One More River

by Mary Glickman

From the author of Home in the Morning comes this National Jewish Book Award Finalist: the sweeping story of a father and son, and of the loves that transform them amid the turbulence of the American South

Bernard Levy was always a mystery to the community of Guilford, Mississippi. He was even more of a mystery to his son, Mickey Moe, who was just four years old when his father died in World War II. Now it's 1962 and Mickey Moe is a grown man, who must prove his pedigree to the disapproving parents of his girlfriend, Laura Anne Needleman, to win her hand in marriage. With only a few decades-old leads to go on, Mickey Moe sets out to uncover his father's murky past, from his travels up and down the length of the Mississippi River to his heartrending adventures during the Great Flood of 1927. Mickey Moe's journey, taken at the dawn of the civil rights era, leads him deep into the backwoods of Mississippi and Tennessee, where he meets with danger and unexpected revelations at every turn. As the greatest challenge of his life unfolds, he will finally discover the gripping details of his father's life--one filled with loyalty, tragedy, and heroism in the face of great cruelty from man and nature alike. A captivating follow-up to Mary Glickman's bestselling Home in the Morning, One More River tells the epic tale of ordinary men caught in the grip of calamity, and inspired to extraordinary acts in the name of love.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Book Club, Southern, Historical, Drama

266 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Born Mary Kowalski on the south shore of Boston, Massachusetts, Mary Glickman grew up the fourth of seven children in a traditional Irish-Polish Catholic family. Her father had been a pilot in the Army Air Force and later flew for Delta Air Lines. From an early age, Mary was fascinated by faith. Though she attended Catholic school and as a child wanted to become a nun, her attention eventually turned to the Old Testament and she began what would become a lifelong relationship with Jewish culture. “Joseph Campbell said that religion is the poetry that speaks to a man’s soul,” Mary has said, “and Judaism was my soul’s symphony.”

In her twenties, Mary traveled in Europe and explored her passion for writing, composing short stories and poetry. Returning to the United States, she met her future husband, Stephen, a lawyer, and with his encouragement began to consider writing as a career. She enrolled in the Masters in Creative Writing program at Boston University, under the poet George Starbuck, who encouraged her to focus on fiction writing. While taking an MFA class with the late Ivan Gold, Mary completed her first novel, Drones, which received a finalist award from the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities but was never published.

Mary also began a career as a freelance writer working with nonprofit organizations on projects ranging from a fund-raising campaign for the Hebrew Rehabilitation Center to an instructional video for the National Scoliosis Foundation’s screening project. Mary and Stephen married in 1978. Mary made a full conversion to Judaism and later worked as treasurer/secretary for her synagogue.

The origins of her love for all things Southern arose from a sabbatical year. In 1987, Mary and Stephen first traveled to the south of Spain, soaking in the life of a fishing village called La Cala. After seven months abroad and, hoping to extend their time away, they sought a warm—and more affordable—locale. The romance of Charleston, South Carolina, its Spanish moss, antebellum architecture, and rich cultural life beckoned.

Settling into a rented house on Seabrook Island, Mary fell in love with the people, language, and rural beauty of her new home. Following a lifelong desire to ride horses, Mary took a position mucking the stalls at the local equestrian center and embraced riding, finding her match in an Appaloosa named King of Harts. The sabbatical ended and the couple returned to life in Boston, but the passion for Southern culture remained with them. They were able to return permanently to Seabrook Island in 2008, where they currently reside with their cats and an elderly King of Harts.

Reviews

[Angela M · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's 1965 in Vietnam and Mickey Moe Levy is trying to cope with the heat , with the death he sees , with the pain by thinking of his wife Laura Anne . The story goes back in time when they met and tells us how they work to discover his father's roots to satisfy Laura Anne's father that Bernard Levy , Mickey Moe's father , was an honorable Jewish man . The story moves around in time to his father's childhood, to the courtship of his mother and father and then forward again to when Mickey Moe and Laura are on their journey for the truth about Mickey Moe's father . Then it shifts back again to the time in Bernard's life before he married Mickey Moe's mother .

