Peace Like a River

Born with no air in his lungs, it was only when Reuben Land's father, Jeremiah, picked him up and commanded him to breathe that Reuben's lungs filled. Reuben struggles with debilitating asthma from then on, making him a boy who knows firsthand that life is a gift, and also one who suspects that his father is touched by God and can overturn the laws of nature.

The quiet 1960's midwestern life of the Lands is upended when Reuben's brother Davy kills to marauders who have come to harm the family. The morning of his sentencing, Davy -- a hero to some, a cold-blooded murderer to others -- escapes from his cell, and the Lands set out in search of him. Their journey is touched by serendipity and the kindness of strangers, and they cover territory far more extraordinary than even the Badlands where they search for Davy from their Airstream trailer.

Sprinkled with playful nods to Biblical tales, beloved classics such as Huckleberry Finn, the adventure stories of Robert Louis Stevenson, and the westerns of Zane Grey, Peace Like A River is at once a heroic quest, a tragedy, a love story, and a haunting meditation on the possibility of magic in the everyday world.

In the winter of his 11th year, two schoolyard bullies break into the Lands' house, and Rube's big brother Davy guns them down with a Winchester. Shortly after his arrest, Davy breaks out of jail and goes on the lam. Swede is Rube's younger sister, a precocious writer who crafts rhymed epics of romantic Western outlawry. Shortly after Davy's escape, Rube, Swede, and their father, a widowed school custodian, hit the road too, swerving this way and that across Minnesota and North Dakota, determined to find their lost outlaw Davy. In the end it's not Rube who haunts the reader's imagination, it's his father, torn between love for his outlaw son and the duty to do the right, honest thing. Enger finds something quietly heroic in the bred-in-the-bone Minnesota decency of America's heartland. Peace Like a River opens up a new chapter in Midwestern literature. --Claire Dederer

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All Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review:
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

A good book for children, 2008-11-21
Interspersed with poems about fictional outlaws and with much reference to real life legendary criminals, the novel does gather apace but events are rather predictable and bear much similarity to other classic tales. The author does a fair job of narrating as a young boy; however, the story is more suited to readers of the same age.


2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

Peace Like a River, 2008-10-28
Peace Like a River is a fantastic, uplifting, and thought-provoking book. It is a perfect winter read. I loved every moment of this book.


6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

Rider of the "purple prose"? , 2008-10-14
This novel has been around for a good seven years or so, and only recently did I sit down and give it a read at the recommendation of a friend. To be fair, I liked the energy and ambition of this story. Although I found the prose trying all too hard to be impressive, I liked the narrator and the father character of this story and it was really these characters that kept me reading.

So why didn't I like it?

The plot had typical problems with a first novel attempt. For example: at some point in the story while the narrator and his father and little sis, Swede, load up the trailer and attempt to track down their renegade big brother, they wind up parking the trailer and the rest of the story ends up coming to them!

Including -gee whadya know?--a new mate for widower, Dad!

The problem with Swede... Does any one really know of an eight year old who can write so well, much less prepare an elaborate Thanksgiving dinner with all the be-labored trimmings?

...Really?

I think the author started out attempting to be a tad humorous by creating such a character as Swede, but at some point, he seemed to begin to take it all too seriously.

Other problems (at least, for me) also include the outright unlikability of the older brother and his criminal act. I didn't really feel all that sympathetic in his escape...actually, I was hoping the law would rightfully catch up with him.( I don't believe this is what the author wished for in his readers' sentiments).

Lastly, the prose, (although at times really nice, and beautiful), is too sugary-rich. A little modesty and sober restraint would have added a less ambitious tone, and probably a better narrative throughout. Overall, there is a charm here that I liked and that's because the narrator is so sincere and engaging.

Because of the maladroit attempts at plot and the lunacy of an impossible character like Swede, I can't wholeheartedly recommend. Instead: loved HOME (although Marilynne Robinson is not for everyone), OUT STEALING HORSES (an excellent exercise in even tempered prose creating a powerful story) and the forever under-looked, SIM0N LAZARUS, a book I can't stop thinking about.



1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

PEACE LIKE A RIVER, 2008-09-30
Absolutely one of the best books I have read in a long time. I believe that Leif Enger is the finest american author the come on the scene since Steinbeck - even better!! His book SO YOUNG,BRAVE ,AND HANDSOME is another triumph. I anxiously await for another book by Mr. Enger.


2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

Deserves more than 5 stars!, 2008-09-30
Leif Enger weaves the English language into a tapestry of exquisite phrasing, imagery, suspense, action, and emotion. I loved every page and the ending made an impact that was positively spiritual. Enger's style blends humor, vision, and insight into crisp storytelling. Remember, this is FICTION! Grab a copy of Peace like a River and luxuriate in this wonderful, amazing novel!

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