Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    The River Between Us
    Unavailable
    The River Between Us
    Unavailable
    The River Between Us
    Audiobook3 hours

    The River Between Us

    Written by Richard Peck

    Narrated by Lina Patel and Daniel Passer

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Richard Peck is a master of stories about people in transition, but perhaps never before has he told a tale of such dramatic change as this one, set during the first year of the Civil War. The whole country is changing in 1861-even the folks from a muddy little Illinois settlement on the banks of the Mississippi. Here, fifteen-year-old Tilly Pruitt frets over the fact that her brother is dreaming of being a soldier and that her sister is prone to supernatural visions. A boy named Curry could possibly become a distraction.

    Then a steamboat whistle splits the air. The Rob Roy from New Orleans docks at the landing, and off the boat step two remarkable figures: a vibrant, commanding young lady in a rustling hoop skirt and a darker, silent woman in a plain cloak, with a bandanna wrapped around her head. Who are these two fascinating strangers? And is the darker woman a slave, standing now on the free soil of Illinois? When Tilly's mother invites the women to board at her house, the whole world shifts for the Pruitts and for their visitors as well.

    Within a page-turning tale of mystery, adventure, and the civilian Civil War experience, Richard Peck has spun a breathtaking portrait of the lifelong impact that one person can have on another. This is a novel of countless riches.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateMar 23, 2004
    ISBN9781400086276
    Unavailable
    The River Between Us
    Author

    Richard Peck

    "I spent the first eighteen years of my life in Decatur, Illinois, a middle-American town in a time when teenagers were considered guilty until proven innocent, which is fair enough. My mother read to me before I could read to myself, and so I dreamed from the start of being a writer in New York. But Decatur returned to haunt me, becoming the "Bluff City" of my four novels starring Alexander Armsworth and Blossom Culp. When I was young, we were never more than five minutes from the nearest adult, and that solved most of the problems I write about for a later generation living nearer the edge. The freedoms and choices prematurely imposed upon young people today have created an entire literature for them. But then novels are never about people living easy lives through tranquil times; novels are the biographies of survivors. "I went to college in Indiana and then England, and I was a soldier in Germany -- a chaplain's assistant in Stuttgart -- ghost-writing sermons and hearing more confessions than the clergy. In Decatur we'd been brought up to make a living and not to take chances, and so I became an English teacher, thinking this was as close to the written word as I'd be allowed to come. And it was teaching that made a writer out of me. I found my future readers right there in the roll book. After all, a novel is about the individual within the group, and that's how I saw young people every day, as their parents never do. In all my novels, you have to declare your independence from your peers before you can take that first real step toward yourself. As a teacher, I'd noticed that nobody ever grows up in a group. "I wrote my first line of fiction on May 24th, 1971 -- after seventh period. I'd quit my teaching job that day, liberated at last from my tenure and hospitalization. At first, I wrote with my own students in mind. Shortly, I noticed that while I was growing older every minute at the typewriter, my readers remained mysteriously the same age. For inspiration, I now travel about sixty thousand miles a year, on the trail of the young. Now, I never start a novel until some young reader, somewhere, gives me the necessary nudge.. "In an age when hardly more than half my readers live in the same homes as their fathers, I was moved to write Father Figure. In it a teenaged boy who has played the father-figure role to his little brother is threatened when they are both reunited with the father they hardly know. It's a novel like so many of our novels that moves from anger to hope in situations to convince young readers that novels can be about them... "I wrote Are You in the House Alone? when I learned that the typical victim of our fastest growing, least-reported crime, rape, is a teenager -- one of my own readers, perhaps. It's not a novel to tell young readers what rape is. They already know that. It's meant to portray a character who must become something more than a victim in our judicial system that defers to the criminal... "Two of my latest attempts to keep pace with the young are a comedy called Lost in Cyberspace and its sequel, The Great Interactive Dream Machine. Like a lot of adults, I noticed that twelve year olds are already far more computer-literate than I will ever be. As a writer, I could create a funny story on the subject, but I expect young readers will be more attracted to it because it is also a story about two friends having adventures together. There's a touch of time travel in it, too, cybernetically speaking, for those readers who liked sharing Blossom Culp's exploits. And the setting is New York, that magic place I dreamed of when I was young in Decatur, Illinois..." More About Richard Peck Richard Peck has written over twenty novels, and in the process has become one of America's most highly respected writers for young adults. A versatile writer, he is beloved by middle graders as well as young adults for his mysteries and coming-of-age novels. He now lives in New York City. In addition to writing, he spends a great deal of time traveling around the country attending speaking engagements at conferences, schools and libraries... Mr. Peck has won a number of major awards for the body of his work, including the Margaret A. Edwards Award from School Library Journal, the National Council of Teachers of English/ALAN Award, and the 1991 Medallion from the University of Southern Mississippi. Virtually every publication and association in the field of children s literature has recommended his books, including Mystery Writers of America which twice gave him their Edgar Allan Poe Award. Dial Books for Young Readers is honored to welcome Richard Peck to its list with Lost in Cyberspace and its sequel The Great Interactive Dream Machine... Twenty Minutes a Day by Richard Peck Read to your children Twenty minutes a day; You have the time, And so do they. Read while the laundry is in the machine; Read while the dinner cooks; Tuck a child in the crook of your arm And reach for the library books. Hide the remote, Let the computer games cool, For one day your children will be off to school; Remedial? Gifted? You have the choice; Let them hear their first tales In the sound of your voice. Read in the morning; Read over noon; Read by the light of Goodnight Moon. Turn the pages together, Sitting close as you'll fit, Till a small voice beside you says, "Hey, don't quit." copyright © 2000 by Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers. All rights reserved.