We see the devastation of the floodwaters of the Mississippi in 1927, the deep rooted prejudice against Jews in the south and the horrible racism against black people. I found this to be such a well written novel about family and roots , identity, and love . It was dark at times as it is not just about the floodwaters of the Mississippi in 1927 but what deep rooted prejudice will make people do and about how far a good man will go to do the right thing. A lot of things happen here both past and present and while this story is about prejudice , at its heart it is the love stories of Mickey Moe and his father Bernard .

There are characters you will love - Aurora Mae and Bald Horace and some you will abhor like the other man named Bernard Levy . My one criticism is the absence of quotation marks which I found a but bothersome but other than that it's a captivating story and I definitely recommend it .

Thank you to Open Road Integrated Media and NetGalley.

[Lakis Fourouklas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those special novels that one should read slowly, little by little, in order to enjoy it. Its prose is so rich, so beautiful that it flows like a peaceful stream and not like the wild waters of the Mississippi on whose shores a big part of the action takes place. The author through her story travels the reader back to the past of the American South; a past that smells of death and of change; a past full of conflict and love; a past where racial discriminations were the canon and where dreams were not that easy to come true.
This is the story of a father and a son, Bernard and Mickey Moe Levy. Mickey is a young Jew who in 1962 meets and falls in love with a beautiful and brave girl that goes by the name of Laura Anne, whom he’s determined to have as his wife. However, no matter what he, or she for that matter, wants their coming together is not a given, since Laura Anne’s parents refuse to give her their blessing, because of the unknown origins of Mickey Moe’s father. Bernard always was, to say the least, a mystery to the locals in Guilford, Mississippi. As the old-timers could recall, he arrived one day in town with pocketfuls of gold and decided to make a home there, but nobody, or almost nobody, had any clue as to where he came from and how he got his money, thus even after he was dead, the people never stopped throwing suspicious glances towards his household.
So, who was Bernard? Where did he start from and how did he end up there? How come he got to marry beautiful Beadie who was everything that he was not? And what was his real relationship with Bald Horace and his, virtually and visually, enormous sister, Aurora Mae? These are the questions that Mickey Moe needs to find answers to in order to solve his issues; however, to do that he has to put everything on hold for a while and travel far and away in order to trace his father’s footsteps in history.
The author, through her oral and sing-song like narration, takes us back and forth in time and gives us the extraordinary yet simple stories of two men; that of Bernard, who left his home at the age of thirteen in order to seek his fortune elsewhere and his amazing journeys up and down the Mississippi, and that of Mickey Moe, a young man who’s willing to anything he possibly can to marry the love of his life. Their travels seem to follow parallel roads, they even seem to converge every now and then, but at the end of the day they are different, since the one has spent a whole life trying to create his personal myth, while the other just struggles to earn the right to live his.
This is an outstanding novel that for some, not all that strange reason, reminds us of a lovely and somehow nostalgic blues song, and as such it deserves to be read -and yes, even be heard- by everyone who loves good literary fiction.

[Mindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The story touched on so many things: Jews in the south, race relations, Vietnam and effects of war, family values. All of that and characters who you were rooting for. The most interesting part was the lengths at which the characters went to honor their families and ancestors while at the same time balancing personal and modern cultural desires. Conflict and love in the same moment really. Loved this book.

[Jade Eby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Posted at my blog Chasing Empty Pavements

The blurb had me interested the moment I saw that the setting was Mississippi and the time period was the 1960's. I love the south and I love reading about that time period.

The Good: Where do I start? The beautiful descriptions of the south immediately caught my attention and drew me into the novel. But more then the setting, the characters of Mickey Moe Levy and Laura Anne made me fall in love with this novel. Actually the thing I really enjoyed about this novel is that the characters go against everything we know about people in the south in the 1960's. Mickey Moe and Laura Anne defy their parents. Not just once. Several times. A white man falling in love with a black woman and not regreting it once? Mostly unheard of. That's what makes this novel great. It's written in a way that makes you feel so damn sorry for Bernard Levy. In the beginning, I thought it was going to be Mickey Moe's story being told, but after I finished, I realized it was as much his father's story as it was Mickey's. The alternating time/pov chapters really give an insight into the characters and it helps piece everything together. I thought story was really a nice way to showcase a different dynamic for a "Southern" novel.

