Like a River Glorious

Written by Rae Carson

Narrated by Erin Mallon

The sequel to the New York Times–bestselling and National Book Award longlisted Walk on Earth a Stranger. 

After her harrowing journey west to California, Lee Westfall has finally found a new home—one rich in gold, thanks to her magical power, a power that seems to be changing every day. But this home is rich in other ways, too: with friends who are searching for a place to be themselves, just as she is, and with love. Jefferson—her longtime best friend—hasn’t stopped trying to win her heart. And Lee is more and more tempted to say yes.

But her uncle Hiram hasn’t given up his quest to get Lee and her power under his control. When she’s kidnapped and taken to him, Lee sees firsthand the depths of her uncle’s villainy. Yet Lee’s magic is growing. Gold no longer simply sings to her, it listens. It obeys her call. Is it enough to destroy her uncle once and for all?

Rae Carson, acclaimed author of the Girl of Fire and Thorns series, takes us deep into the gold fields as she continues this sweeping saga of magic and history, and an unforgettable heroine who must come into her own.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Sep 27, 2016
• ISBN: 9780062570451

Rae Carson

Rae Carson is the author of two bestselling and award-winning trilogies, as well as the acclaimed stand-alone novels Any Sign of Life and The Empire of Dreams. Her debut, The Girl of Fire and Thorns, was named a William C. Morris Award finalist and an Andre Norton Award finalist. Walk on Earth a Stranger was longlisted for the 2015 National Book Award and won the Western Writers of America Spur Award. Her books tend to contain adventure, magic, and smart girls who make (mostly) smart choices. Originally from California, Rae Carson now lives in Ohio with her husband. www.raecarson.com

Reviews for Like a River Glorious

[kmartin802_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This second book in the Gold Seer trilogy sees Lee and a group of ragtag survivors of their wagon train in California. Lee uses her talent for feeling where gold is to stake out claims for each of them. They gradually built a cabin and some shanties and begin taking gold out of the ground. Becky has begun feeding nearby miners and is really busy despite the fact that she is a terrible cook. But Uncle Hiram and his henchmen have not given up on getting Lee under his control. The first action that Frank Dilley takes is to try to burn them out. When that doesn't work, he tricks Lee, her friend Jefferson, and one of the college boys, Tom, into trying to meet Hiram in Sacramento. Frank kidnaps them along the way and drugs them with laudanum as he takes them to the mining camp her uncle has set up.Tom and Jefferson are mistreated and held as hostages to Lee's behavior. She is forced to tell her uncle where to mine to keep them safe. Lee watches as Hiram and his white foremen abuse the Indians and Chinese who are working in the mine. Together, Lee, Jeff, Tom, the leader of the Indians, and Mary, a Chinese girl who is the camp prostitute, come up with a plan for all of them to get away.This story was filled with adventure and filled with the hardships that settlers faced as they tried to carve out new homes in California. It talks about the prejudices that were common regarding the native inhabitants in the land the the Chinese immigrants. This is also a story a building a family from among the people Lee encounters. Lee has not had much happiness in her birth family since her uncle killed her father and mother. She learns that she can find happiness with the people who have the same goals and hopes as she does. Her romance with Jefferson grows in this book.I can't wait to read the third book in this trilogy to find out what happens next for Lee, Jefferson, and all of the family they have gathered.

[jdifelice-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book had a slow start, but got significantly better by the end. There wasn't really a whole lot of plot development or variety from the first book. The beginning was kinda boring and just too optimistic for me. I enjoyed the characters and liked how they developed throughout the novel, yet I just felt like something was lacking.

2.5/5 stars

[jennybeast · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An excellent continuation of Leah Westfall's story, with more edge of the seat adventures and challenges to finding her way free of her terrible Uncle Hiram. I appreciate that the book stays true to the bleak reality for women in 1800s America (they are effectively property) and that it highlights other appalling treatment of anyone else not in the straight white male power structure. The characters remain interesting and appealing, and I'm intrigued by Jeff's development in particular. Fans of the first book will, I think, be delighted. I certainly was.

