Run River

Ms. Didion's first novel contains many of the elements which make her later works such a joy to read: the somewhat lost, somewhat selfish characters who are yet so well developed that they manage to capture reader empathy (we doubt we'd like them if we encountered them in the flesh, but still find ourselves needing to know); the impetuously emergent vacuity which sometimes arises in relationships built on irradicable bonds; the congenital inhumanity which underlies political arrangements. Two factors distinguished this novel amongst her canon for me: my mild frustration with its end, which seemed to be constructed with less grace than the rest of the book; and its magnificent grappling with the trappings of being Californian.Ms. Didion explores the California themes of "Run River" more nakedly in "Where I Was From," and I recommend that any who find themselves intrigued by the setting make their way toward that nonfiction work. Here, the issues are teased at: pioneering spirit (always fed, in some part, by curiously lazy capitalist sympathies, by a thirst for the quick and eternal "Eureka!") gives way to complacency, to comfortable living which fears only disruption. Didion's characters are uninspired to engage in introspection, and so never develop passions beyond the upkeep of what they have always known; their lives are guided by unearned ease, which leads to malaise, which ensures that they develop into very stiff lovers, fathers, mothers and brothers, indeed. When their bloodless expectations happen to be disappointed, they--the younger generations left ethically crippled by their ancestors' easy scores--find themselves without the tools to cope, and are only able to respond by shirking self-preservation and resorting to seriously dramatic moves. (I wish to avoid spoilers...)I say all of this with the most keen admiration for Didion; she creates such careless characters, and then, with great skill and humanity, manages to make us, her readers, assume responsibility for each of the life complexities which her characters disregard. If they forget to be ambitious, Didion leaves us certain that some life ambition could serve. If they don't fight against the nasty ruptures in their relationships, Didion leaves us aware of the daily work which healthy relationships require. Where they are unkind to one another, we are reminded that we should be kind; where they are lazy, we are invigorated to work. It is a testament to Didion's art that her unfailingly bereft characters leave us feeling compelled to be more collected, to want more, to be better. These are the marks of great literature.

Having read most of her essays, this novel is as detailed and descriptive. I would recommend to any Didion lover, as well as visitors to/ residents of Central California/ Sonoma. My grandmother lived there and my mom grew up in Auburn, and Didion's descriptions of the hops and the river are incredible.

Great introduction to Joan Didion and an enlightening perspective on a transition in time and place. Can people act and behave as Didion allows? I guess they can.

This is a debut novel of Joan Didion published in 1963. It is about a family in California during the first half of the twentieth century. The story is also merged with the history and development of California after World War II.The narrative started out slowly for me. The first scene is set in 1959. The story then proceeds to the beginning of this particular generation, some decades earlier, and then proceeds back, eventually to 1959. At first I was having trouble getting interested in the story. However the narrative grew on me and by the end, I found the story quite engrossing. There were also quite a few historical and literary references within the story that I researched and found quite interesting. It is obvious to me that Joan Didion is a well read and well educated author.I purchased the book on Kindle and also the audiobook narration, performed by Holly Cate. Miss Cate was excellent. I often use audiobook to compensate for I consider to be my own "flawed inner narrator". Accordingly it is not easy for me to say how I would have felt about this book if I had read it without the assistance of Miss Cate.In summary, I really enjoyed this book and audiobook very much. As this is the debut novel of Joan Didion, I intend to find her second novel, I think it is "Play It As It Lays", and read her works in the order she wrote them. Thank You...

I was curious to try Joan Didion, who hails from my adopted home of the San Francisco Bay Area. And, to find this early novel set in the California Delta (an area little known by those not from the area) was for me, a bonus. What a wonderful sense of place! I was able to visualize place names mentioned (Tennessee Street, Vallejo; the Claremont Hotel, Berkeley; Rio Vista and the sloughs of the Delta) and therefore be right alongside the writer throughout the storytelling. However, I'm not sure how I would view the novel if I wasn't able to relate in this fashion to the geographic setting.The characters are all very clearly broken people. I think this would make a good book club selection, as there would be much to discuss. I get the impression that Didion was not very taken with her California heritage (most of the characters in the book being descendants of original pioneer families who settled in California in the years of the Gold Rush). I think I will have to read more of this author.

Great read