Book Review: River Queens by Alexander Watson

Oh my goodness, but this was an absolute delight of an adventure! When Alexander Watson and his partner Dale Harris found themselves in a mad case of love at first sight with a classic wooden boat, they decided to abandon their previous lives (adventures in and of themselves) in favor of traveling America’s heartland via river. Armed only with their wits and a truly fabulous dog named Doris Faye, the two set sail on a journey that brings them adventure, hostility, unexpected friendships, beauty, tragedy, and hilarity. It’s a true adventure story – and there aren’t many of these being written these days…

Watson has a marvelous storytelling style (think William Faulkner meets Mark Twain with a dash of Truman Capote for style). He’s engaging and entertaining and has no problem sharing the difficulties he and Harris encountered on their epic journey in all their frustrating, enervating, eye rolling glory. The two men and their dog encounter an unbelievable cast of characters throughout their adventures – a cast that seem, by rights, to fall straight out of the pages of the authors I mentioned above – and presents them, warts and all, in a voice that rings clarion true and is presented without judgment, even when such judgment was more than warranted. That’s no small feat, but Watson manages it with aplomb (and deserves props for his ability to maintain his cool during some truly magnificent examples of inanity).

This was a quick and fun read. I admit, I preferred the adventures with people to the adventures in boat rebuilding – but even those bits were presented in a way that an ignorant-about-all-things-boat reader like myself could (generally) follow. Watson and Harris and Doris Faye lived quite an adventure during their time on the river, and through this story, you can join them from the comforts of dry land!

Thanks to the author for taking the time to introduce himself to me – and then waiting patiently for me to push life out of the way long enough to actually complete this review of my obligation-free review copy!