The Bad: The most ANNOYING thing in this entire novel was the lack of quotation marks. It was very difficult at first to tell who was talking and what was internal dialogue. Eventually I got used to it and by the end I kind of forgot that there wasn't quotation marks. But the first 80ish pages it was super annoying.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and particularly LOVED the setting and the author's writing. This one is definitely worth your time! I give it an A-!

**I received this book free from the publisher through www.netgalley.com. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book follows two stories; one takes place during the early half of the 20th century about a father and the second is the story of the son he leaves behind when he is killed in the Battle of the Bulge. The book details the mis-adventures of both men as they navigate the Deep South as Jews. This story tracks both Bernard and Mickey Moe Levy as they live life on the shores of the Mississippi River. Bernard Levy has a ‘name twin’ who is nothing like him and the two cross paths leading up to the great Mississippi floods that devastate the area in the 1920s. Bernard is a tough guy who works hard, loves deeply and lives his life unconventionally. He eventually marries Mickey Moe’s mother and settles into a privileged life, assuming the family history of his ‘name twin’ who is no longer alive. He dies during WWII and his vast fortune is never fully recovered. In 1962, Mickey Moe meets the love of his life and he begins the search for his father’s roots to prove himself worthy of girl he loves. What follows is a beautifully documented tour of discovery that is unique to the times. A worthwhile read, well written and fascinating.

[Phillip Cushman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful read. I simultaneously wanted to finish it to see how it would end and wanted it to go on forever to continue enjoying it.

[Amber Polo · Rating 4 out of 5]

An elegant story that brings to life a beautiful Southern story whose characters step from the page into your heart. Alternating between two turbulent periods in a South trying to break out of history while holding on to traditional values, Mary Glickman presents her readers with a gift of insight into lives not willing to be ordinary.
But what about the lack of quotation marks? This writing does need to resort to gimmicks to slow the pace. Readers with a proofreaders sensibilities will want to insert appropriate diacritical marks for clarification. That said, it takes a skillful author to not confuse the reader without resorting to speech marks. And why are there quotation marks only on p.110? I read an ARC, so this may not have been in the format of the final printing.

[Mike Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glickman has written this semi-historical, fictional novel incorporating elements of class, racial and ethnic bias and the resultant struggles and inevitable ostracism. The written style is chronological ping-pong in which the protagonist sets out to discover and document his ancestral credentials to win over the family of his fiancée and establish his suitability for her hand. Gradually developing the historical background against the ongoing story in real time, the book is well crafted and holds the reader's interest throughout.

The novel was received in eBook format from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[LindaW · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. A very good story of a son's need to learn about his father who was killed in the war. Set in the south, the stories of both father and son flow like two rivers, one in the past and one in the present. Many adventures are had in both story lines and even though it feels slow moving, there is lots of action and drama. I really enjoyed this book.

[Pmcdnld2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story. Southern Jews in Mississippi both in the 20's and the 60's. A young man searches for the truth about his father who disaapeared many years ago. Deals with both religious issues and race relations. I really liked this one.

[Kristie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I probably would not have normally bought this book, but it was an Amazon "Daily Deal" for the Kindle, so I gave it a try- I'm happy I did. It was a really good story that kept me entertained throughout.

[Kfcweeks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the glimpse into the deep South of the 1960s and earlier. I have read Mary Glickman's earlier book and getting more information on the Sassaport and Levy families was enlightening.

[Stacie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved every page of this book. Highly recommend to all. Would be great for book groups as there are so many good discussion points.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting and unusual story set in the South during days of segregation and beginning of civil rights movement. Story told from point of view of young Jewish man searching for his past.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starting a new year of crossing off books as they come near the top of my GoodReads TBR. This one is historical fiction, and a National Jewish Book Award finalist!

The setting is the southern and western United States, mostly Mississippi and Tennessee, from the mid-twenties to the mid-sixties. We are following two distinct timelines—that of Mickie Moe Levy as a young man, trying to research his mysterious and deceased father; and Bernard Levy, said father, before he was killed in action during World War II.

Mickie Moe is on a quest to find out about his father so that he can impress his eyebrow-arching future in-laws, who think their daughter, Laura Anne, may be marrying someone “common.” (Minor quibble, but Mickey Moe has two married sisters; why didn’t the families of his brothers-in-law kick up a fuss? This whole “good heritage” thing is gussied up like a matter of southern pride.)