    Related to The River Between Us

    Related audiobooks

    Children's Historical For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      From The Heat Of Battle To The Icy Antarctic

      Jul 7, 2023

      Not Without My Dogs by Kobus Olivier with Hilda van Dyk (Tafelberg, R280) After various travels, Capetonian cricketer-turnedcoach and school teacher Olivier falls in love with the beauty of Kyiv in Ukraine. In June 2018, he moves there with his wheel

      2 min read

    • Article

      Book Club

      Feb 2, 2022

      Book Club
      5 min read

    • Article

      Book Club

      Jun 21, 2023

      Book Club
      5 min read

    • Article

      Coot Hill

      Aug 10, 2023

      Coot Hill
      4 min read

    • Article

      Best Of Bing E TV

      Mar 29, 2020

      Starring Steve Buscemi and featuring a jazzy soundtrack, this gritty Prohibition-era drama follows a politician who meddles in local affairs, bootlegging and other criminal activities. Julia Roberts stars in this psychological thriller about a woma

      5 min read

    • Article

      Last Of An Ancient Race

      Nov 17, 2021

      LATE this summer, I passed the ruins of Inverailort House. I had been there nearly 30 years ago in search of film locations. In those days, its grim façade could have cast it as Miss Havisham’s Satis House. What remains is more Manderley after the fi

      2 min read

    • Article

      THE Reading room

      Dec 2, 2020

      Trent Dalton’s ambitious tale combines a dreamy aura of magical realism with scenes rooted in the Australian landscape. At its heart is Molly Hook, the “poor little gravedigger girl”, age seven when the story opens in Darwin in 1935. Molly’s mum, Vio

      7 min read

    • Article

      The 10 Best Books Of February Reckon With The Past – And Present

      Feb 27, 2024

      Float Up, Sing Down, by Laird Hunt In Laird Hunt’s collection of stories, residents of an Indiana farming community in 1982 go about their routines, with secrets and regrets roiling beneath the surface. “Things grew where they grew and flew where the

      2 min read

    • Article

      Best Books

      Feb 22, 2022

      Best Books
      1 min read

    • Article

      Great Read

      Jul 13, 2022

      Great Read
      7 min read

    • Article

      Great Read

      May 17, 2023

      Great Read
      8 min read

    • Article

      THE Reading room

      Dec 2, 2020

      Trent Dalton’s ambitious tale combines a dreamy aura of magical realism with scenes rooted in the Australian landscape. At its heart is Molly Hook, the “poor little gravedigger girl”, age seven when the story opens in Darwin in 1935. Molly’s mum, Vio

