Picture of author.

Sara B. Fraser

Autor(a) de Just River

2 Works 19 Membros 5 Reviews

Obras de Sara B. Fraser

Just River (2021) 10 cópias
Long Division (2019) 9 cópias

Etiquetado

Conhecimento Comum

There is no Common Knowledge data for this author yet. You can help.

Membros

Resenhas

Esta resenha foi escrita no âmbito dos Primeiros Resenhistas do LibraryThing.
I had a hard time getting into this book through the first half but then as I became more invested in the characters I read it more continuously. The preface gave me a sense of doom as to what was going to happen to the characters which was part of my hesitance in reading initially. Once I finished the book I found myself going back to read the preface again which was a nice wrap up of everything that happened in the last chapters. Overall I enjoyed the book and I liked the characters although it felt like it moved slowly at first with a lot of exposition and then a whole lot happened all at once in the last third.… (mais)
 
Marcado
barefeet4 | outras 3 resenhas | Feb 7, 2022 |
Esta resenha foi escrita no âmbito dos Primeiros Resenhistas do LibraryThing.
The town of Wattsville, NY along the Otis River is a relic of the industrial age, part of the rust belt. The people of Wattsville are mostly stuck in dead-end jobs, poverty and drugs. Carol is a single mom who works in the dining hall of the local college that her daughter, Garnet attends. Garnet is dating Ethan, one of the town's wealthy residents. When Garnet and Ethan get into a fight, Garnet is the victim of an unjust system and sent to prison with a two-year sentence. With her daughter in prison, Carol leans on her friend Sam and new coworker Ronaldo. When Garnet begins to get hassled in prison, Carol and Sam try to help Garnet and end up starting a chain of events that will affect the whole town.

Just River snapshot of a small town in the 1990's. The story flowed through the connected action of the characters with each chapter narrated by a switching point of view between Garnet, Carol and Sam. The diverse range of characters shows a range of viewpoints, motivations and emotions as everyone deals with what life has dealt them. Sam was an intriguing character as a gay man who dressed as a woman but did not identify as transgender. It was interesting to see his motivations for staying in a small town and how he goes through everyday life. Carol's outlook changes several times throughout the story as regret, depression and acceptance work their way through her life. Garnet's point of view was fun to read as she figured out some important lessons in prison. Just River offers a steady plot with a mix of comedy and tragedy that reflects the real world.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
… (mais)
 
Marcado
Mishker | outras 3 resenhas | Jan 10, 2022 |
Esta resenha foi escrita no âmbito dos Primeiros Resenhistas do LibraryThing.
Just River by Sara B. Fraser is an amazing book, taking a look back at the 1990s and what it was like to be different in a small American city. The characters are incredibly well rounded and fleshed out, and even though they wear their faults on their sleeve, you fall in love with (almost) all of them. The only exceptions are, of course, the "bad guys." In this case, the bad guys are exactly who you'd expect: drug runners and spoiled rich kids who abuse their girlfriends and then abuse their power in society to get away with it. But the main characters of Sam, Carol, and Garnet are really fantastically nuanced, with strong points and weak points, obvious faults and the best of intentions. They feel true to life, instead of like characters in a book.

While I would love to say that I could not put Just River down, I found that about the midway point I had to put it down after every single chapter. To me, this is the mark of a very good book. Each chapter was so impactful that I needed time to process. Mostly this was because the characters were trying their hardest and getting very poorly treated. And when you love the characters as much as Fraser made me love hers, it is very hard to watch them try so hard and still fail. But like all good stories, this one comes with a mostly happy ending. And like a true master of the craft, Fraser's ending strikes the perfect balance between giving everybody what they wanted and leaving the ending realistic and open-ended. I doubt there will be a sequel, but if there was, I would read it.

The plot is very well done, with no real plot holes or contradictions to note. Getting from point A to point B often takes a number of detours, but they are realistic and have plenty of internal logic. The plot, characters, and setting may feel mundane to fans of fantasy, but for a general/historical fiction book, all of it is perfect. And the stakes are still high, as the three main characters struggle to maintain their lives in the face of often overwhelming adversity. Many of the secondary characters are also struggling, which helps make them feel like they have lives outside of their interactions with the main cast. This keeps things feeling tight and tense in a way that is appropriate to the story without feeling overblown or exaggerated beyond the realm of realism.

Overall, I soundly enjoyed and frankly loved Just River. Fraser and Black Rose Writing have put out a true gem of a story looking at what it was like to struggle in a small town in the 1990s. Easily a five star rating in my book, and I cannot recommend it highly enough to readers who enjoy character-focused realism.
… (mais)
 
Marcado
gadosiahe | outras 3 resenhas | Dec 18, 2021 |
Just River is a book about people who have lost hope in their small hopeless city in upstate New York. It's 1990 and most industry has left the area and jobs are few and far between. A small group of friends work together to help each other. Sam is a cross-dresser and Coral, his best friend, work together to help Garnet who is in jail because of domestic violence. Despite their hard lives, their friendships are strong. All of the characters are quirky but my favorite was Sam. Sam is a stylish cross dresser who loves to sing karaoke.
Being gay wasn't acceptable in a 1990's small town and he suffers many negative comments but remains happy with this life. The novel isn't all depressing and gritty - there are some funny moments throughout that help balance out their lives. Even though Sam dreams of moving to the big city, I have a feeling that he stayed in his small town to help take care of his friends.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review.
… (mais)
 
Marcado
susan0316 | outras 3 resenhas | Nov 27, 2021 |

Prêmios

Estatísticas

Obras
2
Membros
19
Popularidade
#609,294
Avaliação
½ 4.3
Resenhas
5
ISBNs
2