posted on 10 Feb 2022

Song of the River by Gill Lewis

The ever excellent Gill Lewis returns with another cracking story of individuals and communities finding a way of coming to terms with the natural world and what we’re doing to it. This is the fourth book in a series published by Barrington Stoke that includes Run Wild, Eagle Warrior and Swan Song and which tells a story that has international, national and personal significance.

The world of Cari and her mom has been shattered by the untimely death of their beloved father and husband – and Cari’s not handling it well. Her mom has decided there’s nothing to keep her in the city and that it’s time to pursue her dream of living in the country and opening a traditional tea shop. But Cari’s not so keen – if they leave their home behind aren’t they also abandoning memories of her Dad?

Cari’s also dreading starting a new school and leaving behind all her friends and networks but her mom needs her help and so when a perfect property is found nestling in a valley near a river, the two work hard to get the tea shop up and running. Cari still can’t quite let go of Dad and she has one of his old sweaters that she wears for comfort and starts using the camera that made him such a good photographer.

But the local people are friendly and the early days of the café are successful – they also meet the local nature preservationists – Jenny and Luke - who are doing what they can to improve and protect the environment. But then, one day and evening changes everything when a massive rain storm strikes and engulfs the little tea rooms in flood water.

Is this the end of Cari’s mom’s dream? Are they ruined? Well, things certainly look bleak and repairing the damage will put them into terrible debt that they will only be able to pay off as long as the valley doesn’t flood again. But is there any way to prevent these flooding events which seem to be happening with increasing frequency?

It looks hopeless – but Jenny and Luke have a plan. And it’s an extraordinary one. They want to reintroduce beavers to the river so that they can heal the damage that’s been done and use their dam-building skills to reduce the flooding risk. There’s just one snag……..the farmers who are, to say the least, sceptical.

So will Cari and her mom along with Jenny and Luke be able to persuade the community that beavers are the way forward? And will healing the local environment also help heal Cari’s loss?

Well, you’ll have to buy your own copy to find out. Published at the end of February, you can order your copy from your local independent bookshop or go to the Barrington Stoke website to buy it online.

 

Terry Potter

January 2022