Advanced Reader's Copy provided by Edelweiss.

[reader1009-863136 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

teen/adult fiction (historical fiction/magical alternate history). Terrific second installment to the Gold Seer trilogy, though they probably should've (a) made sure Hiram was dead (I guess that was enough laudanum to do the trick, but why would you take that chance?) and (b) asked around to ascertain his lender's reputation before dealing with him--still, I am happy that there is plenty of room for conflict in the third book.

[jessika.c · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is like a glorious series…*wink*wink*nudge*nudge* feel free to groan.Leah Westfall and the companions she made in the first novel are looking for a spot to settle down and pan for gold. With her powers, she settles them all down in a spot where she can feel the energy of tons of gold. But when word spreads that her claim has some gold, the information falls into the hands of her uncle Hiram who still wants her back with him. Trying to find a way so that their claim has some protection from her uncle and his minions, Leah, her best friend turned lover Jefferson, and a lawyer named Tom decide to head to San Francisco but are kidnapped by Hiram’s men. Leah is forced to live and work with her uncle who is running a mine operation. Jefferson and Tom are thrown in with Chinese immigrants and Native American slaves doing hard labor. Carson has no problem torturing her characters and I totally respect that about her. She has this way of writing in realistic tragedies which only then make the successful outcomes so much more satisfying. Problems faced by the characters and how they react to them have been such a delight to read about. The newly found longing between Leah and Jefferson was so sweet that the distance placed between them by Hiram did poke a hole in my heart. Between (Queen) Becky Joyner building her diner empire, Leah and Jefferson’s slow burn, and Mary the spy I couldn’t get enough of this story. There was plenty of joy and slice of life moments but also dark moments to get the ball rolling. I enjoyed this book just as much as the first of the trilogy which almost never happens for me.

[kaylaraeintheway · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's been almost a year since I read "Walk on Earth a Stranger", the first book in Rae Carson's Gold Seer series, and I was worried I would have some trouble remembering characters or events that happened in that book. However, Carson does a good job with subtly reminding the reader of the people and things that came before, so I was able to jump right into "Like a River Glorious" (side note: I love the titles she's chosen for her books). Leah Westfall and her ragtag group of friends (the ones who survived the dangerous wagon train journey out west, anyway) have set up claims in Glory, California and formed the beginning on their own little town. Thanks to Leah's "gold sense" (she's able to detect and summon gold, a very handy power to have during the Gold Rush), she and her friends become quite prosperous. But of course, good things can't last, and eventually Leah's murderous, douchebag uncle finds her and keeps her and a couple of her friends captive at his mining operation. What follows is a desperate plan to learn what horrors are being committed there in the name of gold, and how Leah and her gang can can stop them from happening. Rae Carson does not shy away from depicting the atrocities that were done against Native Americans and Chinese immigrants, which I think is a good thing (historical fiction, even when tinged with fantasy and magic, should not skirt around the shameful aspects of U.S. history). I really enjoy this series, and I'm eager to get to the final book!

[herenya_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Follows on from Walk On Earth a Stranger. Having survived the journey to California, Leah and her travelling companions are looking to claim land and build a community. As well as the usual risks and challenges of searching for gold and living without the resources and protection of an established town, they are in danger from Leah’s uncle, who is searching for her. He wants to use her magical ability to detect gold and does not care who gets hurt in the process.Like a River Glorious is tense and eventful, and I ended reading it all in a day. The writing is vivid and lovely, and the historical details are just fascinating. Legally, Leah’s uncle has a right to control her and everything she owns - which is terrifying for her - but there are others in the goldfields who suffer from far worse treatment than she does. I like the way Carson uses Leah’s story to highlight these abuses of power and raise questions about land ownership, privilege and injustice.Leah’s ability with gold becomes a much more central part of the story, too, and Leah discovers she doesn’t yet know the extent of what she can do.If I had had the third book at hand, I would have picked it up immediately. When he gazes down at me, he looks just like the boy I grew up with. But he’s changed so much this last year, it’s like a stitch in my side. Like I’ve lost part of him. We’ve changed together, I reckon. We’re still best friends, for sure and certain, but there are parts of Jefferson McCauley and Leah Westfall that are long gone, dropped like so much baggage in the land we left behind, or maybe scattered like seeds across the continent.

