Review: Eternal On the Water

Eternal on the Water
Author: Joseph Monninger
Publisher: Gallery Books - a division of Simon & Schulster, Inc.
ISBN: 9781439168332
Audience: Older teens to Adult
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Synopsis (from Barnes & Noble)

From the day Cobb and Mary meet kayaking on Maine's Allagash River and fall deeply in love, the two approach life with the same sense of adventure they use to conquer the river's treacherous rapids. But rivers do not let go so easily...and neither does their love. So when Mary's life takes the cruelest turn, she vows to face those rough waters on her own terms and asks Cobb to promise, when the time comes, to help her return to their beloved river for one final journey.

Set against the rugged wilderness of Maine, the exotic islands of Indonesia, the sweeping panoramas of Yellowstone National Park, and the tranquil villages of rural New England, Eternal on the Water is at once heartbreaking and uplifting — a timeless, beautifully rendered story of true love's power.



My Comments:

I really enjoyed this story. It was well written, the characters were very interesting, and the scenery was so well described that you could almost smell the air and hear the water. It held my interest and was a nice, powerful love story.

My next comment may be a bit of a spoiler, but at the same time, it really won't be, because it's how the book starts. So, if you are afraid I may reveal something, please stop here.....

I'm a person who will NOT watch a movie or read the book if I know how it's going to end. If I know the ending, my reasoning is why spend all that time when I know what's going to happen. Unfortunately, the first pages are the ending, and then the story starts years before. That really killed the book for me because I knew what and figured out why things happened. Sure there were details that I didn't know, but it just ruined the mystery element that I need. Sigh....

There is a bit of sexual content between unmarried people and it happens very early in the "relationship". Suicide and death are also discussed as well as chronic illnesses. Because of this, I would recommend this book for older teens to adult.

This book was provided by the Barnes & Noble First Look Program.