Peace Like a River | 
| Author: Leif Enger
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
Category: Book
List Price: $13.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  394 reviews
Sales Rank: 1364
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.9
ISBN: 0802139256
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780802139252
ASIN: 0802139256
Publication Date: August 20, 2002
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Amazon.com Review
To the list of great American child narrators that includes Huck Finn and Scout Finch, let us now add Reuben "Rube" Land, the asthmatic 11-year-old boy at the center of Leif Enger's remarkable first novel, Peace Like a River. Rube recalls the events of his childhood, in small-town Minnesota circa 1962, in a voice that perfectly captures the poetic, verbal stoicism of the northern Great Plains. "Here's what I saw," Rube warns his readers. "Here's how it went. Make of it what you will." And Rube sees plenty. 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
Product Description
Hailed as one of the year's top five novels by Time, and selected as one of the best books of the year by nearly all major newspapers, national bestseller Peace Like a River captured the hearts of a nation in need of comfort. "A rich mixture of adventure, tragedy, and healing," Peace Like a River is "a collage of legends from sources sacred and profane -- from the Old Testament to the Old West, from the Gospels to police dramas" (Ron Charles, The Christian Science Monitor). In "lyrical, openhearted prose" (Michael Glitz, The New York Post), Enger tells the story of eleven-year-old Reuben Land, an asthmatic boy who has reason to believe in miracles. Along with his sister and father, Reuben finds himself on a cross-country search for his outlaw older brother who has been controversially charged with murder. Their journey is touched by serendipity and the kindness of strangers, and its remarkable conclusion shows how family, love, and faith can stand up to the most terrifying of enemies, the most tragic of fates. Leif Enger's "miraculous" (Valerie Ryan, The Seattle Times) novel is a "perfect book for an anxious time ... of great literary merit that nonetheless restores readers' faith in the kindness of stories" (Marta Salij, Detroit Free Press).
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| Customer Reviews: Read 389 more reviews...
 READ THIS BOOK...YOU WON'T REGRET IT! January 1, 2009
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is a wonderful book. Something different for a change. I have read some of the negative responses that the characters aren't believable. It's FICTION. Don't pass up a wonderful opportunity to be entertained!
Sharper than heartwamring. December 28, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Peace like a River is narrated by an asthmatic boy in the Land family. The story is adventurous and unpredictable. The children are fun and the adults varying from admirable, entertaining, worry-filling, scary.
Faith is a staple of the Land family and thereby a large part of the book. It is fascinating and not preachy; it was recommended to me by an atheist friend (who remains so). I am a disciple of Jesus Christ and found the book wholly encouraging.
Though the narrator is simply telling a story it does act as a witness:
"Is there a single person on whom I can press belief?
No sir.
All I can do is say, Here's how it went. Here's what I saw.
I've been there and am going back.
Make of it what you will."
I read the story wishing it were true, and it left me, apparently like good novels do, like a belt around my heart had been cinched up an extra notch and me sitting not knowing what to do with my self, thinking about what just happened.
Faith and Justice December 17, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I think when you read Peace Like a River, you have to do so with a certain grain of salt. There are many things that don't add up, a few head scratching moments, but ultimately the journey is one of faith for the Land family, especially young Reuben, who has more than one experience with faith. There are some irritations along the way. (I, like many, found Swede's character to be a bit perplexing and far-fetched. After all, there aren't many nine years old that can spout out poetry right and left, reference specific historical moments, and cook an entire turkey dinner by themselves). However, all in all it was a worthy novel, and merits some praise. There is a certain amount of symbolism revealed throughout in the family's journey west, and the spirituality of the book creates a "feel good" effect, even if some deem it "sugary sweet."
Obviously miracles and faith play a huge role in the novel, and carry the story from beginning to end. Reuben's entrance in the world involves a miracle in which his father intervenes and helps him breathe and survive. Narrating this event at the book's outset, Reuben reflects on the spiritual significance: "I believe I was preserved through those twelve airless minutes, in order to be a witness, and as a witness, let me say that a miracle is no cute thing but the swing of a sword." Reuben, years later, knows that this event was part of a larger picture that he attributes to fate, and no small feat. The first of several miracles from Jeremiah Land gives credence to the presence of hope in the novel, and perhaps this first one helps to give Reuben a grander idea of life, a deeper appreciation for all the little things that make up family and perseverance, especially as the family heads out in search of Davey.
An appreciation I had while reading was just the amount of passion Lief Enger puts in his novel. While some may criticize his rather verbose and detailed passages (and with good reason), he certainly puts forth much energy in establishing who these characters are: their faults, their strengths, what makes them tick. We know, for instance, that Jeremiah is a very spiritual man, self-sacrificing family man who first relies on faith. Reuben's views of the world are constantly changing and resurfacing, and he clearly shows his philosophical side in his narration; we understand why he has many conflicts over brother Davey, such as whether it is moral or not to help someone who's on the run. Part of Reuben's conscience is to "do the right thing", and he continually questions himself about the morality of life.
Another intriguing aspect of the novel is the theme of justice. When Reuben's older brother Davy kills the two young troublemakers who break into their home, many must decide whether Davy acted in self-defense or whether he is a cold-blooded murderer. Acting as a vigilante, Davy is charged with murder, but finds a way to escape prison. Because the family is having a difficult time living in town after the trial, they decide to head out west to try to see if they can't find Davy and escape the circus that is building around them. This gives Reuben time to cope and try to figure out if what Davy did was justified. (However, I personally felt Davy was as unsympathetic character as there could be in the book).
The ending, which involves another miracle, is one which has garnered some praise and criticism. I think if you take in some of the events with a certain amount of symbolism in mind, the novel will make much more sense in the grand scheme of things. I felt like I could believe the ending, because we learn early on that miracles are important to the story. Over all, there are a few blotches, like the lack of editing at certain points, but this is a novel which is certainly deserving of the praise its received.
an unlikely cast for a novel of loyalty and love December 14, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
An asmatic boy who wasn't supposed to live, a father who makes miracles, a nine year old who writes epic poems, and a fugitive older brother- an unlikely cast for a novel of loyalty and love. But what a story!
Set in the Minnesota countryside and North Dakota Badlands of the early 1960s, on the most simple level, this is a story about one family's quest to retrieve its most wayward member- before the FBI does. On a more profound level, it's a tale of faith, growth, love and impossibilities.
 A good book for children November 21, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
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.
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