Follow the River: A Novel

If you have never read this book... go get it and read it!This book is an incredible story based on the account of Mary Ingles (not Mary Ingalls Wilder) in 1755. She was just 23, married, and pregnant with her 3rd child when Shawnee Indians brutally attacked the Virginia settlement where she and her family lived. The Shawnee massacred many settlers, including some of her family. They kidnapped Mary, her two boys, her sister-in-law, and another man from the settlement. While on the trail with them to Shawnee territory in Kentucky, she gives birth to her baby girl and they make her get right back on the horse. On the trail, Mary commits to memory different landmarks they pass. Once there, she is sold into slavery and her sons are adopted by one of the chiefs. She remained with the Indians a few months before deciding she needed to escape. Mary's newborn suckled a young Indian woman (who recently lost her own baby). I can't imagine the decision Mary had to make with leaving her children with the Indians but she knew they would never survive the elements on the journey back. She convinces an old Dutch lady(also a prisoner), Ghetel, to escape with her and they begin their 1,000 mile trek, on foot, home through the hostile wilderness. In 43 days, she goes from 125 pounds to under 80 pounds as he faces the elements, starvation, wild animals, and her companion turned crazy. Author, James Thom, brought this story to life with his graphic and descriptive writing. It is unimaginable what these two women endured to get back home.The author really researched this history and even followed her same trek while doing the research for this book. Mary Ingles is an inspiration and a remarkable woman with a conquering spirit!! It is an unforgettable, raw story of survival, her will to live, and a tale of what she experienced in the wild. At times it was heart pounding and deeply moving. I highly recommend everyone to read this book. If someone were to ask me to recommend some books, this would make the list!!

The Scots-Irish, always at the edge of the frontier, had a saying: "The cowards never left home. The weak died along the way. Only the strong made it." If ever that was the case, it was true of Mary Ingles the pioneer wife and mother in colonial Virginia - present day West Virginia.In this historical fiction by James Alexander Thom, an author who specializes in this period and geographical area, we meet the young wife and mother Mary Ingles. Mary, her children, friend Bettie Draper and a few others are survivors of a savage indian attack on their frontier settlement. Those not killed outright were made slaves and taken to the land of the Shawnee - present day southern Ohio.The historical record is known: Mary Ingles was made a slave and sold by the Shawnee to a French trader. Mary Ingles, however, was determined to return to her husband and hatched a plan to escape her French owner and the Shawnee. After an epic march mainly on foot, Mary and a Dutch woman who was also an indian captive walked hundreds of miles from present day western Kentucky back to white settlements in present day West Virginia by following the rivers she had memorized during her initial march into captivity. The reader will marvel at the toughness of Mary and those who lived during that era.James Thom takes the historical facts and weaves an excellent fictional tale around the bare bones of the facts. He presents a Mary Ingles who is not only tough, intelligent, proud and, above all, determined. He gives us a Mary that is fleshed out from the simple historical facts. James Thom is able to present Mary ingles to us that thinks, feels, hopes and almost despairs. We know so little about Mary, but the author is able to gather a lot of information from a variety of sources including the direct descendants of Mary that still preserve her memory. the author also traveled parts of the route Mary took on foot during her ordeal of a march back to her husband.This is an excellent work of historical fiction that fills in a lot of blanks while remaining true to the times and what we factually know about Mary. I recommend this book highly with five stars. Not only that, but after you're done with this book, there's another excellent book called  Long Knife  by James Thom about George Rogers Clark and his conquest of the Northwest during the Revolutionary War. Good reading!

The opening chapter was pretty hard to read because of the violent nature of the indian raid but once past that, the story unfolded beautifully and the daily struggles held my interest to the point where it became one of those "can't put it down" stories. I think the author did a great job of telling this story which is based on the handed down accounts of a real person back in the 1700's. The heroine "Mary" had real grit and determination and dignity - she had to make excruciatingly difficult choices along the way. Her bond with her fellow escapee, Ghetel, was also a study in human relationships and highlighted our human need for companionship. I especially loved the last couple of chapters where she was close to death but finally reunited with her "people". Other than the graphic nature of the first chapter, the only thing that I felt could have been improved was some of the minute details of her struggle along the river could have been shortened. I found myself wanting to skip over some of them because they became a little repetitive. Other than that, it was a marvelous read and a glimpse of what our early pioneers life might have been like. As a backdrop, the author explored the historical references about the alliance between the French and Indian people that would have been prevalent during the period of this story -- the French and Indian War.

Sad at times

Supposed to be a true story but I don’t know how the human will of one woman could have put up with and suffered so much! It’s a page-turner for sure!!

I never write book reviews, but this is simply one of the best historical novels I’ve ever read! The beginning was very difficult to read, but I could not put it down. The writer clearly did his research and pulls you into Mary’s story with the MOST vivid descriptions. I felt like I was right alongside her throughout her journey. I am fascinated and inspired by Ingles’ strength, and her story will stay with me.

I have purchased this book several times as gifts. Great.

History in general interests me

This book was wonderful absolutely gripping from start to finish. It was gruesome yet enchanting in parts and showed how grit and determination can overcome seemingly impossible obstacles.

L'un des livres les plus passionnants que j'ai jamais lus . Impossible d'en arrêter la lecture jusqu'à la fin . Très détaillé et profond en ce qui concerne les sentiments humains face à l'épreuve . Etude des moeurs des indiens d'amérique très bien conduite . il est rare de trouver des oeuvres aussi intéressantes et bien écrites .

My whole family loved this book

This was a purchase for my book group so was very happy to buy a secondhand copy.I was so pleased with the condition of the book and it arrived in four days. Brilliant service.