Where the Forest Meets the River by Shannon Bowring
Dalton, Maine #2
Fiction
Finished on 3/6/2026
Rating: 4.5/5 (Very Good)
Publisher's Blurb: SPOILERS (scroll down to my review in blue)
1995: Five years ago, the suicide of new mother Bridget Theroux shocked the small town of Dalton, Maine. In the wake of the tragedy, Nate is raising their daughter Sophie alone and doesn't always know how to answer the difficult questions she asks. Luckily, he has a friend in single parenthood: Rose Douglas, left with her two boys after her abusive ex skipped town.
Greg Fortin, back from college for the summer, is wrestling not only with the expectation that he take over his father's business but also with telling his family the truth of who he is. Vera Curtis, who left home years ago, discovers more than she bargained for when she returns to care for her mother. And longtime lovers Trudy and Bev, so strong in their secret relationship (even as they remain with their husbands), find themselves rocked by an event that ignites lingering regret within their broken marriages.
Once again, Shannon Bowring proves she knows where the heart of the story lies. Where the Forest Meets the River is a poignant return to Dalton, whose inhabitants continue to startle and humble both themselves and us.
I couldn't put this one down! I loved returning to Dalton, Maine and all its residents. Each character is fully realized, the setting vivid, and the dialogue true and believable. I appreciate that Bowring provides substantial backstory, but not so much so that I was bored, having just read her previous book in this trilogy. The writing is beautiful. There is joy and grief, as well as humor, but each character's story is unpredictable, which kept me turning the pages. I'm glad I read this one with the third installment waiting on my nightstand. The author left us with quite a cliff-hanger!
Where the Forest Meets the River is a tender and touching (but not sappy) novel. I loved it!
Highly Recommend (but do read The Road to Dalton first).
I loved all three of the Dalton books and will certainly reread them at some point... they're all on my "blue spines" shelf in CT! Glad you enjoyed it so much, too.
ReplyDeleteJoAnn, I loved all three, too! (#3 review will post soon.) I've got them on my keeper shelf for future re-reading, as well.
DeleteHope all is well with you. I miss your posts, but assume you're just busy with life!
Les - All's well here, but not much motivation for blogging lately. Lots of visitors, appointments, home maintenance stuff (this is still our primary residence even though we've been here much less since Hurricane Ian) and catching up with local friends. Hope to get at least a mini-review post up this week. Hope your mom is doing well!
DeleteGlad all is ok, JoAnn. You're busy, so totally understandable about the lack of blogging mojo. No rush to return. We'll be here when you do. Thanks for asking about my mom. She's improving every day. Now to get rid of the cold/cough she picked up in rehab...
DeleteI wasn't sure if this was a reread for you, along with #3. For some reason, I thought you'd already read these. I enjoyed all three too. I like the characters and her storytelling. Greg and Nate sort of shine through in these for me. I wonder what Bowring will do next.
ReplyDeleteSusan, nope. The Road to Dalton was the only re-read of the three books in this series. I sure enjoyed reading them back-to-back. Yeah, Greg and Nate do shine as the stories progress. They were probably my favorite characters along with Rose.
DeleteIt's so much fun to love a series and know you have the next installment waiting. I'm glad you are enjoying them all so far. I hope the third one is just as good!
ReplyDeleteHelen, I finished the third one last week and it was very good. Maybe not quite as good as the first two, but still very enjoyable. Review to come!
DeleteThis is a new to me book. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteDeb, it's a great follow-up to The Road to Dalton!
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