1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Peck, Richard. 2003. THE RIVER BETWEEN US. New York: Dial Books. ISBN 0803727356
2. PLOT SUMMARY
This work of historical fiction is set in a Illinois town called Grand Tower during the Civil War years. This book began in the year 1916 as a fifteen-year-old boy named Howard along with his two little brothers and father traveled to Grand Tower to visit his grandparents, his aunt, and his uncle. Howard's grandmother, Tilly, spent a part of each day telling him of the past, which became the majority of the story. Tilly told him of the day she met his aunt Delphine and the mystery surrounding her. There are many twists and turns in this spellbinding story of love, loss, prejudice, and strength. On the day Tilly and her family met Delphine and Calinda, as they stepped off of a boat from New Orleans, their lives changed forever. Delphine seemed to be a well bred lady and Tilly's family suspected that the darker skinned Calinda was her slave. Tilly's mother offered them her home and they became an instant family. Tilly's twin brother, Noah, fell in love with Delphine at once. Tilly's younger sister, Cass, became very attached to Calinda, who had the gift of being able to see into the past and future. This was a gift (and more often times a curse) that they both shared. Noah went off to war at age sixteen, leaving his mother, sisters, Delphine, and Calinda at home. He had been the man of the house for years. His father had gone away and never came home. Noah's going off to war left his mother grief stricken. She demanded that Tilly and Delphine go and find him and bring him home.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Richard Peck tells a story that takes the reader into the past and keeps them spellbound from the first word to the last. The characters in this story show strength and courage as they make their way in a world that is at war. Tilly is a remarkable young woman, finding strength within herself that at first she only saw in Delphine. Delphine is self-confident and strong throughout the story, proving that she was much more than a beautiful well-bred lady from the south. Cass is frail and small, but forced to be strong, as horrible visions of the past and even worse visions of the war are forced upon her. Noah is determined to be a man and fight for what he believes is right. His strength as he recovers twice from this decision is admirable. Tilly's mother, Mrs. Pruitt, is strong until Noah leaves for war. It is her visions of his death that ultimately causes her own, as she tragically never knew that he had come back home alive. Calinda is quiet but has a very strong presence in the story. William Hutchins is strong and reliable as he tends to the sick and the injured in the war.
The plot of the story is realistic to the time period it is set in. The fears most women had at the time of the war, the leaving of their husbands, sons, and brothers to fight, is depicted in both words and actions. The fear is unspoken but is always there in this story. Every day in which they woke up and Noah was still home was a good day. The town of Grand Tower is an actual town in Illinois. At the end of the book, Peck writes about the research that he did in order to write the book. This makes the book very authentic, from the description of the battles, the tents serving as hospitals, and the language used during that time period.
One of the themes of this story is the strength found in women. Another theme is prejudice and how people should not be judged by the color of their skin or what kind of blood they may have running through their veins. The horror and waste that war brings is also a main theme of this story. There are no winners as both sides experience pain and death.
4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Booklist: "Peck's spare writing has never been more eloquent than in this powerful mystery in which personal secrets drive the plot and reveal the history. True to Tilly's first-person narrative, each sentence is a scrappy, melancholy, wry evocation of character, time, and place, and only the character of Delphine's companion, Calinda, comes close to stereotype. A final historical note and a framing device--a grandson writing 50 years after the story takes place--make the reading even better, the revelations more astonishing. It's a riveting story that shows racism everywhere and young people facing war, not sure what side to be on or why."
Kirkus: "Peck writes beautifully, bringing history alive through Tilly's marvelous voice and deftly handling themes of family, race, war, and history."
5. CONNECTIONS
*This book would be a wonderful way to introduce the topic of The Civil War to middle school and high school students.