      6 min read

    • Article

      Waving Goodbye

      May 3, 2022

      Waving Goodbye
      2 min read

    • Article

      Great Read

      Apr 19, 2023

      Great Read
      7 min read

    • Article

      Books

      Jul 17, 2023

      Books
      6 min read

    • Article

      Great Read

      Sep 7, 2022

      Great Read
      8 min read

    • Article

      Better Books

      Jan 11, 2023

      Alan Rickman was one of the world-class actors of his generation, a tireless political activist, an avid traveller and a devoted confidant and friend. Through his never-before-seen diaries – a 25-year passion project – Rickman invites readers backsta

      1 min read

    • Article

      Over The Sea To Skye

      Sep 21, 2022

      Over The Sea To Skye
      4 min read

    • Article

      Previews

      Nov 10, 2019

      Previews
      3 min read

    • Article

      Great Reads

      Dec 1, 2021

      Great Reads
      1 min read

    • Article

      Great Read

      Feb 23, 2022

      Great Read
      6 min read

    • Article

      Great Read

      Sep 7, 2022

      Great Read
      7 min read

    • Article

      Dictators, Dresses And Dorgis: The Books That Throw Unexpected Light On Elizabeth II

      Sep 9, 2022

      Thousands of books were written about the Queen. Many were banal, some syrupy, a few hateful and most just plain wrong. But there are gems, too: biographies and histories but also novels that throw sharp and unexpected lights on this most singular –

      4 min read

    • Article

      Reviews

      Jun 1, 2021

      Reviews
      3 min read

    • Article

      SURVIVAL & SUCCESS

      May 25, 2020

      SURVIVAL & SUCCESS
      2 min read

    • Article

      Not Everything Turns to Gold

      Oct 2, 2018

      Theodore Roosevelt once said, “When I am in California, I am not in the West, I am west of the West.” The Rough Rider’s koan has been widely viewed as a celebration of the limitless California adventure, but it’s also a reminder of the dizzying, vert

      4 min read

    • Article

      The Family That Shaped Camilla

      Mar 22, 2023

      The Family That Shaped Camilla
      8 min read

    • Article

      Great Read

      Feb 23, 2022

      Great Read
      4 min read

    Reviews for The River Between Us

    4/5

    188 ratings28 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Great though I wish I could've read at my own speed with paper.
    • 4/5
      The perspective of women, especially in the border states, is important, too. Very little about politics and battles, thank goodness. I learned much about the customs of the French Creole, with the tignon, and about the river communities. Good supplement to Mark Twain's Mississippi-based stories, even better than to Red Badge of Courage.

      Can be read as just a great story with rich characters, gracefully told, never mind that it's historical fiction, leavened with just enough tiny bits of humor to make all the sad and frustrating events & situations palatable. Good author's note, though, too, if one does want to learn more.

