The River Widow

(Paperback)

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Description

From the bestselling author of The Whiskey Sea comes a stirring novel of a young woman's survival and liberation during the Great Depression.

On a rain-drenched night in January 1937, the rising floodwaters of the Ohio River encroach on the tobacco farm Adah Branch shares with her husband, Lester. For three years, Adah has endured his violent abuse. On this night, she finally fights back in an act of self-defense that ends in Lester's death. Knowing she'll never be exonerated for the crime, Adah hides the truth by surrendering his body to the raging river.

Inventing a story about Lester's demise, Adah hopes to take her beloved stepdaughter from the grip of her husband's menacing and suspicious family. Desperate to protect the young girl from their cruelty, Adah devises a plan of escape. But when her feelings deepen for the one man essential to her plan's success, Adah is forced to make a decision that could put her in greater jeopardy than ever before ... or could finally set her free.

Reviews

An NBC News Holiday Best Book to Give Pick A POPSUGAR Fiction Pick for Fall A Parade magazine Fall Book Pick A She Reads Fall Book Pick Ann Howard Creels accomplished, fluid storytelling makes for a pacey, page-turning read. Gemma Liviero, author of Pastel Orphans and Broken Angels The River Widow grabbed me from the first page. Ann Howard Creels elegant and vivid prose brings to life a remarkable womans struggle against oppressive forces during one of the darkest periods of American history. Haunting and ultimately uplifting, The River Widow is one of the best books Ive read this year. Olivia Hawker, author of The Ragged Edge of Night The River Widow by Ann Howard Creel shows a mothers fierce love for a child of her heart. Laila Ibrahim, bestselling author of Yellow Crocus and Mustard Seed The River Widow paints a vivid picture of life on a 1937 tobacco farm under the shadow of one familys corruption and exploitation of others. A page-turner from the start, the story draws you in with a simple but compelling question: After murdering her husband in self-defense, can a young woman save her child from the cruelty of her in-lawsD.M. Pulley, bestselling author of The Buried Book Ann Howard Creel weaves a haunting, compelling tale. This simmering novel grips you and draws you in. Ella Carey, bestselling author of The House by the Lake

Author Bio

Ann Howard Creel was born in Austin, Texas, and worked as a registered nurse before becoming a full-time writer. She is the author of seven books for children and young adults as well as five adult novels, including The Uncertain Season, The Whiskey Sea, and While You Were Mine. Her childrens books have won several awards, and her novel The Magic of Ordinary Days was made into a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie for CBS. Creel currently lives and writes in Paris, Kentucky, where she is renovating an older house. Follow her at www.annhowardcreel.com.