[foggidawn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Leah Westfall and her friends may have made it to California, but they haven't struck it rich yet . . . and Leah's uncle Hiram Westfall is still out there searching for Leah and planning to use her gold sense for his own gain. This second book in the series is nearly as good as the first. The pacing lags a bit, but the characters are just as interesting, and the villain is plenty creepy and evil. I sometimes felt that the author was making a thinly veiled point about certain current cultural and political issues at the expense of historical authenticity, but it didn't dampen my enjoyment of the book. Overall, I don't love this series quite as much as the Girl of Fire and Thorns books, but it's still pretty high on my reading list.

[readerscandyb · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'm in love with this series. The western aspect is different and I love how it's laced with magic and "hard to get" romance. The female lead is strong minded and the male is one of my favorite book boyfriends ever. There is a lust, but also deep rooted passion/friendship. It's an easy book world to fall in love with. While there's grit on the surface, there is deep rooted emotion and hope below. I'm not a huge fan of series, but with these books, I just can't get enough.

LARG picks up where book one left off. They are building up their mini town and living off the gold they find. Together they make quite the homestead, but Lee's uncle can't let her go. He seeks them out and has their property burned. She sets out with Jeff and Tom to confront him, but they are quickly captured and drugged. Waking up to her Uncle is unfortunate, but she plays nice niece until it's time for revenge. Her magic is more prominent in this read and her will power is stronger than ever. By the end of the book she makes a deal that could make her life a lot better, but I have a feeling that it's not that simple.

The romance was still slow burn, but I found myself consumed by the pure and utter passion. Especially when they were on either sides of the window. *gosh, I read this part over and over* Captivity was pictured as beauty and the essence of their relationship really shined through... I honestly can't applaud this Author enough. She writes page turners that make you fall in love with history and leaves you craving the western life. I can't wait for book 3!!

