---
product_id: 128274815
title: "Once Upon a River: A Novel"
price: "C$1410"
currency: NIO
in_stock: false
reviews_count: 7
url: https://www.desertcart.ni/products/128274815-once-upon-a-river-a-novel
store_origin: NI
region: Nicaragua
---

# Once Upon a River: A Novel

**Price:** C$1410
**Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock

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- **What is this?** Once Upon a River: A Novel
- **How much does it cost?** C$1410 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Currently out of stock
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.ni](https://www.desertcart.ni/products/128274815-once-upon-a-river-a-novel)

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## Description

desertcart.com: Once Upon a River: A Novel eBook : Campbell, Bonnie Jo: Kindle Store

Review: A unique and at times uncomfortable story - This book may very well stay in my mind for a long time. There seem to be so many issues and subtexts addressed that I have been thinking about it since I finished it two days ago. This book is the story of Margo Crane, a young woman who lives near a river in a rural area of Michigan in the 1970's. But Margo, who is about 15 when the story begins, is no ordinary teenager. She can shoot, hunt, skin an animal, and does not appear to be afraid of much. Margo will need these skills when she finds herself forced to assert her independence earlier than most teenagers do. Be aware that this is not really a plot-driven book. This is a painting with moving characters. The backdrop of the river provides a rich canvas on which the author can place Margo and the various people she meets. As she searches for something that she has lost, she experiences fear and violence; and like many young women of her age, she often mistakes sex for love. There were times when I struggled with this book. It is a heavy story and doesn't start to show some rays of sunshine until the very end. However, the deeper themes explored in this book are worth sticking with it. It is truly a unique story of growing up, and it raises the very legitimate question of whether we all need to have the suburban house and picket fence to be happy. The book also explores how judgmental we can be about the way that others choose to live, simply because they are different from us. The characters in this book find contentment all around them just by paying attention to life. And these are just some of the issues explored; in reality there is a kaleidoscope of concepts from which to choose for further examination after closing the book. This is a strong recommend, but with the caveat that this is not a "beach read". This is an intense book that will keep you thinking. I know that Margo will be on my mind for quite awhile.
Review: Dread if you do, dread if you don't - Someone I know conducts her life according to the notion that happiness is the absence of dread. Fear is fleeting but a smothering apprehension that something awful is coming becomes long-lasting and debilitating and carries you to a place empty of hope. Margo Crane has known dread and is driven to escape its grip even as she moves up river in search of her mother. "Margo herself had lived with dread, like every other creature in the wild. Dread about what she might lose or who she might encounter that day, maybe someone who wished her harm." Margo, 15 when the book begins, is the fully realized main character in a book stuffed with vivid, endearing and treacherous Michiganders, most of whom are river rats living on the banks of the Stark or Kalamazoo rivers in the state's Lower Peninsula. She is a completely original heroine, self-sufficient in a wild and brutal natural environment and as strong as Indian flint. She's a soul mate of Ree in "Winter's Bone," and occupies the same status as outsider and survivor. She's comfortable in her sexuality and strong in her simple resolve to find someone to care for who cares equally about her. The spirit of Annie Oakley is Margo's guide. Margo's limited edition lever-action 0.22 gauge Marlin, the same gun that Annie Oakley shot, is her sword. The rifle is her protection and her weapon of vengeance. Her odyssey along the Stark River is mesmerizing but I don't know if she's someone I would want to become close to. She's extreme, someone too wild. Michael, one of the many characters she encounters, sees something feral in Margo. He tells her she freaks him out, that she seems to him like a kid raised by wolves. For me, "Once Upon a River" is an amazing read. It's thrilling, as merciless as it is caring, and continually gripping. It's rich in its language and lore and you'll meet characters that will stay with you. The book is long but a fast read. It's mythic in scope and ultimately a work of folklore. I'm left imaging Margo living life her way, sitting on the bank of the Stark skinning a rabbit in a minute flat or slinging her Marlin over her right shoulder and shooting an acorn off a horse apple. [4.5 stars]

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| ASIN  | B0054LXX86 |
| Accessibility  | Learn more |
| Best Sellers Rank | #185,643 in Kindle Store ( See Top 100 in Kindle Store ) #1,326 in Women's Literary Fiction #1,329 in Coming of Age Fiction (Books) #1,404 in Sisters Fiction |
| Customer Reviews | 4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars (776) |
| Edition  | Reprint |
| Enhanced typesetting  | Enabled |
| File size  | 3.4 MB |
| ISBN-13  | 978-0393082005 |
| Language  | English |
| Page Flip  | Enabled |
| Print length  | 349 pages |
| Publication date  | July 5, 2011 |
| Publisher  | W. W. Norton & Company |
| Screen Reader  | Supported |
| Word Wise  | Enabled |
| X-Ray  | Not Enabled |

