During the early months of the Civil War, with the threat of a blockade hanging over the Mississippi River community, a river boat delivers two young women, Delphine and Calinda, from New Orleans. Tilly�s mother, in need of extra money for her family, agrees to give the girls room and board. After Tilly�s brother Noah runs off to join the army, his frantic mother sends Tilly and Delphine to bring him back home. The suffering the girls witness in the army hospital is shocking, and the upheaval of war links their lives inextricably.
The setting of the book, in Civil War-era Illinois, is integral to the story. Peck�s familiarity with the area, the dialect, and the historical events enhance his ability to tell a believable, engrossing story. The unique cultural values of the quadroons of New Orleans are brought into modern-day focus, as well as the lingering prejudice that wars and laws have been unable to overcome. Peck still manages to interject his trademark humor into the story, in ways that feel natural and uncontrived. �Although the book deals with some weighty themes, it is not without humor. A scene involving strapping on a corset is worthy of Grandma Dowdel herself.� (School Library Journal, August 1, 2004)
The characters are colorful, multi-faceted, and believable. School Library Journal (August 1, 2004), said that �Peck's exceptional grip on character development will please his fans.� Tilly, the central protagonist, is na�ve and innocent. Like the majority of antebellum Americans, she was unprepared for the horrors that a Civil War would visit upon her life. Delphine and Calinda, while younger than Tilly, are exotic and wise beyond their years. Tilly�s brother Noah hungered for the glory of battle, but the brutality of what he faced was beyond description. The horrors of battle yanked them into maturity, as Tilly�s thoughts reveal. While nursing the wounded, the girls �hardly had the time to look up from our days, or to notice that we weren�t girls anymore.� (p. 122) Noah, likewise, lost more than his arm during the war: �. . . when I looked deeper into Noah�s eyes, I seen the boy was gone . . .� (p. 141)
Universal themes of war, family, and friendship are discussed in the book. Every era has endured the horrors of war, and the destruction it can inflict upon individual lives. It brings out the best and the worst in people and societies, and the common struggle can yield friendships that span time and place. The characters in this book have the same dreams of glory, feelings of invincibility, and harsh awakenings that war brings to every generation. Momentous events mark the characters� transition from childhood to maturity, just as often happens with young people today.
The plot of the book has suspense, romance, mystery, and unexpected twists and turns. The ending, which holds a surprise for readers, explains unanswered questions suggested throughout the book. Rather than manipulating characters and events, Peck seems to let the story evolve naturally, and the outcome feels inevitable rather than forced. The reader suddenly understands why young Howard�s mother has been �standoffish� from her inlaws, why Delphine wept tears of joy when she greeted �young Bill,� and why he was raised by �four parents.� �Readers will find themselves turning back to the beginning of the novel to uncover how seamlessly he (Peck) has laid the foundation for the connections between people and across generations.� (Publisher�s Weekly, July 14, 2003)
Awards for The River Between Us
National Book Award (Nominee)
Publishers Weekly Best Children�s Books
Scott O�Dell Historical Fiction Award
ALA Notable Books for Children
Los Angeles Times Book Prize (Nominee)
Pennsylvania Young Reader�s Choice Award (Nominee)
Great Lakes Book Award (Nominee)
Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children�s Book Award (Nominee)
Related Websites
Richard Peck Website: http://www.richardpeck.smartwriters.com/index.2ts
Battle of Belmont: http://americancivilwar.com/statepic/mo/mo009.html
PBS Civil War: http://www.pbs.org/civilwar/
Source
Books in Print [database online]. Available from http://www.booksinprint.com. Accessed 08 November 2004.
School of Library and Information Studies
TEXAS WOMAN'S UNIVERSITY