The River Is Waiting (Oprah's Book Club): A Novel
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER | OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK | A USA TODAY BESTSELLER
#1 New York Times bestselling author Wally Lamb, celebrated for two prior Oprah’s Book Club selections, returns with an exceptional third pick, an “incandescent” (Oprah Daily) novel following a young father grappling with unbearable tragedy as he searches for hope, redemption, and the possibility of forgiveness.
Corby Ledbetter is struggling. New fatherhood, the loss of his job, and a growing secret addiction have thrown his marriage to his beloved Emily into a tailspin. And that’s before he causes the tragedy that tears the family apart. Sentenced to prison, Corby struggles to survive life on the inside, where he bears witness to frightful acts of brutality but also experiences small acts of kindness and elemental kinship with a prison librarian who sees his light and some of his fellow offenders, including a tender-hearted cellmate and a troubled teen desperate for a role model. Buoyed by them and by his mother’s enduring faith in him, Corby begins to transcend the boundaries of his confinement, sustained by his hope that mercy and reconciliation might still be possible. Can his crimes ever be forgiven by those he loves?
An “immersive novel of redemption” (The New Yorker), The River Is Waiting is another “soul-wrenching” (NPR) masterpiece from celebrated author Wally Lamb.
#1 New York Times bestselling author Wally Lamb, celebrated for two prior Oprah’s Book Club selections, returns with an exceptional third pick, an “incandescent” (Oprah Daily) novel following a young father grappling with unbearable tragedy as he searches for hope, redemption, and the possibility of forgiveness.
Corby Ledbetter is struggling. New fatherhood, the loss of his job, and a growing secret addiction have thrown his marriage to his beloved Emily into a tailspin. And that’s before he causes the tragedy that tears the family apart. Sentenced to prison, Corby struggles to survive life on the inside, where he bears witness to frightful acts of brutality but also experiences small acts of kindness and elemental kinship with a prison librarian who sees his light and some of his fellow offenders, including a tender-hearted cellmate and a troubled teen desperate for a role model. Buoyed by them and by his mother’s enduring faith in him, Corby begins to transcend the boundaries of his confinement, sustained by his hope that mercy and reconciliation might still be possible. Can his crimes ever be forgiven by those he loves?
An “immersive novel of redemption” (The New Yorker), The River Is Waiting is another “soul-wrenching” (NPR) masterpiece from celebrated author Wally Lamb.
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Community Reviews
Wow. What a heartbreaking, gut-wrenching story. The ending really moved me, I couldn’t hold back tears. This story and these characters (I LOVED Manny and the librarian!!) will stay with me for a long long time.
Two major issues I had with the book…. first, after such a rollercoaster of a journey with Corby, the way he died was soooooo anticlimactic to me. I actually had to re-read it a few times because I honestly couldn’t believe that *that’s* how the author decided to end Corby’s story. That was a major letdown for me.
My other issue was Lamb’s writing style, at times. Incredibly heavy topics like addiction and divorce and grief and assault were dealt with, but sometimes it felt like Corby was just stating facts instead of deeply experiencing the emotions. I mean, I cannot even begin to fathom how soul crushing it would feel to accidentally kill your own child, but Corby didn’t seem as affected by it as I would’ve imagined. Same with Emily, sometimes it felt like her character was a bit robotic. Maybe it’s a personal preference that I enjoy more lyrical, flowery, emotive writing… but I missed that a bit in this book, especially because of the heavy subject matter.
Overall I really loved it and am so glad I read it!!
Two major issues I had with the book…. first, after such a rollercoaster of a journey with Corby, the way he died was soooooo anticlimactic to me. I actually had to re-read it a few times because I honestly couldn’t believe that *that’s* how the author decided to end Corby’s story. That was a major letdown for me.
My other issue was Lamb’s writing style, at times. Incredibly heavy topics like addiction and divorce and grief and assault were dealt with, but sometimes it felt like Corby was just stating facts instead of deeply experiencing the emotions. I mean, I cannot even begin to fathom how soul crushing it would feel to accidentally kill your own child, but Corby didn’t seem as affected by it as I would’ve imagined. Same with Emily, sometimes it felt like her character was a bit robotic. Maybe it’s a personal preference that I enjoy more lyrical, flowery, emotive writing… but I missed that a bit in this book, especially because of the heavy subject matter.
Overall I really loved it and am so glad I read it!!
This is by far my favorite book read! This was so intense, but very good! I was saddened immediately starting the book. The loss of a child and dealing with family tragedy in the book was well developed. Then the entire time when Cordy was in prison was tragic, sad, and did get me angry. The ending was beautifully put together!
What’s it about?
Corby Ledbetter is a young father who is struggling to keep it all together. He has lost his job and is having trouble finding another. He is staying home with his twin toddlers and trying to hide his burgeoning addiction issues. When everything comes to a head one morning his life will change forever.
What did it make me think about?
Our justice system.
Should I read it?
Well this is another Oprah Book Club pick. I thought it was well written and the topic interested me. I never grew to love Corby or Emily so that probably held me back from giving it a higher rating. My favorite characters were Manny and the librarian and they saved the book for me. Even though Corby is a nice guy and you feel for him, he just never seems to grow up. Having someone write a story about life in prison that did not seem sensationalized was what kept me turning the pages. I admire that Wally Lamb kept the character of Corby realistic, but sometimes I desperately wanted him to do better. It was interesting to note that Wally Lamb has volunteered in a women’s prison for over 20 years. Kudos to him! I think most readers will enjoy this book. The topic is hard so just be aware of that.
Quote-
“Before they sent me here, I was aware that Blacks got a raw deal in the criminal justice system. That was something I knew but didn’t think too much about. Now it’s something I’m starting to feel. And it doesn’t feel good.”
Corby Ledbetter is a young father who is struggling to keep it all together. He has lost his job and is having trouble finding another. He is staying home with his twin toddlers and trying to hide his burgeoning addiction issues. When everything comes to a head one morning his life will change forever.
What did it make me think about?
Our justice system.
Should I read it?
Well this is another Oprah Book Club pick. I thought it was well written and the topic interested me. I never grew to love Corby or Emily so that probably held me back from giving it a higher rating. My favorite characters were Manny and the librarian and they saved the book for me. Even though Corby is a nice guy and you feel for him, he just never seems to grow up. Having someone write a story about life in prison that did not seem sensationalized was what kept me turning the pages. I admire that Wally Lamb kept the character of Corby realistic, but sometimes I desperately wanted him to do better. It was interesting to note that Wally Lamb has volunteered in a women’s prison for over 20 years. Kudos to him! I think most readers will enjoy this book. The topic is hard so just be aware of that.
Quote-
“Before they sent me here, I was aware that Blacks got a raw deal in the criminal justice system. That was something I knew but didn’t think too much about. Now it’s something I’m starting to feel. And it doesn’t feel good.”
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