Review by srensch1 -- American River: Tributaries
Posted: 02 Dec 2018, 19:01
[Following is a volunteer review of "American River: Tributaries" by Mallory M. O'Connor.]
4 out of 4 stars
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American River: Tributaries by Mallory M. O’Connor is the first book in the American River series. As with the first volumes of most series, this book is a little difficult to review because most of the storylines are, by design, left incomplete. Nevertheless, Tributaries is a pretty good read even for those who do not intend to read the subsequent volumes.
The protagonists are actually not individuals but rather families. There are three of them. The McPhalans were originally Irish immigrants who made their way to California during the Gold Rush of 1849. Over time, they have become successful ranchers. The Morales family was a ranching family that was ousted when California became a state. However, they have returned to become successful business people. The Ashida family, descended from a samurai warrior, came to California to join a Japanese colony. After being incarcerated during World War II, they returned to work for the McPhalans.
Arguably, there is a fourth protagonist, namely, the land itself. The Sacramento Valley and San Francisco were the places where I was born and raised. It is a land of contrasts: San Francisco is as cosmopolitan and diverse as any city in the country, but the adjacent Sacramento Valley is full of open hills and small towns where people live and think like Middle America. This contrast in the land parallels the contrast between the characters in the book.
American history is the story of immigrants coming to America, meeting enormous resistance, and yet somehow becoming absorbed in the population. How did that happen? Most immigrant groups came from cultures that valued family so highly that they tended to discourage contact with those who were not family. A reading of Tributaries makes me believe that the breakdown of those strict lines came through the loving and sexual relationships formed by the younger members of those families.
Tributaries is about people crossing the lines and, in the process, beginning to break down prejudices. The beautiful but middle-aged woman joins with a younger man; the sophisticated gay man loves, mentors and saves the desperate young gay man abandoned by his family; the young son of the Ashida family and the daughter of the McPhalans fall in love, despite huge economic and cultural differences; the oldest son of the Morales family marries a McPhalan daughter. Not all of these relationships succeed, but each of them breaks down barriers.
Mr. O’Connor writes well so that the transitions from one storyline or one family to another did not bother this reader. Ultimately, the success of this volume may depend on the quality of the subsequent volumes. But Tributaries is good enough so that I will definitely read the sequels. For that reason, I give it 4 out of 4 stars.
******
American River: Tributaries
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4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
American River: Tributaries by Mallory M. O’Connor is the first book in the American River series. As with the first volumes of most series, this book is a little difficult to review because most of the storylines are, by design, left incomplete. Nevertheless, Tributaries is a pretty good read even for those who do not intend to read the subsequent volumes.
The protagonists are actually not individuals but rather families. There are three of them. The McPhalans were originally Irish immigrants who made their way to California during the Gold Rush of 1849. Over time, they have become successful ranchers. The Morales family was a ranching family that was ousted when California became a state. However, they have returned to become successful business people. The Ashida family, descended from a samurai warrior, came to California to join a Japanese colony. After being incarcerated during World War II, they returned to work for the McPhalans.
Arguably, there is a fourth protagonist, namely, the land itself. The Sacramento Valley and San Francisco were the places where I was born and raised. It is a land of contrasts: San Francisco is as cosmopolitan and diverse as any city in the country, but the adjacent Sacramento Valley is full of open hills and small towns where people live and think like Middle America. This contrast in the land parallels the contrast between the characters in the book.
American history is the story of immigrants coming to America, meeting enormous resistance, and yet somehow becoming absorbed in the population. How did that happen? Most immigrant groups came from cultures that valued family so highly that they tended to discourage contact with those who were not family. A reading of Tributaries makes me believe that the breakdown of those strict lines came through the loving and sexual relationships formed by the younger members of those families.
Tributaries is about people crossing the lines and, in the process, beginning to break down prejudices. The beautiful but middle-aged woman joins with a younger man; the sophisticated gay man loves, mentors and saves the desperate young gay man abandoned by his family; the young son of the Ashida family and the daughter of the McPhalans fall in love, despite huge economic and cultural differences; the oldest son of the Morales family marries a McPhalan daughter. Not all of these relationships succeed, but each of them breaks down barriers.
Mr. O’Connor writes well so that the transitions from one storyline or one family to another did not bother this reader. Ultimately, the success of this volume may depend on the quality of the subsequent volumes. But Tributaries is good enough so that I will definitely read the sequels. For that reason, I give it 4 out of 4 stars.
******
American River: Tributaries
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like srensch1's review? Post a comment saying so!