River of Hidden Dreams. Review Copy. - Hardcover

Fowler, Connie May

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0593035704 ISBN 13: 9780593035702

Publisher: NY: G. P. Putnam's Sons (1994)., 1994

Synopsis

By "judithb" on July 20, 2000 I seem to be working my way backwards through Connie May Fowler's list, after serendipitiously finding "Before Women Had Wings". Ms Fowler certainly has a gift with opening paragraphs - I usually give a novel 10 pages to hook me, but both of these books had me well and truly landed after one paragraph. Sadie is a feisty, 40ish, tour guide in the Florida Everglades, but her real vocation is that of a story teller. She finds her captive audiences among those chartering her elderly but regal boat, the product of an almost unbearably steadfast love, inherited from her mother and grandmother after their amazingly unlucky deaths when she was nine. Sadie is unconditionally loved by Carlos, an accidental and unwilling Cuban refugee, who has an endless tolerance for her headstrong and stubborn behavior, and her complete unwillingness to commit to anything. Sadie's struggle to come to terms with her own life is beautifully entwined with the stories of "her women", as their their stubborn strength and fortitude emerges though a series of dreams and childhood rememberances. We are drawn back to the times of newly emancipated slaves and Native Americans torn from their homelands (realizing that was not so many generations ago), and are given a grand tour of the Everglades and the Florida coast. But mostly we are taken on a trip through love in many of its forms - unrequited, unconditional, uncompromising, enduring - as Sadie learns to love herself and allow herself to be cherished. I recommend this book highly and I'm looking forward to reading more from this fine writer. ( Amazon customer review)

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

"HEARTBREAKING...COMPELLING...The story carries you like a slow, implacable current."
--San Francisco Chronicle
Forty-something Sadie Hunter is a loner. But more than that, she is afraid of not being alone. Ever since her mother and Native American grandmother died together when she was a child, dancing cheek-to-cheek in a saloon in the middle of a violent storm, Sadie hasn't let anyone get too close. Not even Carlos, a passionate Cuban who sees the rich soul that Sadie tries to hide from herself.
Cynical and loveless, she becomes obsessed with learning more about her unacknowledged identity, torn apart by tragic family legends she can't quite believe. And although she tries to fight it, she half suspects that with Carlos's help, she could find the truth of the past, and it could set her free....
"A fluid, fun read--a story of self-discovery told by a woman haunted by female forebears while struggling to learn love....A work of accomplished introspection."
--The Philadelphia Inquirer

From AudioFile:

Florida cracker Sadie Hunter makes her living chartering her boat to tourists. If she likes the guests, she regales them with stories. Eventually she begins to learn about herself from her own stories. Fowler writes for multiple narrators, so several people tell Sadie's story. Pamela Reed handles cracker voices well. However, Sadie, her mother and grandmother all sound so much alike it's difficult to determine who is speaking. Reni Santoni quietly reads a small part of the story as Sadie's grandfather, Sammy, a gentler man than any of the three women. Fiddle music soothes transitions, but these readers need no help carrying Fowler's plot. D.W.K. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: NY: G. P. Putnam's Sons (1994).
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0593035704
• ISBN 13: 9780593035702
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 289