      Oh, edit, forgot to say - the mysticism bit is annoying and, as best I can see, unnecessary. If Cass really had that gift, this would be a fantasy or a ghost story, and something would be *done* with it. As is, it detracts from the rest of the book which reads as true and accurate.
    • 4/5
      I haven't read historical fiction in a while and I really appreciated the brevity of this Civil War novel as well as the story within a story. When a young man goes to visit his grandparents in southern Illinois with his father on the eve of WWI he has no idea what he is about to learn. His family is hiding a wealth of secrets dating all the way back to the Civil War. When his grandmother recounts the summer that her life changed forever - both her grandson and the readers are captivated. Two young women exist a steamboat in a flurry of petticoats and finery and change the little Illinois town forever. No one knows if they are rebel sympathizers or society girls - but one thing is for certain - one of the young woman is black - is she a slave or freed? Because there are no suitable lodgings in town Tilly's mother opens up her house to them and life is never the same again. Interesting story that covers aspects of the war that many are probably unfamiliar with. Two fantastic narrators really make this a story worth listening to!
    • 3/5
      VOYA Ratings: 5Q, 4PTime is truly a twisting and mysterious arc which flows through and weaves many lives together into the tapestry of history. Though the powerful events of the past can quickly be forgotten, they live on in the way they influenced the lives of those who experienced them and how they in turn shaped the present. Though we may not be aware of them, the events of the past reach forward through time and have helped to make us into who we are today.In his book The River Between Us, Richard Peck masterfully crafts a compelling tale which takes place during the start of the Civil War. Forgoing the grand battles and famous figures from the time, Peck tells the story of the Pruitt family as they are swept up into the conflict and how they are forever changed by the arrival of two unexpected guests fleeing the South.Richly compelling and powerfully real, this book's tale is a true to life story told from the perspective of individuals who were caught between hopes, loyalty, and - for better or worse - losing the only life they had ever known.
    • 4/5
      4Q, 3P: Peck did a great job of staying true to the Civil War era and history. The story is full of so much detail of the town, people, etc. I only gave it a 3P because I've never seen that many teens who are interested in historical fiction. With some pushing, this book could do really good in a YA collection. The book contains a story within another story really. The initial story takes places in 1916 and is about Howard who is visiting Southern Illinois to meet is grandparents and some other really, really old relatives. Along the way Howard learns the story of those relatives, including Tilly, Howard's grandmother. The second story is Tilly's coming of age story.Because the story takes place in the South, there was plenty of regional dialect and phrases. Luckily for me, my family is from the South, so I had no problem hearing the different accents in my head. However, I can imagine that this element was lost for many readers. The french stuff from Delphine completely lost me though.
    • 4/5
      I found this book to be interesting and engaging from the vary beginning. The River Between Us is a staple among those readers interested in historical fiction, particularly during the Civil War time period. Except for a random switch of narrators without warning, this book is an easy read that does not overwhelm the reader with archaic language or super in-depth descriptions.
    • 3/5
      This book was probably the wrong one to experiment with audiobook
    • 4/5
      4Q, 4P (my VOYA codes)A beautifully narrated story as told by the character Tilly Pruitt, a young woman growing up in a small town in Illinois on the Mississippi during the Civil War, this story took me through the challenges and triumphs of her life and family. I loved the oral narration of this story through her southern dialect and the inclusion of the French dialect, phrases and songs that come from Delphine, one of two women Tilly's Mom welcomes into their home. Intimacy is gracefully and quietly exhibited through traditional values and customs of the time and hint at what may come to be for both Tilly and Delphine. A quick yet powerful and emotional story, I was a captive audience of Peck's story. This novel could be a valuable contribution to a young person's historical understanding of slavery, war, racism, values and gender roles.
    • 5/5
      I avoid historical fiction like the plague, but I must admit that I loved this book. I listened to it as an audiobook which really added an extra dimension to the work, particularly when one of the character's lapses into French. I enjoyed the authentic feel of being transported to the beginning of the Civil War, to a town just along the Mississippi. The setting, dialect, and bit of mysticism truly made the story seem three dimensional. Although set in the Civil War, the story focuses more on the relationship of the main protagonist and her family. I loved the pacing of the story, the heart wrenching tragedy and surprising twists and turns that kept me guessing and at one point even shocked.
    • 5/5