While traveling across state lines, he and Laura Anne—who scandalously joins him because of some vague thoughts about women’s liberation—stumble into more pressing current concerns, namely that Black people and northern “agitators” are being killed for trying to take on Jim Crow. It’s a little convenient, this subplot, but not too overwhelming, and it certainly lends some oomph to the narrative. Especially seeing that Glickman more or less wrote herself into a corner with this dual timeline structure; she had to wait for Bernard’s story to unravel far enough before Mickey Moe could make it to see Aurora Mae, his father’s first love.

Who happens to be a Black woman! And the Levys, in case one can’t tell from the surname, are Jewish. Glickman does her best to showcase the line southern Jews had to walk, regarding when they are “white” and when they are “Jews.” The Black characters, of course, are thoroughly abused no matter what, and to a certain extent I had to arch my eyebrow a little bit at why Aurora Mae and her brother, Bald Horace, were so accommodating of Bernard at all. To be fair, I’m probably being a little bit…unfair. :P It’s not like, in some situations, Black folks and white folks (and white Jews) couldn’t get along. My bigger problem has to do with Glickman’s writing style—so narrative heavy and no quotation marks!!!! /pet peeve It made the character development feel less real.

One thing Glickman did do decently well was describe historical places and historical events. And the southern culture always felt suitably southern to me (speaking as a Yankee. :P Or at least a northerner to everyone in this book!) Specific attention was paid to the Great Flood of the Mississippi River in 1927, which Bernard, Aurora Mae and Old Horace survived by the skin of their teeth.

As for the Jewish content, it was pretty sparse. Probably says something interesting about how southern Jews—whether genteel or backwater—put their secular identities first. But with regards to how Christians saw them, there’s plenty of reminders of the tenuous nature, at best, between “Jews” and “whiteness.”

From Mickey Moe’s perspective, this “quest” was a bildungsroman of sorts—find out his father’s past, but more importantly find out what type of man he was (granted, mostly due to circumstances that were entirely external to his quest.) He ends the story as a soldier in Vietnam, similar to his father during World War II. But the major difference between his life and his father’s has less to do with life and death, and more to do with finding peace.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so angry at myself for not picking up this book sooner! Quite honestly, the title and cover never really appealled to me; so as more exciting books came onto my shelf, I kept moving One More River to the side....ugh, don't you just hate having to admit how wrong you were!?

This book was A-MAZ-ING!! It grabs your attention, it's intriguing from the first page to the last, and I am not joking when I say that you literally fall in love with these characters.

To put it simply, the story is about a man named Mickey Moe Levy, who is trying to learn more about his father's past in order to convince his fiance's family that he is worthy enough to marry her. While Mickey Moe's story is interesting, and keeps the pace of the novel moving, it is truly the story of, Bernard Levy, Mickey Moe's father, that will move you in ways you never thought possible.

The adventure that is Bernard's life - from how he was raised, to how he becomes best friends with two black siblings (in a time when the association could prove deadly) - is fascinating, funny and immensely loving. Bernard's passion for life, at both the happiest and saddest of times - makes his character unforgettable. You root for him the entire time, and every time he goes through any emotion, you feel it right along with him. Mary Glickman is a fantastically talented storyteller and this book will just knock your socks off - take my word for it!

5 out of 5 stars!

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a charming and heart-warming book that its few faults can be easily overlooked. Sometimes the writing is a bit overblown, sometimes the plot gets a little too convoluted, and the time shifts are occasionally confusing. But overall I loved this story of a son’s search for his father. Mickey Moe loses his father when he is just four and knows little about him. When he falls in love with Laura he needs to prove to Laura’s disapproving parents that he’s a worthy suitor. To do so he has to find out just who his father really was. His journey takes him all over the South, into the backwoods of Mississippi and Tennessee, up and down the Mississippi river, finds him caught up in his father’s exploits in the Great Flood of 1927 and entering into the lives of a diverse group of people. Firmly rooted in history, atmospheric and with a wonderful evocation of time and place, this is a book to lose yourself in. Tender and gentle in spite of some violent episodes, ultimately life –affirming in spite of some cruel and frightening moments, Mary Glickman’s second novel is a joy to read and savour.

