I love Barbara Erskine's books, especially the early ones. River of Destiny is her latest. I would have given it five stars for plot and creepy "otherworldly" stuff, for which she's wellknown. However, I can't say I cared for any of the characters that much, so it was not an emotional read. But that's neither here nor there. They say you capture a reader's attention through emotions; she does it with a slowly building suspense. ( )

A thrilling story, woven through three periods of time. Liked the characters too. These last days, evere minute of my spare time was dedicated to the Rivers of Destiny. But - as you see, there is one star missing, because in my opinion, at the end of the story the author did not take enough time to resolve the woven knot of the different destinys and time levels, it is written in a quite slipshod way, I had expected a little bit more, some explanations maybe. But - on the other hand - it has been left to the phantasy of the readers and I am sure, that some readers will like it just the way it is.
But - I really con recommend this book and the author! ( )

Present Day: Zoe and her husband Ken have moved to country Sussex, leaving the city life in London behind. The have bought a converted old barn with a private mooring so Ken can enjoy his favourite pass-time, sailing. Zoe isn't happy, there are strange noises in the house and strange things keep happening. She is struggling to find employment and she is having some issues with Ken.

1865: Dan is the smith on the farm. His wife Susan is expecting their first child. The master of the property has a new wife. A new wife that is causing trouble for Dan.

865: Eric works the forge in the village. He has been given a special commission to make a pagan sword for the chief of the village. The chief is ailing and rumour has it that he is going to die. Eric's wife is being pursued by the the chief's reeve, a man that she is wary of.

These three stories are told in turn throughout the novel, with the links being revealed throughout. The book was well planned. Each storyline is well distinguished with a unique symbol signifying the change in setting. A good book and worth a read if you like the whole time slip concept with some ghosts thrown in. ( )

This is a book I got along with two others for a steal at my local book shop. The blurb intruiged me and I'd not read this author before so I thought it was a good pick. It's not a bad book, it's well-written and his intruiging scenes, it's just not for me. There is some confusion with the stories since there are three narratives going on at one time all in different times. One in the present, modern world, one in the ye olde days, and one in some fantasy land with magic and swords. Leading into each story is a symbol on the page. A boat, a sword or a horseshoe, to remind you where you are, but I still found it confusing especially given that in the fantasy and ye olde world, both protagonists are males with lowland jobs who have pregnant wives at home. I confused those stories all the time, especially given the almost identical events that occur to both characters.

The novel also left me with that unsavoury feeling I get with novels where the females never feel safe unless they are with a male. Zoe (the protag for the modern world narrative) is in a dull marriage to Ken and begins and affair with Leo who she soon must consult on every little thing that happens in her life. It bothers me, why does Zoe need his approval at all? She strikes me as very capable. There is also a slightly unrealistic storyline where a hormonal 11-year-old girl who think she's a witch basically owns the town for a few chapters.

But all in all, it was an okay read. It was slow to start but once it got going I could see the author's intentions and followed the story fine enough. I didn't flick or skim pages (much) which I thought I might do when I started the novel. I also praise its creepy factor, it did this thing with nails standing up on end that gave me an eery feeling - and I struggle to find books that do that! ( )

This was an interesting story! Three periods of history: Anglo Saxon England, Victorian England, and present day England, and their stories all intertwining and echoing down through time. The separate, yet ultimately connected stories are interesting in and of themselves, and build to a climax of tragedy--and also completion, in all three eras. ( )