The River Gods
The River Gods is a novel in fragments, a mix of fact and fiction, in which various inhabitants of the area around what is now Northampton, Massachusetts, from the eleventh century through the 1990s, speak of their lives and of the community, a place haunted by the pervasive melancholy of extinguished desire. Each of the voices--including a character named Brian Kiteley and his family, the original Native American inhabitants, the actor Richard Burton, Sojourner Truth, Richard Nixon, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Jonathan Edwards, and many nameless others--ruminate on a past that is startlingly present and tangible. The main character, though, is the world of Northampton, irrevocably woven into the fabric of Western history, yet still grounded by the everyday concerns of health, money, food, love, and family. It is a novel of voices, the living and the dead, that illuminate the passage of time.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:1573661511
ISBN13:9781573661515
Release Date:August 2009
Publisher:F2c
Length:176 Pages
Weight:1.36 lbs.
Dimensions:0.6" x 5.5" x 8.4"
Customer Reviews
3 ratings
The River Gods -- a gem!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 15 years ago
I loved this book on many levels. Having grown up in Northampton, Massachusetts at the same time as Mr. Kiteley, I treasure how accurately he captures the feel of the community during those years. In many ways I felt that I was reading the story of my own youth. But one need not be from Northampton, or even know of Northampton, to be swept away with the panorama that Mr. Kiteley evokes. He has created a masterpiece with his intricate weaving together of many lives through many periods of time but within one location. A compelling story that is a pleasure to read and savor again and again.
Beautiful & Elegant
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 15 years ago
Dude can write. A beautiful creation of first person narrations offering glimpses into the history of a New England town. Each glimpse is like a scent triggering a long-dormant memory. Together, those memories offer a fragmented picture of a majestic life. Once the voices begin to reoccur and the glimpses begin to weave into one another, you can't put it down.
Completely beautiful, completely original
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 15 years ago
If the U.S. designated authors as National Treasures, Brian Kiteley would be a national treasure. Every page of The River Gods is such pure happiness: beautiful, still, compelling, deep. When you read this novel -- with its short, immaculate, illuminating chapters -- you acquire the sense of perspective on human life that a particularly wry and insightful god might have. The tracing of webs between characters very satisfyingly replaces a more ordinary narrative with something that's not quite like what any other writer in the world does. Can you tell I'm recommending this book? I am, most definitely.
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