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24th out of 94 books
—
14 voters
Morning River: A Novel of the Great Missouri Wilderness in 1825
During the winter of 1825, Richard Hamilton—a timid Harvard philosophy student—arrives in St. Louis on business for his father. Robbed and beaten, desperate to save his life, he reluctantly joins the crew of the Maria, a fur trader's keelboat. Bound for the beautiful, wild, and dangerous Indian country of the Upper Yellowstone River, the native Bostonian begins the educati...more
Paperback, 512 pages
Published
May 15th 1997
by Forge Books
(first published July 1996)
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Naive Harvard idealist meets rugged frontier wilderness.
Poor Richard Hamilton, the affable, yet toolish young chap from Boston, is totally devoted to his philosophical bffs--Kant, Voltaire and Rousseau. In fact, as young Hamilton initially believes, there isn't any problem that can't be reasoned. Violence and savagery are the modus operandi on the western frontier precisely because it lacks the cultivation of ideals normal for civilized society. It would be tragic if young Richard found himself...more
Poor Richard Hamilton, the affable, yet toolish young chap from Boston, is totally devoted to his philosophical bffs--Kant, Voltaire and Rousseau. In fact, as young Hamilton initially believes, there isn't any problem that can't be reasoned. Violence and savagery are the modus operandi on the western frontier precisely because it lacks the cultivation of ideals normal for civilized society. It would be tragic if young Richard found himself...more
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One of my all time favorite coming of age stories. Gear is a trained archaeologist and historian. His knowledge of native Americans serves as the focal point in many of his stories and this to me is his finest writing about the intrusion of white civilization on the western United States. A capable writer, Gear is also a teacher at heart and contained in this two part story (Coyote Summer) is an amazing look at life in the early 1800s along the Missouri River. The characters are well fleshed out...more
I first read The Morning River and its companion Coyote Summer in the early 2000s. Over the years this story has stuck with me until I finally felt the urge to re-read the 2 book series. It has been every bit as enjoyable as the first time around. The author does an outstanding job of blending carefully researched, historical fiction with an epic quest. The vivid descriptions of frontier life in 1825 America transports the reader into the story. Plot, character development, setting, and readabil...more
I enjoyed this story quite a bit. I'm starting to root for Richard instead of wanting him to get dumped in the river! And Travis, Willow and Baptiste are all great characters. I look forward to finding the next book in the series.
Enjoyable but romanticized novel of life on the upper Missouri River among fur traders and Indians.
a great historical story
showing the passion of Richard Hamilton to change the world but finds that there is more to life then he ever imagined... His struggles into the wilderness not only opened his eyes to a new way of life, and that other people have a simpliar solution to lifes problems that he was struggling with.
showing the passion of Richard Hamilton to change the world but finds that there is more to life then he ever imagined... His struggles into the wilderness not only opened his eyes to a new way of life, and that other people have a simpliar solution to lifes problems that he was struggling with.
Sep 08, 2008
Anna Sedillo
added it
This book held my attention because I was able to learn about the indian fur trade while staying entertained with the fictional story line.
good
Powerful depiction of the early frontier. The first of a 2 part series.
3 things I liked about the book
1. Easy to care for and be interested in the characters (actually, now that I've had time to think about it, I kept thinking the one guy was John Wayne)
2. History without sounding like a textbook
3. plot that carried you along to find out more
3 things I didn't like about the book
1. It's a 2 part series and now I have to find the 2nd part
2. The quotes from the philosophers at the beginning of every chapter got annoying
3. Map at the beginning gave away a plot point
1. Easy to care for and be interested in the characters (actually, now that I've had time to think about it, I kept thinking the one guy was John Wayne)
2. History without sounding like a textbook
3. plot that carried you along to find out more
3 things I didn't like about the book
1. It's a 2 part series and now I have to find the 2nd part
2. The quotes from the philosophers at the beginning of every chapter got annoying
3. Map at the beginning gave away a plot point
Richard had an eye opening experience. I'll probably read the next book in the series.
May 13, 2013
Crystal Cummings-grillo
marked it as to-read
Apr 19, 2013
Lynn
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Apr 05, 2013
Adele Perrin
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Apr 03, 2013
Penny Hall
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Apr 01, 2013
Janice Caceres
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Mar 17, 2013
Cisz Strasters
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Feb 24, 2013
Stacy
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Feb 17, 2013
Rhonda L.M.
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Feb 09, 2013
Amy
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W. Michael Gear was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on the twentieth of May, 1955. A fourth generation Colorado native, his family had been involved in hard-rock mining, cattle ranching, and journalism. After his father's death in 1959, Michael's mother received her Master's degree in journalism and began teaching. In 1962 she married Joseph J. Cook, who taught tool and die making, and the fam...more
More about W. Michael Gear...
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