The Gentle River
The Gentle River by Gordon Williams, published by Gordon Williams on July 4, 2024, is a literary novel that explores the intricate connections between past and present through the life of Alice Rossetti Greerson. Set against the backdrop of significant historical events, the narrative begins on a cold December day in 1996, when Alice discovers a link to her ancestor, Captain Phillip Rossetti. This revelation shifts her understanding of love and leads her on a journey through her disappointments, from a lost boy in France to a failed marriage, ultimately culminating in a tragic limerence that alters her life forever.
Readers will find a richly woven story that delves into themes of love, obsession, and the quest for forgiveness. The novel intricately portrays Alice’s struggles as she navigates her relationships and confronts the weight of her family’s history, particularly in the English port of Bristol and the serene Wye Valley. With deep character development and evocative descriptions, The Gentle River offers a compelling exploration of longing and the complexities of human connections, inviting readers to reflect on the promises kept and broken throughout Alice’s life. This edition spans 358 pages and is presented in English.
Official synopsis Publisher
On a dead December day in 1996, Alice Rossetti Greerson finds something that powerfully links her to Captain Phillip Rossetti, her beloved ancestor. It replaces the perfect love she thought she’d found, and continues a journey that took her from a lost boy in France to a husband who failed her, and leads finally to the tragic limerence that changes her life for ever.
In a story that ranges from the English port of Bristol at the end of its slave-trading years to the tranquility of the Wye Valley, Alice weaves a tangled web she could never have imagined at the outset. Those who care for her the most are unable to help her, and she craves forgiveness for the secret crimes she fears she will never be free of.
This is a literary novel with wide appeal beyond mainstream women’s writing, with deep character development and evocative descriptions of Bristol and the Welsh border country, along with a powerful historical element giving depth to the main storyline.
This story is about love and obsession, about Alice’s struggle to overcome her disappointments and to fulfil her long-held belief in perfect love. It deals with longing, with forgiveness, and with promises kept and broken. The vivid historical strand running through the story – so vital to Alice – brings to life the ancestors she’s proud of and those she would rather forget; the English port of Bristol holds them all and the unblemished life of her hero Captain Phillip Rossetti guides her through the fantasies of her youth to the calamity she is helpless to avoid.
FAQ
What is “The Gentle River” about?
Who is the author of “The Gentle River”?
When was “The Gentle River” published?
What is the ISBN for “The Gentle River”?
What are the book details (language, pages, edition)?
