A finalist for the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award, Bonnie Jo Campbell is a rising star in contemporary fiction. Hailed by Booklist as a female Huckleberry Finn, Campbell's heroine is 16-year-old Margo Crane. Complicit in her father's death, Margo flees home for the Stark River. And as she follows the current, she learns the ways of the world from the eccentric characters she meets. "Set in rural Michigan, this book will surely vivify a side of American culture we don't often see."-Library Journal
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"This is an interesting novel, sort of a combination of the film "Winter's Bone" and the book Cruddy, but less disturbing. There are some intense scenes in this book, but it's mainly a quiet book about a girl who lives on and in a river in Michigan. It is set in the late 1970's, and beautiful Margo Crane runs away in her inherited boat, The River Rose, after a family tragedy. Margo is an excellent shooter, and can swiftly kill, clean, and cook wild game. She is a river girl, and the different individuals she interacts with on the river can't seem to grasp her connection to the water and wildlife. I loved this line: "She would learn everything she could from people who were willing to share what they knew. She would use the tools she was given to make her own kind of life." Overall, this book is like sitting in the woods on a beautiful fall day-quiet, yet full of the sounds of animals, wind, and water."
— Juliette (4 out of 5 stars)
" This lovely story rolls along gently, though not always easily, like the river itself, as this "throwback" of a girl learns to make a way for herself in the 1970-80s, Michigan. "
— Becca, 2/1/2014" Despite wanting to shake some sense into Margo -- wear sunscreen! quit shooting those damn deer! -- I ultimately liked that she defined her own lifestyle. I'm not convinced she was very bright, considering how long she could just stare at the river doing nothing, but maybe that's another form of intelligence? "
— Abby, 1/31/2014" It was a somewhat interesting read, but the plot seemed more like a disjointed list of events than a connected story. "
— Elaine, 1/19/2014" This is the worst book I have ever read. It has no redeeming qualities at all. "
— Julie, 1/15/2014" Perfectly wonderful book - giving it three stars only because it's not a WOW. "
— Amy, 1/10/2014" Suspenseful, heartwrenching. If you liked Hunger Games, you'll enjoy this tale of a teen's fight for her life on a river in Michigan. "
— Luci, 1/5/2014" I loved this book. Bonnie Jo Campbell has an amazing voice. "
— Linda, 1/5/2014" Didn't like the main character. If someone is too detatched from life, I cannot connect with them. I didn't like it enough to finish it. "
— Melanie, 12/22/2013" Gripping story, vividly descriptive, beautifully written. The setting, rural Michigan (in the late 70's/early 80's) comes to life as a character in its own right. "
— Kate, 11/4/2013" Listened to the audiobook for this & I loved it. I think the person who read for the audiobook was perfect & I liked it even more because of her voice & reading style. "
— Tricia, 10/31/2013" Amazing amount of natural history serves as the foundation for this story and the currency that Margo uses to survive. A disturbing read when recognizing the ways young women can be prey, but a powerful one about making life choices. "
— Laura, 10/10/2013Bonnie Jo Campbell is the author of the novel Once Upon a River. She was a 2009 National Book Award finalist and National Book Critics Circle Award finalist for her collection of stories American Salvage, which won the Foreword Book of the Year award for short fiction. She is also author of the novel Q Road and the story collection Women & Other Animals. She’s received the AWP Award for Short Fiction, a Pushcart Prize, and the Eudora Welty Prize, and she has been awarded a 2011 Guggenheim Fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.
Susan Bennett, Earphones Award-winning narrator, has enjoyed an extensive career as a vocal artist. She has worked with major agencies on such accounts as Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, AT&T, Blue Cross, Goodyear, and Club Med. She also dabbles in the music industry as the singer and keyboardist for The Interactive! Band. Along with her guitarist husband, Rick Hinkle, she is the co-owner of Audiocam Music, a full-service recording studio.