Synopsis
An utterly engrossing historical romance from debut novelist Bee Ridgway, The River of No Return is a must-read.
'Time is like a river. It always flows in one direction.'
What if everything you thought was certain was not?
1812: On a lonely battlefield in Spain, Lord Nicholas Falcott, Marquess of Blackdown, is about to die .... But, the next moment, he inexplicably jumps forward in time, nearly two hundred years - very much alive. Taken under the wing of a mysterious organisation, The Guild, he receives everything he could ever need under the following conditions:
He can't go back.
He can't go home. He must tell no one.Accepting his fate, Nicholas begins a life of luxury as a twenty-first century New York socialite, living happily thus for the next ten years. But, when an exquisite wax sealed envelope brings a summons from the Alderwoman of The Guild, Nicholas is forced to confront his nineteenth century past.
Back in 1815, Julia Percy's world has fallen apart. Her enigmatic grandfather, the Earl of Darchester, has died and left her with a closely guarded secret, one she is only now discovering - the manipulation of time. In terrible danger from unknown enemies, Julia flees her home to the sanctuary of neighbouring Falcott House. In this strange place Julia and a recently returned Nicholas are drawn to each other and together they realise how little Julia knew about her beloved grandfather and begin to understand his ominous last words...
'Pretend.'
Bee Ridgway's The River Of No Return is a truly unforgettable novel. If you loved The Time Traveler's Wife or The Night Circus then prepare to be swept away by this stunning debut novel.
Bee Ridgway grew up in Amherst, Massachusetts. She attended Oberlin College (B.A.), then worked for a year as an editorial assistant at Elle magazine. She studied literature at Cornell University (M.A. and Ph.D.). She has worked at Bryn Mawr College since 2001. She lives in Philadelphia, PA.
Bee Ridgway - The River of No Return
Bee Ridgway introduces her debut novel The River of No Return.
Part 1 of An Interview with Bee Ridgway.
Part 2 of An Interview with Bee Ridgway.
Reviews
Customer Review: 26 January 2013
Reviewer: Anne Cater - Random Things Through My Letterbox
'I hadn''t heard anything about The River of No Return by Bee Ridgway until I was contacted by the author some weeks ago, and became intrigued by the whole premise of the story and was totally captivated by the beautiful cover. Funnily enough, I then received a proof copy of the book from Real Readers and started to read a little more about it. It''s a huge book, almost 600 pages in the UK edition, although the author tells me that the USA edition is not quite so big. On the back of the proof copy, The River of No Return is being marketed as a debut novel "that will delight all readers of The Time Traveler''s Wife". This sentence in itself would have been enough to put me off reading the novel, I''m one of those rare specimens that really did not like The Time Traveler''s Wife although I loved Niffenegger''s second novel; Her Perfect Symmetry. So, to the story itself. I would certainly recommend that if you are going to read this, please set aside a good chunk of time to read the first 100 or so pages in one sitting. This is where the scene is set, and much of the explanation regarding the ''time jumping'' is explained. Sadly, I had to read this in smaller snatches between work and meetings and I will admit that at times I found this first part quite difficult to follow. However, once past this rather long introduction, and firmly back in the year 1815, I was able to immerse myself in the story. And what an interesting, unusual and entertaining story this is. Bee Ridgway has a real gift, she is able to tell a story that spans centuries, that merges together two very different eras with ease and with humour. The writing style is precise and flows very well and incorporates some fine historical detail, it is clear that Ridgway had spent time researching the settings for the novel and nineteenth century London is particularly well portrayed. The lead characters; Julia and Nick are so well drawn, especially Nick who struggles so much as he leaps through time - from the battlefields of Spain in 1812, to modern life in 2013 and back again to the nineteenth century. The time-travelling element of the story is pure science-fiction; from The Guild who oversee all of the travellers to the mysterious Orfan who are the enemy, and although science-fiction/fantasy is not a great love of mine, once I had understood the concept, it really did work very well. For me, this is a 4 star read. It is an impressive debut, very original and well thought out, and the book really is beautiful. I did think that it is maybe a little too long, and I had some difficulty in really getting hooked into the story right at the beginning. However, saying that, I do think that fans of this particular genre are going to love it - I''m positive that Bee Ridgway will have much success with The River Of No Return and I''d like to wish her all the very best for many more future successes. '
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Format :
Hardback
ISBN: 9780718176983
Size : 153 x 234mm
Pages : 560
Published : 23 May 2013
Publisher : Michael Joseph
Other formats for The River of No Return:
» ePub eBook: eBook : £7.99
The River of No Return
£14.99
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