing with Lifebuoy soap with Grandpa-- seem mundane on the very surface, but when the reader lingers a bit on the images-- these same "snapshots" help us figure out who the characters in the story really are and it's then that the exquisite beauty is revealed. Sharelle treats each one of her characters with the utmost of respect yet she courageously lets the reader in on their flaws, too. I loved her descriptions of Willa Mae's daddy's physical movements-- how those movements conveyed nervousness, frustration, love, tenderness and finally forgiveness. I could smell his sweat at times!My only advice for the reader of this new author is to take your time in reading. This book is not meant to be gulped.It is a feast meant to be enjoyed.
A beautifully told story
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
Sharelle Byars Moranville's "Over the River" is an exquisitely written, hauntingly told story of an 11 year old girl who must deal with the upheaval of her formerly safe, comfortable life.Moranville's beautiful writing makes us clearly see the unfolding events as if we were viewing them through her eyes.Her descriptions of country life in the postwar 40s are accurate and evocative. Her plotting and pacing are superb, and the climactic events keep the reader on the edge of his or her seat.Don't miss this one. It's a winner.
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