      4Q, 4P (my VOYA codes). I gave this book a 4 in quality as I feel that the quickly-switching narrators really jarred the readers of the novel and detracted from the historically accurate story the book was trying to tell. I feel that a 4 in popularity is appropriate as many readers will love this book - even those that feel they don't like historical fiction or writings about wars.I thought this book was a really great, historical read that showed a lot of the horrors of the war in addition to friendship and love with a little mystical aspects to it. I think this book is a great read for teens and although it has a little of everything in it (romance, intrigue, friendship, mysticism, love and loss), it also shows the war clearly without putting too much emphasis on any one aspect of that time.A great novel with suspense and intrigue and masterfully-woven characters that will win over even the toughest critics of war-time novels.
    • 5/5
      The River Between Us is fantastically written, with realistic historical language that is clear to understand and flows smoothly. The story is a beautiful cycle, beginning and ending in 1916, and provides ample foreshadowing as well as a satisfying conclusion, thus earning it a rating of 5Q. In terms of popularity, the appeal may be more limited, but could be sold to teens with well-done booktalking and by targeting teens with a particular interest in oral family histories or in the Civil War.Personally, I very much enjoyed this book despite myself. Initially, I was rather turned off by the excessive descriptions of petticoats, but the story moved quickly into a wonderful depiction of civilian life during the Civil War, a story about unconventional families, and an exploration of story-telling in general. The foreshadowing throughout the book - particularly enhanced by the fact that the majority of the book is actually a flashback - caused me to immediately re-read it upon finishing, because I was certain there was so much I had missed the first reading.
    • 3/5
      4Q, 3P. While I enjoy historical fiction I'm not usually interested in the Civil War era, however I was pleasantly surprised and impressed by Peck's work. Slow at first the book eventually sucks you in to the story. The slow start may be a difficult selling point for YA readers. Once to the meat of the story it's very interesting about how one person's actions can affect other's lives.
    • 5/5
      I love Peck, who has written some fabulous books. Here's another. This one is an exploration of some of the people involved in the Civil War along the banks of the Mississippi in Illinois. The character development is pretty extraordinary. I learned a lot from this book, and won't say more for fear of giving something away.
    • 3/5
      A son’s poignant recollection of a 1916 trip to southern Illinois to see his father’s aging family frames his grandmother’s vivid first person recounting of the family’s exceptional experiences at the inception of the Civil War. Peck’s story of a family living in a town split between the North and the South highlights the daily struggles and pleasures of 16-year-old Tilly Pruitt and how the arrival of unexpected boarders from New Orleans changes the trajectory of her family’s life and attitude towards the war. Both the female protagonist and her twin brother, Noah, will enthrall children as the two straddle the divide between North and South, as well as, childhood and adulthood. The expressive and sometimes humorous story provides the curious reader with a provocative snapshot of a town at odds with itself and a family caught in the middle. Graphic details of the gruesome afflictions of the battlefield and distressing descriptions of a highly prejudice society make this tale worthy of discussion in a middle school classroom.
    • 4/5
      The year is 1861. Civil war is imminent and Tilly Pruitt's brother, Noah, is eager to go and fight on the side of the North. With her father long gone, Tilly, her sister, and their mother struggle to make ends meet and hold the dwindling Pruitt family together. Then one night a mysterious girl arrives on a steamboat bound for St. Louis. Delphine is unlike anyone the small river town has even seen. Mrs. Pruitt agrees to take Delphine and her dark, silent traveling companion in as boarders. No one in town knows what to make of the two strangers, and so the rumors fly. Is Delphine's companion a slave? Could they be spies for the South? Are the Pruitts traitors?
    • 4/5
      The story kept getting better and better as the book went on...The book takes place during the early days of the Civil War, out in the west (Southern Illinois) in a small no middle of no where town up along the Mississippi River. The characters- The Pruitt's a poor family (Mother, Cass the young daughter, Noah and TIlly a set of twins...and the father who has not been around for years does make a surprise appearance in the end in a coffin)...and two woman who show up mysteriously from down the river on a boat (Delphine and Calinda)The beginning of the book deals mostly with the characters...they all are mysterious and special in unique ways, I am glad the author spent time building up the characters, I soon became protective of them and was left wondering what would happen to them, I actually cared about the characters...Cass has visions of horrible things in the river, the mother a bit crazy, Noah a young boy sixteen heading off to war still a boy but to be changed forever, Delphine brings a class of wealth and society, Calinda a mysterious woman with cooking and cards...Due to the era of the book, the book does deal with racial issues, bi-racial relationships, class structure, society's views and opinions on race, slavery, etc...Four Stars-The book is very informative and detailed, the book does an excellent job in describing the way of life in the 1860's. It brings to life the horror of war, boys going off to war to be killed, disease in the war camps, soldiers with missing limbs, the fighting between families father vs son on the battlefield...Yes, the book is heavy on the romance aspect but the story is very emotional, their is pain and sorrow as well, not just a love story. There are a lot of interesting facts regarding the Civil War.The author does a great job in not telling you too much about the characters...through out the story you learn more and more of the characters...this was my favorite part, I was really surprised at the outcome of this book.This book is a middle school level...boys would enjoy this book for the fighting aspect (it takes a while for the book to dive into war) and the girls would enjoy this book for the romanticism. Anyone who is interested in the Civil War would enjoy this easy read and entertaining story.
