Bodie and Brock Thoene
Only the River Runs Free (1997)
Author: Bodie and Brock Thoene
Genre: Historical/Christian
Plot Summary:
The villagers of Ballynockanor have long suffered under the rule of English governance since the death of their beloved landlord the Burke and the disappearance of his son. Villager Kate Donovan Garrity and her family have suffered even more since their house burned down killing Kate's mother and husband and scarring Kate's face and arm badly. Mad Molly Fahey believes that a miracle is coming to the town, and it seems her vision is coming true when a stranger arrives on Christmas Eve. Joseph Connor, a poor seminary student seemingly arrives to study with local priest Father O'Bannon. As politics turn heated in the county and village and as the Donovan clan find themselves in a horrible conflict with their English landlords, only Joseph can seem to help them. But the villagers wonder who Joseph really is, and if he is the key to their freedom or their doom.
Geographical Setting: Ireland
Time Period: 1841
Series: Book One of the Galway Chronicles
Appeal Characteristics:
There is a clear sense of good versus evil in this book; the English landlords are bad while the God-fearing Irish villagers are good. There is no grey area.There is also a hero in the story, a man come back to save the town and redeem the land and it's citizens. The story is very plot driven and fast paced, it seemed like every chapter left off with some sort of plot twist or cliff-hanger. The main characters are not very well developed but they are all likeable and they all express their faith very strongly throughout the book. All throughout the book there are descriptions of Catholic rituals and prayers. There are also really detailed descriptions of folk beliefs and practices. Along with the political conflict there is a very sweet and gentle love story.
Read-alikes: Of course there are the 3 other Galway Chronicle books: Of Men and Angels, Ashes of Rememberence, and All Rivers to the Sea. Athol Dickson's River Rising is a Christian historical fiction novel that deals with the fight between good and evil and the rise of a hero in a community.Fallen Angels by Patricia Hickman is another Christian historical fiction novel that deals with the emergence of an unlikely hero and also has a gentle love story in the midst of turmoil. For good descriptions of Catholic rituals and ceremonies try Conclave by Greg Tobin. Francine Rivers' The Sin Eater offers excellent descriptions of rural life in the 1850's and has similar description of conflict as Only the River Runs Free. Janette Oke and T. Davis Bunn's The Meeting Place is a work of Christian Historical fiction that deals witht a clash of cultures just like the Thoene's book.
Red Flags: There is a lot of violence, sometimes against women and old people. There is also a scene of attempted rape.
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