I'll admit to having put off picking up this one, even though so far the Sackett books have pretty much been a sausage fest (for all that each one of them is about the winning of a wife as awesome as each novel's hero deserves), partly because I wasn't sure how well Louis L'Amour could really do a female voice, mostly because it seemed from the opening paragraphs, that his version of said female voice was in backwoods dialect, and I'm still getting over the wounds dealt to me on that score by one Mr. Stephen King (see the footnote to my reaction to fan unfavorite Wizard and Glass). So, though I've been loving the Sackett novels as nice, somewhat wistful entertainment, I was not eager to plunge into Ride the River as I had been into its predecessors.I'm glad I finally got over my aversion, though. Fans of The Hunger Games and whatnot take note: Echo Sackett is the spiritual ancestor of Katniss Everdeen and lots of other plucky young tomboyish heroines (Kaylee from Firefly and Amy Shaftoe from Cryptonomicon come to mind as well).. As in Echo was huntin' and killin' and feedin' her family long, long before la Everdeen volunteered as a replacement tribute in some young adult fiction. Except Echo uses guns. And an "Arkansas toothpick." And, yes, the power of her last name.Ride the River takes place some two hundred years after the last Sackett story. Echo is a descendent of Kin-Ring, one of the the heroes of The Warrior's Path, and so also presumably of his stupendously badass wife Diana. Moreover, she is the youngest of those descendents, which means she's about to come into a special legacy. For back in the days of Barnabas Sackett, Barnabas had a great friend. And said great friend did well for himself. And felt that he owed so much to Barnabas that he instructed his heirs to make sure that if his line ever died out, all the money and a special puzzle box with a secret inside would go to the youngest descendent of Barnabas' first-born son, Kin-Ring.Only problem is, Echo lives in Tennessee, and the lawyer working the inheritance case is in Philadelphia. So to the big bad city goes our little paragon, only to learn that the lawyer is more than a little crooked, and he's not the only bad guy after her windfall.Enter the Chantry family, heroes of another Louis L'Amour series (of which I've only read one book, Fair Blows the Wind, and that reading was back in my early teens). These writers just can't resist the urge to link all their series and characters together, eh? And here it seems a tad gratuitous, but what the hell. Finian Chantry, octagenarian lawyer who can still kick ass, proves himself a more than worthy descendant of Tatton, and so, eventually, does his strapping (and yes, handsome) nephew Dorian, whom he sends after Echo to keep her safe on her journey home with a carpetbag full of gold.But this is Echo, and she is a Sackett, so who do you think winds up rescuing/taking care of/worrying about whom? Even as she "sparks" on him.But so basically this novel is fluff, but it's enjoyable fluff. I'm relieved to discover that later Sackett novels will take up with earlier generations again as a Sackett in the years after the War of 1812 is a bit boring even if she is dinky and cute and never misses with a rifle or a pistol and isn't above clocking you with the butt if you get into close range. I wouldn't mess with her, sho nuff.
"You? You're just a girl. What could you do in a fight?"At five foot two and 100 pounds soaking wet, there's not much that men think slim, pretty Echo Sackett can do. So, when she goes to collect an inheritance crooked lawyers, city slickers, and street toughs try to con her out of her money. And when the con fails they try to steal it. And when the theft fails, they try to kill her. The only problem for them is that Echo isn't your ordinary sixteen year old girl. She's a Sackett. And being a Sackett means that she knows her way around a rifle, a pistol, and a knife better than almost any man.This book was a blast. Taking place nearly two hundred years after the last Sackett book, Echo out thinks, out fights and out wits a baker's dozen of crooked men. I appreciated the fact that while Echo was tough and smart, she was also a young woman. She liked wearing dresses and from time to time worried about appearances. She was not some strange time travelling woman who suddenly appeared in the nineteenth century wearing pants, sporting a "Self-Rescuing Princess" t-shirt, and swearing like a sailor. No, her power and raw toughness was packed into her five foot two frame. She was a strong and feminine frontier woman. She struck me as the type of character my oldest daughter would really enjoy reading about. (The surprise the men felt each time she surprised them by pulling a knife, or unloading her pistol, or hitting them with her rifle butt made me laugh. The bad guys just couldn't comprehend that a little woman like Echo could be dangerous and kept underestimating her).Outside of Echo, this book offers another view of a growing, changing America. The English settlements on the coast are now bustling cities and steam boats and canals connect the East coast with the interior of the country. While still being wild, it is clear that the wilderness is fading. The native tribes are merely a footnote in this book whereas they were central players in the earlier Sackett books. Sad, but reflective of reality.Four stars out of five. Another fun Sackett book.
What do You think about Ride The River (1983)?
If you like Mattie Ross in True Grit or Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games, Ride the River is a book to add to you TBR list. Echo Sackett is a smart and independent 16 year old trying to elude the men who are trailing her through the wilderness in an attempt to steal an inheritance she is transporting in a carpetbag. The bad guys underestimate the small and pretty Echo, and she uses that to her advantage over and over again. Like other favorite protagonist, she is scared and just wants to go home at times -- she also has a little help, which makes this ring true. This doesn't read like a western, which is a genre that has fallen out of favor for many in the YA crowd, but it is an adventure with a strong and unexpected heroine that young female readers will enjoy and appreciate. The ending felt too abrupt, but it is a concise and easy read that high school students will be able to finish quickly. While this is book five in the Sackett's series, it easily reads as a stand alone. I want it in my classroom library. Language and situations are appropriate for all ages.
—Nicole
Well this is the second book I have read by this author, and if the books were not free gifts I never would have read the first and definitely not the second. However, the author did improve in this second installation in both character development and story line. Ride the river is about a young girl traveling alone across a few states back in the day (late 1800's early 1900's) and complications which can arise in such situations. It deals heavily with commitments people make, how every association a person has can affect them and loyalty amongst friends and family. It was great to see a heroine instead of a pining lady like in the last book. Yet he almost takes "Echo's" independence and abilities to resolve situations a little too far. Overall I enjoyed the book; it had some good twists and turns with adequate details for all which were going on. Biggest issue with the book, the ending happens in two pages, seriously. There is a long chase, hunt and traveling to get through the book, only to have it wrapped up snuggly in two pages.cliff hanger doesn't cover it, lack of planning is more likely. C
—Rebecca Hill
The last (and only) Louis L'amour book I read before this one was "The Walking Drum," which I thorougly disliked. I decided to try L'amour again, seeing as I had only read one of his books, and an unusual one at that (--not a western!). I liked this one much better than "Walking Drum." The characters were interesting, the action was riveting, and as everyone says about L'amour's books, it was hard to put down. Louis L'amour was indeed quite a storyteller. But that's all I really got out of it--i
—Emily
