Guest Book Review: The River by Starlight by Ellen Notbohm

Today I’m pleased to bring you Sharon’s review of “The River by Starlight” by Ellen Notbohm. I introduced you to Ellen’s thoughts and work recently with a guest post about writing. Now you can hear Sharon’s thoughts on Ellen’s writing – and then check out the book for yourself and let us know what you think! Enjoy…

The River by Starlight was is a lovely story of a woman’s fight to bear the still little-understood “post-partum blues.” With a delicate hand, Ellen delves into a disorder that the public – and, frankly, the women suffering through it – still largely fail to understand. The moods and mood swings, the disgrace and judgment, and the difficulties both internal and external that surround this disorder are explored and – to the extent possible – explained, in a manner that is touching and honest.

The book offers a star-crossed opportunistic relationship that builds into a poignant love affair, described with just the right amount of loving prose. The electricity between these individuals is captivating, particularly since they were thrown together because of the homesteading benefit offered as a solution to tough times. Equally captivating is the management of grief – yet another powerful emotion that plays an important role in this complex novel. The depictions of the pain and heartache each faces, for their own unique reasons, were heartfelt and honest and really resonated with me. I was pleasantly surprised at the intensity of the depths of emotion the author managed to convey throughout, and quite enjoyed reading it.

Thank you to the author and publicists, Caitlin Hamilton Marketing & Publicity, for the review copy of this book and the opportunity to read it.