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 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."
" 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. "
" 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? "
" It was a somewhat interesting read, but the plot seemed more like a disjointed list of events than a connected story. "
" This is the worst book I have ever read. It has no redeeming qualities at all. "
" Perfectly wonderful book - giving it three stars only because it's not a WOW. "
" 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. "
" I loved this book. Bonnie Jo Campbell has an amazing voice. "
" 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. "
" 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. "
" 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. "
" 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. "
" Man. All her books. Love them all, and I'm so sad I have to now wait for something new. I kept being surprised by this book and this main character. Definitely will reread at some point. "
" Epic. I was hooked from the first paragraph, actually wanted to wake Sandra up to read it out loud. The river, in this book, is a central character. "
" I received an ARC of this book...I ABSOLUTELY cannot wait to begin reading! "
" Michigan??? This story seemed like it was in northern Canada or the Alaskan wilderness. It's a bit hard to believe. "
" Another sad story. It takes a village to raise a child but in this case, it took a river. "
" A beautiful and engaging book! I enjoyed it very much! "
" I guess I just don't get this. One review I read said the protagonist of the novel is a modern-day Huck Finn. I couldn't agree less except for the fact that she spends a lot of time on a river! I didn't like the story or any of the characters. "
" I loved this book. The main character, Maggie, pulled me right into her world on the river. "
" This book has heart. I respected the writing and am a fan of Campbell even if I'm not so fond of guns, unlike the rifle-toting main character. I'm ready for the next Bonnie Jo Campbell creation. "
" I liked the book but it was slightly depressing. Started off strong but expected more from the ending. "
" This is not what I was expecting at all....kind of dark and quite sad so far. Definitely not a "light" read. "
" Loved this; would reread. Some crazy stuff happens to Margo, and she gets taken advantage of over and over but also exacts revenge, but by the end of the book, you do believe that she's grown/changed in an authentic way. "
" written well, but the story line is basically like the Jenna Jameson book: How to make love like a porn star. I kind of wonder if the story continued, if our heroine would end up stripping at Cheetah's and then moving on to doing porn. Not as good as I had hoped it would be. "
" This book completely captivated me. Another amazing female character. She's like Catniss meets Lisbeth Solander. And this made me homesick for Michigan. "
Bonnie 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.
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