[keristars_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Leah Westfall has finally made it to California from Georgia, along with her best friend Jefferson and the ragtag bunch of traveling companions that became a sort of family along the way. Like a River Glorious opens with them establishing their claims in the mountains east of Sacramento, along a branch of the American River.The group isn't exactly the ideal for the Gold Rush - it's October, 1849 and they comprise Lee and Jeff (who is half Cherokee), the Joyner family (three children and a widowed mother), the Hoffmann family (four more children and their parents), three young "college men" who weren't planning to be prospectors, the Major (who lost a leg on the trail), and Hampton (an escaped slave). They're prime targets for claim jumpers, bandits, violent men, you name it. Plus Lee's gold sense means they not only have prime, rich claims, but her uncle is still hunting for her.Hiram Westfall appears to be very wealthy and powerful, so the other villains from the first book join his mining efforts, and also help kidnap Lee to force her to do his bidding. Most of the book is about her being Hiram's prisoner (more or less), along with Jeff and one of the college men, Tom.Once again, Lee gets several lessons about privilege and self-centeredness, and how there are many kinds of suffering. She's faced with Native American (Maidu) and Chinese slaves at her uncle's mine, even as she is in a different sort of captivity. One specific object lesson is Mary, a young Chinese woman who is the mining camp's prostitute and Hiram's housekeeper. As an aside, another small thread of social commentary is environmentalism and destruction of nature for human settlements.I feel like Rae Carson may have seen the criticism of how she handled racism against Native Americans in the first book, and then made a concerted effort to do better in this one, especially since the Maidu feature so prominently. I'm not sure she did very well, though. The descriptions of what they suffer as mining camp slaves are horrifying, but I don't think any of the Maidu characters are fully fleshed out, even the named ones who have important roles in the plot. Plus, all the defense of Native Americans is left to Jeff again, like he's a spokesperson (even though he's Cherokee - a completely different culture, &c). Ultimately, it's a little too much Tokenification of these minority groups, and even though the narrative takes pains to show that it's more complex or whatever, there's an uncomfortable feeling of White Savior, as in the previous book.Despite this very major flaw, I enjoyed the reading of the book. There is a lot of tension to encourage reading without stopping, especially since Carson has shown that she's not hesitant to kill off characters. Tom and Henry are given a touching scene right before Tom leaves with Lee and Jeff for Sacramento, so when Tom sort of fades away from the main narrative after their kidnapping, I was constantly worried that the gay guy would be killed, too. I was also super curious about how, exactly, Lee would escape the mining camp, and if she would get her uncle murdered/the camp destroyed as she does so. Her gold sense is changing and becoming more powerful as the novel progresses, so there's also a question of what that means and exactly what she can do.A lot of this book is Not Good. But dang if I didn't have a lot of fun reading it (even as I mentally flagged certain elements as "wtf, this is wrong"). As it happens, I really like narratives about escaping capture and certain Old West/California adventure tropes, and this one has both in spades.Addendum: When I originally saw this book and its predecessor, they were listed as part of a trilogy. I honestly can't figure out how a third book might pan out, since every plot thread has been tied up at the end of Like a River Glorious.

[heatherlinc · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I loved "Walk on Earth a Stranger", and whilst I enjoyed this sequel it didn't matchthe quality of the first book. Leah continued to be a strong, relatable character but I found the plot slowed, especially once Leah was kidnapped by her evil uncle and she was forced to do his bidding. Also, the finish surprised me. It tied up a number of loose ends and I thought that "Like a River Glorious" was the conclusion to the series, so I was surprised to see that the author has a third book planned. I will be interested to see what she does with it. All in all, an okay read but not an outstanding one.

[bell7_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When we last left Leah Westfall, she'd reached California with a small band of the wagon train she'd started out with from Georgia. Now, her friend Jefferson knows her secret - that she can sense gold - and she decides to tell her newfound family as well, because their lives are on the line as her evil uncle Hiram chases her down for his own greedy plans.I really enjoyed Walk on Earth a Stranger with its blend of historical fiction and fantasy, and a diverse cast showing not just the traditional history we have learned, but also the perspectives of American Indians and black Americans. Like a River Glorious does this as well, but it took a little long to get started and was so primarily about Leah trying to outsmart her uncle that at times I was a little bored. Still, the ending was satisfying and I look forward to learning what happens next.

[krau0098 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I didn't like this quite as much as the first book (not as much adventure). It was still a very good book, very engaging and entertaining. The book deals more with Lee and her fellow travelers settling down in California and claiming a stake as their own; they end up starting a town that they name Glory. A lot of time is spent on the issues of Chinese and Indian slave labor at the time.I did enjoy the look into this time of history and I also enjoyed reading about Lee's increasing powers over gold. Carson does a great job with all the characters in this story even the side characters.I didn't enjoy all the pitched gun battles and the storyline with Lee's uncle as much; but it was okay. I also missed all the adventure and exploration that happened in the first book. The book is very engaging and very well written. Carson’s writing style flows beautifully and makes the book easy to read and hard to put down.Overall this was a good addition to the Gold Seer trilogy. I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as the first book because there wasn’t as much adventure and the storyline focused more about Lee’s evil uncle. I did really enjoy Lee’s growing powers and getting a glimpse into this time of history. This book is more of a look into the history of the California gold rush than a fantasy; but Lee’s powers do give the story a small element of fantasy. I would recommend to those who enjoy western fantasies.