## Images

![Once Upon a River: A Novel - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71-XY3LqTEL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A unique and at times uncomfortable story
*by E***J on July 3, 2011*

This book may very well stay in my mind for a long time. There seem to be so many issues and subtexts addressed that I have been thinking about it since I finished it two days ago. This book is the story of Margo Crane, a young woman who lives near a river in a rural area of Michigan in the 1970's. But Margo, who is about 15 when the story begins, is no ordinary teenager. She can shoot, hunt, skin an animal, and does not appear to be afraid of much. Margo will need these skills when she finds herself forced to assert her independence earlier than most teenagers do. Be aware that this is not really a plot-driven book. This is a painting with moving characters. The backdrop of the river provides a rich canvas on which the author can place Margo and the various people she meets. As she searches for something that she has lost, she experiences fear and violence; and like many young women of her age, she often mistakes sex for love. There were times when I struggled with this book. It is a heavy story and doesn't start to show some rays of sunshine until the very end. However, the deeper themes explored in this book are worth sticking with it. It is truly a unique story of growing up, and it raises the very legitimate question of whether we all need to have the suburban house and picket fence to be happy. The book also explores how judgmental we can be about the way that others choose to live, simply because they are different from us. The characters in this book find contentment all around them just by paying attention to life. And these are just some of the issues explored; in reality there is a kaleidoscope of concepts from which to choose for further examination after closing the book. This is a strong recommend, but with the caveat that this is not a "beach read". This is an intense book that will keep you thinking. I know that Margo will be on my mind for quite awhile.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Dread if you do, dread if you don't
*by K***R on September 14, 2011*

Someone I know conducts her life according to the notion that happiness is the absence of dread. Fear is fleeting but a smothering apprehension that something awful is coming becomes long-lasting and debilitating and carries you to a place empty of hope. Margo Crane has known dread and is driven to escape its grip even as she moves up river in search of her mother. "Margo herself had lived with dread, like every other creature in the wild. Dread about what she might lose or who she might encounter that day, maybe someone who wished her harm." Margo, 15 when the book begins, is the fully realized main character in a book stuffed with vivid, endearing and treacherous Michiganders, most of whom are river rats living on the banks of the Stark or Kalamazoo rivers in the state's Lower Peninsula. She is a completely original heroine, self-sufficient in a wild and brutal natural environment and as strong as Indian flint. She's a soul mate of Ree in "Winter's Bone," and occupies the same status as outsider and survivor. She's comfortable in her sexuality and strong in her simple resolve to find someone to care for who cares equally about her. The spirit of Annie Oakley is Margo's guide. Margo's limited edition lever-action 0.22 gauge Marlin, the same gun that Annie Oakley shot, is her sword. The rifle is her protection and her weapon of vengeance. Her odyssey along the Stark River is mesmerizing but I don't know if she's someone I would want to become close to. She's extreme, someone too wild. Michael, one of the many characters she encounters, sees something feral in Margo. He tells her she freaks him out, that she seems to him like a kid raised by wolves. For me, "Once Upon a River" is an amazing read. It's thrilling, as merciless as it is caring, and continually gripping. It's rich in its language and lore and you'll meet characters that will stay with you. The book is long but a fast read. It's mythic in scope and ultimately a work of folklore. I'm left imaging Margo living life her way, sitting on the bank of the Stark skinning a rabbit in a minute flat or slinging her Marlin over her right shoulder and shooting an acorn off a horse apple. [4.5 stars]

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review
*by 新***き on December 14, 2023*

途中まで作者はなにを訴えようとしているのかわからなかった。１９７０年代ミシガン州を流れる川沿いで育ったマーゴ・クレーンは祖父に可愛がられて銃に親しみ小動物を狩って野生児のまま１５歳になった。母が家出し、祖父と父が相次いで他界したあと独りで手漕ぎボートに乗り、遠くに居ると伝わる母を訪ねようと川を遡った。話はその数年間の少女の心の動きを丹念に追う。自然の営みに縺れる若い女性の一人暮らしは「ザリガニの鳴くところ（ハヤカワ文庫）」ほどの息苦しさはなく、マーゴ以外の登場人物はすべて大人の男女で、皆彼女の純真さに惹かれなにかと気遣ってくれる。そしてマーゴはなんの感慨もなく男たちとセックスをするので読みながらはらはらしてくる。最後はほんのりと希望の光がさして読み手も安心な気分になるという不思議な一編だった。

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*Product available on Desertcart Nicaragua*
*Store origin: NI*
*Last updated: 2026-02-12*