Preview
  • The River

  • A Novel
  • By: Peter Heller
  • Narrated by: Mark Deakins
  • Length: 7 hrs and 18 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (1,746 ratings)

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The River

By: Peter Heller
Narrated by: Mark Deakins
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Publisher's summary

A Nominee for the 2020 Edgar Allan Poe Awards

National Best Seller

"A fiery tour de force…. I could not put this book down. It truly was terrifying and unutterably beautiful." (Alison Borden, The Denver Post)

From the best-selling author of The Dog Stars, the story of two college students on a wilderness canoe trip - a gripping tale of a friendship tested by fire, white water, and violence.

Wynn and Jack have been best friends since freshman orientation, bonded by their shared love of mountains, books, and fishing. Wynn is a gentle giant, a Vermont kid never happier than when his feet are in the water. Jack is more rugged, raised on a ranch in Colorado where sleeping under the stars and cooking on a fire came as naturally to him as breathing.

When they decide to canoe the Maskwa River in Northern Canada, they anticipate long days of leisurely paddling and picking blueberries and nights of stargazing and reading paperback Westerns. But a wildfire making its way across the forest adds unexpected urgency to the journey.

When they hear a man and woman arguing on the fog-shrouded riverbank and decide to warn them about the fire, their search for the pair turns up nothing and no one. But: The next day, a man appears on the river, paddling alone. Is this the man they heard? And, if he is, where is the woman?

From this charged beginning, master storyteller Peter Heller unspools a headlong, heart-pounding story of desperate wilderness survival.

©2019 Peter Heller (P)2019 Random House Audio
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Critic reviews

Edgar Allan Poe Award Nominee



"Utter joy... A suspenseful tale told with glorious drama and lyrical flair." —Denise Mina, The New York Times Book Review

"[A] poetic and unnerving wilderness thriller… Full of rushing life and profound consequences. Every move Jack and Wynn make along the river has the chance to kill them or those they’re trying to save, and the result is a novel that sweeps you away, each page filled with wonder and awe for a natural world we can quantify with science but can rarely predict with emotion." —Tod Goldberg, USA Today

"Engaging...satisfying... Terse and tight. Short, lyrical paragraphs are packed with action and keep the story moving along... Like a lot of backcountry missions, the most compelling parts of the story aren’t necessarily the rapids or the high-risk moves. Instead they’re the quiet moments where Wynn and Jack are coupling their rods together and wading slowly through vivid, tannic streams." —Heather Hansman, Outside Magazine

What listeners say about The River

Average customer ratings
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Thrilling!

I sruggled to take a break from this one! One of my favorites. (:

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

The River

It was okay. A bit boring but I guess it would depend on the mood you are in. Saw lots of potential for some exciting listening but it never happened.

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Outstanding

Great narration of a gripping story. I highly recommend this book for anybody who likes outdoor adventures.

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Great story well told

A very well told and totally enthralling story of being in nature and paddling on rivers and through forests. You really feel like you are in the canoe with the two main characters the entire time. Grabs you and won’t let go.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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A little boring

The second half of the story is better than the first but it’s a little boring.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Hold on to your seats!

Wonderful
Could not put the book down.
Having seen the Teton Mtns on fire; close enough to hear the trees busting into flames, I was waiting with anticipation on how author was going to write about the fire. Peter Heller did a marvelous job! Breath taking.

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PHENOMONAL! A MUST READ!

This book is a must read. It has everything - a depiction of the environment that makes you feel like you're actually THERE...with ALL of your senses. Thrilling parts with tension and anxiety. Character development. Excellent narration. No wasted words... just purely great storytelling. I'm sad it's over.

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Love stories of outdoor adventure

This book was very well written and read, evocative, I could see, hear, smell, and feel the beauty of the place and the communion of men and nature.

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Excellent

Wonderful writing, good plot involving an area that I don’t know anything about, challenging ethical questions

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Captivating

This book brings me back to my childhood, canoeing rivers in Canada with my father and close friends. The detail in the writing brought back so many memories. The rapids, the portaging, the fishing. Beautiful story that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

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