[Sharon Tzur · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well told story. Beautifully written prose. Engaging characters that you come to really care about. There are definitely characters there that I will never forget.

The book is very well constructed with it's two parallel narratives. Although the transition between the two story lines act a bit as a teaser; each story was so engaging that each time the narrator swapped to the other, I felt a tinge of disappointment because I wanted to know what would happen next in the current story line. However, that disappointment lasted only a few seconds, once I was into the "other" story line. In retrospect, I think the two narratives made the book more interesting - a kind of puzzle for the reader, and they came together very artfully.

Both story lines were so interesting that I couldn't put the book down.

[PopcornReads - MkNoah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Giveaway & Review!
When I reviewed Mary Glickman’s Home in the Morning earlier this year, I knew I had found a true gem. If you haven’t read that novel, here’s the link to that review. The publisher let me know then that she would be releasing another novel later in 2011 with ties to the same town and families, One More River, and asked if I’d be interested in reviewing it. I jumped at the chance and I’m very glad I did. One More River can definitely be read as a stand-alone novel, and you’ll be very happy when you read it. We're giving away 2 finished copies of One More River, thanks to the publisher's generosity! Read the rest of my review & enter to win at http://popcornreads.com/?p=2172

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

One More River is a must read. The author skillfully moves use back and forth through the decades of the early 1900's through the 1960's without losing continuity of the story. The written dialect is as engrossing as the story.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is so filled with historical references and character conflicts that it reads quickly and is difficult to put down. I loved the "cross plots" that met at the end in a satisfying finish for the characters as well as for me!

[Jamie Blackburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting to read about people of the Jewish faith in the South.

[Pete · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read book since it was chosen as a community read about Jews in the deep south. Seemed over-rated with not much substance relative to what I had expected relative to the Jewish experience.

[Marilyn Chilcote · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always a joy from Glickman

[Nora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not one wrong word.
The author manages to keep the correct tone and pace all through this book. I'm glad i read it.

[Janeen Swart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I totally enjoyed this book, at times the plot seemed almost like a fairy tale. Some of the scenes were just too out there to be believable. But maybe that was the best way to read this story, with tongue in cheek. The characters were unusual and very entertaining, not what you might expect for a book that begins with one of its protagonists being shot while in Vietnam. The two stories that entertwine were a little hard to follow at times and just when I would really get involved in one, the author would switch to the other subplot. The one thing I really wondered about was her nonuse of quotation marks for speech. Perhaps this is acceptable when the story develops as if someone is telling it. Maybe someone else could enlighten me on this??? Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is the story of mickey moe levy, a young man who sets out to discover the true story of his paternal lineage in order to marry the woman he loves. it is also the story of bernard levy, his father, whose convoluted life is a mystery to all who know him. sometimes confusing, this is an interesting story of how people survive no matter how little they may have. the story brings forth racial problems, women's rights, and prejudice against both jews and blacks. initially i felt it ended abruptly, but then decided that that was exactly what was needed; there was no more story to tell.

[Alita · Rating 5 out of 5]

You don’t have to be Jewish to enjoy this book. You don’t have to have read “Home in the Morning” (first of the Sassaport stories). You don’t have to live in the South. All of these are elements of “One More River” and so much more. Two generations of men seeking their identities...one in the first part of the century and the other in the second part, father and son’s stories converge. This is a beautifully written book (as is “Home in the Morning”) with wonderful story telling, character development and something we can all feel and understand. And in so many ways, we see how much things haven’t changed at all. Hope? I look forward to reading “An Undisturbed Peace” and the origins of the Sassaport family.

[Marsha · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. I would say that it didn't feel like there was an overriding theory binding the whole book, but obviously, there was: Mickey Mo was trying to discover his history. So? It just wasn't very satisfying, and the only personality that there was any actual connection with was that of Mickey Mo, and it really didn't altogether that well.
The story itself was convoluted and not altogether believable, but as I say, "it was okay".

[A Ghandour · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this after a slow start. It really does deal with several aspects of life in the deep South in the early 1960 and also the 1930s. Jewish life in that time and place is rarely written about so the book is interesting from that aspect. Also the Black experience of those days. The two itertwined is interesting.