*Other books by Richard Peck:
DON'T LOOK AND IT WON'T HURT. ISBN 0030914671
DREAMLAND LAKE. ISBN 0030078865
*Other books about The Civil War:
Lawlor, Laurie. WIND ON THE RIVER. ISBN 0809205823
Rinaldi, Ann. GIRL IN BLUE. ISBN 0439073367
Peck, Richard. 2003. THE RIVER BETWEEN US. New York: Dial Books. ISBN 0803727356
2. PLOT SUMMARY
This work of historical fiction is set in a Illinois town called Grand Tower during the Civil War years. This book began in the year 1916 as a fifteen-year-old boy named Howard along with his two little brothers and father traveled to Grand Tower to visit his grandparents, his aunt, and his uncle. Howard's grandmother, Tilly, spent a part of each day telling him of the past, which became the majority of the story. Tilly told him of the day she met his aunt Delphine and the mystery surrounding her. There are many twists and turns in this spellbinding story of love, loss, prejudice, and strength. On the day Tilly and her family met Delphine and Calinda, as they stepped off of a boat from New Orleans, their lives changed forever. Delphine seemed to be a well bred lady and Tilly's family suspected that the darker skinned Calinda was her slave. Tilly's mother offered them her home and they became an instant family. Tilly's twin brother, Noah, fell in love with Delphine at once. Tilly's younger sister, Cass, became very attached to Calinda, who had the gift of being able to see into the past and future. This was a gift (and more often times a curse) that they both shared. Noah went off to war at age sixteen, leaving his mother, sisters, Delphine, and Calinda at home. He had been the man of the house for years. His father had gone away and never came home. Noah's going off to war left his mother grief stricken. She demanded that Tilly and Delphine go and find him and bring him home.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Richard Peck tells a story that takes the reader into the past and keeps them spellbound from the first word to the last. The characters in this story show strength and courage as they make their way in a world that is at war. Tilly is a remarkable young woman, finding strength within herself that at first she only saw in Delphine. Delphine is self-confident and strong throughout the story, proving that she was much more than a beautiful well-bred lady from the south. Cass is frail and small, but forced to be strong, as horrible visions of the past and even worse visions of the war are forced upon her. Noah is determined to be a man and fight for what he believes is right. His strength as he recovers twice from this decision is admirable. Tilly's mother, Mrs. Pruitt, is strong until Noah leaves for war. It is her visions of his death that ultimately causes her own, as she tragically never knew that he had come back home alive. Calinda is quiet but has a very strong presence in the story. William Hutchins is strong and reliable as he tends to the sick and the injured in the war.
The plot of the story is realistic to the time period it is set in. The fears most women had at the time of the war, the leaving of their husbands, sons, and brothers to fight, is depicted in both words and actions. The fear is unspoken but is always there in this story. Every day in which they woke up and Noah was still home was a good day. The town of Grand Tower is an actual town in Illinois. At the end of the book, Peck writes about the research that he did in order to write the book. This makes the book very authentic, from the description of the battles, the tents serving as hospitals, and the language used during that time period.
One of the themes of this story is the strength found in women. Another theme is prejudice and how people should not be judged by the color of their skin or what kind of blood they may have running through their veins. The horror and waste that war brings is also a main theme of this story. There are no winners as both sides experience pain and death.
4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Booklist: "Peck's spare writing has never been more eloquent than in this powerful mystery in which personal secrets drive the plot and reveal the history. True to Tilly's first-person narrative, each sentence is a scrappy, melancholy, wry evocation of character, time, and place, and only the character of Delphine's companion, Calinda, comes close to stereotype. A final historical note and a framing device--a grandson writing 50 years after the story takes place--make the reading even better, the revelations more astonishing. It's a riveting story that shows racism everywhere and young people facing war, not sure what side to be on or why."
Kirkus: "Peck writes beautifully, bringing history alive through Tilly's marvelous voice and deftly handling themes of family, race, war, and history."
5. CONNECTIONS
*This book would be a wonderful way to introduce the topic of The Civil War to middle school and high school students.
*Other books by Richard Peck:
DON'T LOOK AND IT WON'T HURT. ISBN 0030914671
DREAMLAND LAKE. ISBN 0030078865
*Other books about The Civil War:
Lawlor, Laurie. WIND ON THE RIVER. ISBN 0809205823
Rinaldi, Ann. GIRL IN BLUE. ISBN 0439073367
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