Review of American River: Tributaries
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Wesley Friday
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Review of American River: Tributaries
[Following is a volunteer review of "American River: Tributaries" by Mallory M. O'Connor.]
A historical fiction bearing the name of American River: Tributaries seems at first sight, to be something that would be produced by National Geographic. One would think that they would only be met with a barrage of facts and figures from the world of geography; devoid of all forms of conveyance of emotions and depictions that tell a great story.
However, American River: Tributaries turns out to be an amazing novel written by Mallory M. O’Connor. Set in the United States of America, it tells the story of the descendants of three separate immigrant families. The title of the novel simply serves as a beautiful foreshadowing to inform the reader of how the paths of these different families cross one another.
Drawing from the Mexican-American war of 1846, the Battle of Aizu in Japan and the California gold rush of 1848, Mallory M. O’Connor fleshes out the Morales, Ashida and McPhalan families. Each of these immigrant families has had their ancestors share one thing in common, and that is coming to America in search of a better life. But do their descendants share these concerns? Or has time and space brought a disconnect between ancestors and descendants so much that their needs and wants differ?
The author brings to life a multifaceted story that pulls the members of these families together like river tributaries. These individual characters are inspired by various factors in their journeys which propel the development of the story.
A young man, from a former landholding family before the Mexican-American was, who is estranged from his father, pursues his dreams in the world of classical music. A mother is put in a precarious situation where she has to choose between her family and a career as an artist. Another young man’s love is put to the test by society’s disapproval. Will it withstand this opposition or love will elude him?
American River: Tributaries is simply an amazing novel by Mallory M. O’Connor. It would give this book a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. The author’s knack for storytelling and her style is a refreshingly new perspective on how to view characters as a whole. Tracing the ancestry of the modern families helped to better understand the characters, their history and their motivations.
The writer used non-English phrases and sentences in this book. One thing I liked about this book was the author’s translation of these non-English phrases and sentences right after using them; thus avoiding the need to refer to external sources. The addition of a map of the areas in which the story was set is also helpful.
I did not find any feature in this book to be to my dislike. Also, the book was well edited, having only a few mistakes. I would recommend this book to fans of the historical fiction genre as well as lovers of classical music. In the case of the latter, they would benefit from the numerous pieces mentioned in the book as well as the playlist provided at the end.
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American River: Tributaries
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
A historical fiction bearing the name of American River: Tributaries seems at first sight, to be something that would be produced by National Geographic. One would think that they would only be met with a barrage of facts and figures from the world of geography; devoid of all forms of conveyance of emotions and depictions that tell a great story.
However, American River: Tributaries turns out to be an amazing novel written by Mallory M. O’Connor. Set in the United States of America, it tells the story of the descendants of three separate immigrant families. The title of the novel simply serves as a beautiful foreshadowing to inform the reader of how the paths of these different families cross one another.
Drawing from the Mexican-American war of 1846, the Battle of Aizu in Japan and the California gold rush of 1848, Mallory M. O’Connor fleshes out the Morales, Ashida and McPhalan families. Each of these immigrant families has had their ancestors share one thing in common, and that is coming to America in search of a better life. But do their descendants share these concerns? Or has time and space brought a disconnect between ancestors and descendants so much that their needs and wants differ?
The author brings to life a multifaceted story that pulls the members of these families together like river tributaries. These individual characters are inspired by various factors in their journeys which propel the development of the story.
A young man, from a former landholding family before the Mexican-American was, who is estranged from his father, pursues his dreams in the world of classical music. A mother is put in a precarious situation where she has to choose between her family and a career as an artist. Another young man’s love is put to the test by society’s disapproval. Will it withstand this opposition or love will elude him?
American River: Tributaries is simply an amazing novel by Mallory M. O’Connor. It would give this book a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. The author’s knack for storytelling and her style is a refreshingly new perspective on how to view characters as a whole. Tracing the ancestry of the modern families helped to better understand the characters, their history and their motivations.
The writer used non-English phrases and sentences in this book. One thing I liked about this book was the author’s translation of these non-English phrases and sentences right after using them; thus avoiding the need to refer to external sources. The addition of a map of the areas in which the story was set is also helpful.
I did not find any feature in this book to be to my dislike. Also, the book was well edited, having only a few mistakes. I would recommend this book to fans of the historical fiction genre as well as lovers of classical music. In the case of the latter, they would benefit from the numerous pieces mentioned in the book as well as the playlist provided at the end.
******
American River: Tributaries
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Bar Maid by Daniel Roberts
