What readers think of Bone River, plus links to write your own review.

The main character of Bone River, Leonie, is well crafted and I was drawn into discovering her story and her future. When Leonie discovers an Indian mummy she starts having recurring dreams that invade her daily life. While I enjoyed these dreams, I believe that my book club ladies will not feel the same way.

Bone River is a very well constructed historical novel which I found fascinating. The author left me wanting to know more about life in the Pacific Northwest in the late 1800's. Life was very hard for Leonie Russell and her family. The unfolding of truth which is central to this book, even harder. What I feel is one of the strongest messages.......listen to your inner truth. Listen. The freedom will be worth it. To watch truth out over the length of the novel was a moving experience. I can also still feel the bite of the rain, the churning of the waves. It was a really good read.

I became lost in this book right from the start. Though slightly dark, it is a good mix of romance and history with a suspenseful twist. The characters were well written and real and the description of the landscape they lived in was so real that I was cold all the way through the book. This will make a wonderful read for a book discussion group, hopefully there will be a discussion guide.

Thanks for this opportunity to give my first impression. I always read to escape. My work has enough realism. I love to read a book and forget everything around me. I couldn't wait to get back to reading each time my responsibilities made me stop. There was just the right mix of suspense, romance and history. I look forward to reading more novels by Megan Chance. Sometimes I find myself rushing the ending of a book in order to get to the next one. I always want to be in a story not ending one. That was not possible with this novel. I didn't want to miss anything. Great read.

Part historical romance set in the second half of the 1800s, part supernatural mystery, Bone River brings to life an isolated, starkly beautiful area of Shoalwater Bay, Washington Territory from the viewpoint of a woman who loves the area and its dying-out native traditions. Leonie seeks, in her father's footsteps, to preserve what remains through the science of the times, ethnography, though she is also caught between reverence for traditional cultures, wanting to meet the expectations for a scientific career despite the handicap of being a woman, the desire for children that would jeopardize that career, and the inability to conceive. The story revolves around her discovery of a mummified body and her husband's insistence on sending it to a collector. Strangely drawn to the mummy, Leonie wants to be the one to discover its secrets, but she is warned off by dreams and conflicting warnings from two natives. Then her husband's long-lost son shows up. The setting and mood are strongly established, though the supernatural messages were repetitious and the mystery predictable.

I was disappointed in this read although I was initially intrigued by the description and the author. I felt the story dragged on way too long with relatively meaningless dialogue for 2/3's of the book. Predictable; with some surprise at the end. After reading this I doubt I will choose this author again. Megan Chance has a gift for describing certain scenes in a beautiful way; however, I feel she has not mastered sustainable prose throughout a book of this length.

I requested an Advanced copy of this book because I love Historical Fiction, and the synopsis sounded fresh and interesting. I was frustrated at the slow pace of the character development and tired very quickly of Lea's "my father/husband know what's best for me" defense. I realize this took place in the past when women were more submissive and less educated than men but Lea prides herself on being an ethnologist like her father and yet she can't put 2 and 2 together to figure out why she's not getting pregnant? The best part of the book lay in the description of the setting including landscape, weather, and time. I liked Bibi and felt like she was the most genuine character in the novel. I enjoyed learning about the superstitions and beliefs of the Native American people. Overall, an interesting concept but average effort.