    • 4/5
      its about a family from Grand Tower, Illinois. Howard learns the history about his family when they were in the Civil War. Mrs. Pruitt, lives with her three kids Noah and Tilliy are twins they are 15 years old and there little sister Cass. Cass has vesions about mens deaing. Noah mom dosent what Noah to go to war she is worred that he will die. A boat coames from New Orleans to Tower there comes a young beautiful womencomes with a companer is black people think that she is her slave . what are there secrets what are they hading? will Noah go to war ? who are does women?
    • 5/5
      Excellent historical fiction. well researched. appealing to adult readers as well as YA readers.
    • 4/5
      This is a YA book that really speaks to the youth about the reality of war. Noah and his friends practice soldiering to prepare for the War between the States while some families are divided over loyalties to the North or the South. The events in the book are factual and told from the perspective of a young adult which makes it appealing to students. The characters is this book are very real and deal with issues that are universal no matter what the time. Tilly is shocked to learn about the “Quadroon” society from which Delphine and Calinda hail. This book gives a great history lesson on the “Free People of Color” which is glossed over by many textbooks these days.
    • 3/5
      This two-time Newbery winner wrote yet another gem. This book contains excellent portrayals of the life of Northern and Southern women during the Civil War, of a country torn apart in loyaties and racial bigotry and prejudice.Peck shines a scathing light on the hypocritical nasty do gooder church ladies who are filled with racial prejudice.Set in a small Illinois town wherein the Mississippi river is a focal point of economics for the area, Peck superbly writes of the impact of the Civil War upon the life of the small town folk who merely want to go on with their lives.I recommend this book to those who like historical fiction and to those who enjoy the writing of Richard Peck.
    • 2/5
      Plot Summary : The story takes place in a small Illinois town, Grand Tower. It begins in 1916 with a young boy taking a trip with his father and twin brothers in a Model T Ford. Young Howard finally gets to meet his father’s family. The story unfolds as Howard wonders what their lives were like during his father’s childhood. The novel then backtracks to 1861 and describes his father’s childhood. The novel ends with a return to the events of 1916. Readers will encounter many of the main characters of the story in their latter years as secrets about the Pruitt family are revealed that will startle readers leaving them wanting to know more about the lives of Tilly, Noah, Delphine, and Calinda.Critique: Peck tells an emotional story about a small Illinois town and its people during the Civil War. Its seems that it is historically accurate of events and locations. The various settings in the novel are real places that Peck researched. I enjoyed reading this novel and felt like I was part of this period.Curriculum Uses: You could have these assignments:1.Draw a map of the Miss. River from New Orleans to St. Louis.2.Find other important dates of history. Look up using various references.
    • 4/5
      The first couple of chapters left me a bit confused, but once I figured out who was narrating and what was going on, the story hooked me! Great historical fiction - I learned a lot, especially from the Author's Notes at the end of the book. I would have loved to read this book as a student when studying about the Civil War.
    • 4/5
      An eye-opening story of the people during the Civil War, with two very different parts of the country represented. One is rural Illinois where most of the people favored the north, and the other is the free blacks from New Orleans, who had held a respected position in the city -- but who could no longer continue their way of life if the north won. The characters are as strange to one another as if they were from different worlds. Young teens will be amazed by how difficult things were back then that are so simple now, and will also learn about white men who had more than one family in New Orleans, one with a white wife and another with a black mistress. Racial tensions and beliefs will open eyes.
    • 4/5
      During the early days of the Civil War, the Pruitt family takes in two mysterious young ladies who have fled New Orleans to come north to Illinois.
    • 4/5
      This is a very good YA novel. The plot twists are of the sort that tend to be surprising to white people of all ages and less so to black people or other ethnic groups.
    • 3/5
      The book was an easy read. I feel like I did not understand some of it because I do not know enough about the Civil War. It made me want to find other books on the subject that could give me more information.r
    • 4/5
      An interesting look at the Civil War era in Illinois, Richard Peck transports readers back in time. Like his other books for middle school students, this piece of historical fiction is easy and interesting to read.
    • 5/5
      Great book about the Civil War and the private war many people faced during this time.