Bright Flows the River

Hi All!
I actually finished this book about two days ago but needed a breather before looking at it again. Don't get me wrong - it wasn't bad . . . it just took a while to get into. . . a while to understand. . . and while to finish . . . You get the picture!

This is Bright Flows the River by Taylor Caldwell (yes, I KNOW it says all of that on the cover and yes, I KNOW you can read it for yourself!). When I first picked this book up and began to read I was annoyed. It seemed to me that the author (Is Taylor a man or a woman? They never really say!) used WAY too many ands for my taste. Instead of using the nice, little commas in a list, it seemed like and was always in the way. Of course now that I am looking for an example . . . um . . . . I can't really find one! Maybe I was imagining it?!?

This book is about a man who attempts to kill himself by driving his car into a tree. However, he survives but retreats into his own thoughts and is put into a very posh mental institution by his family. He doesn't speak to anyone and doesn't seem to be aware that other people are trying to interact with him.

Along comes James - an old war buddy (I am thinking World War II but I don't really know). He is a psychiatrist (how convenient) who lives in London. He comes to spend time with his old buddy - who is given the unfortunate name of Guy and who is called Jerry by most of his friends. James spends time in Guy/Jerry's room talking - basically - to himself and his words set off various memories in Guy/Jerry's mind where he retreats to relive them.

Anyway - it took me a while to work up an interest in this book. I am not sure if it is because of the content or some other reason (I have been feeling a bit "funky" lately . . . ). About halfway through the book I realized that I had just finished another Taylor Caldwell book a few weeks ago. For some reason - the writing didn't seem to remind me of the other book.

Oh well - I am done. Currently I am reading Fancy by someone (oops - I forget and don't want to go look right now! I will post it when I finish the book!). I am thinking it might be the same basic story as the song by Reba McIntyre (or however you spell her last name) called Fancy. I will let you know!

Trisha