The river by mary jane beaufrand
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The River by Mary Jane Beaufrand
Ronnie has moved from Portland to rural Oregon with her parents. They now live at the end of a dead-end road and run an inn. Ronnie is not happy at all to have moved to this very isolated area where she can hear the river running. Ronnie has taken up running and people along her route time her run, including the local ranger and a family with lots of children. Ronnie quickly learned to follow one of those children, because Karen was always up for an adventure. But when she is on her run one day, Ronnie glimpses something along the river and discovers Karen’s body. Now the sinister and gloomy feel of the area comes to fruition as Ronnie is obsessed with figuring out who would kill Karen and what Karen may have discovered in one of her adventures along the river.
Beautifully atmospheric, this novel excels at bringing the world of rural Oregon to life. Filled with sensory informati
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The River
Veronica Severance feels cut off from the world. Forced to move from the city to rural Oregon with her parents, she is haunted by loneliness and by the chilling sounds of the Santiam, the river that runs through her backyard.
Through the fog of isolation, Ronnie finds herself becoming close with Karen, a young girl who she babysits. But when she discovers Karen's body on the banks of the Santiam, the victim of a supposed accident, Ronnie feels compelled to uncover the truth.
As she becomes increasingly obsessed with solving Karen's death, Ronnie is led deeper and deeper into the woods surrounding the river and to the dark secret hidden within its midst.
The River is a darkly atmospheric story of murder, isolation, obsession and dark secrets that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.
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Young adult fiction review: 'The River' bygd Mary Jane Beaufrand
"Run, Ronnie, run." The words pound through Ronnie (Veronica) Severance's head. They are the words of her ung friend; the friend whose limp body she pulled from the bank of the Santiam River.
Mary Jane Beaufrand's novel
"The River"
is marketed to ung adults but plays just as well to older readers. Beaufrand, who grew up in Gresham and lives in Seattle, weaves her knowledge of the Northwest throughout the book, allowing locals multiple opportunities to connect with the setting. The Santiam River is as important as the characters, supporting a novel that is chilling, deep and unpredictable.
Ronnie narrates her tale with an authentic teenage voice; at once self-absorbed, angst-ridden and compassionate. She agonizes over her family's move from comfy Northwest Portland to the Patchwork Inn on the Santiam. Instead of lattes at Coffee People and all-age concerts at the Crystal Ballroo