Leaving Blythe River: A Novel

LOVE her books, the style of her writing. Really good. Keeps it exciting always, does not leave you bored.thank you

I enjoyed reading this book about a teenage boy coming of age in the wilderness. It's about his relationship with his parents and specifically his father whom he does not get along with. It's ironic that he comes of age in the wilderness living with his father as he did not want to be there. I felt the story was a little slow at first but the 2nd half was exciting and adventurous. There are some interesting characters in the book that the author describes well.

I've been a fan of author Catherine Ryan Hyde for quite a few years now. I can always depend upon her stories touching my heart. LEAVING BLYTHE RIVER is a super coming-of-age story. It seems the trend nowadays that if there are any adolescents in a story to call it a coming-of-age story. Well, this one actually is. Ethan Underwood is not having a good year. First of all, he's 17 years old and looks like he's probably 12. He's small, thin, and about as unathletic as he can be. It doesn't help that both of his parents are super athletic, especially his father. Some terrible circumstances happen (some involving his father) and Ethan ends up living in Avery, Wyoming with his father (they're from New York City) near the Blythe River Wilderness area. Talk about feeling out of place. Then one morning, his dad Noah, heads out on one of his long runs and doesn't come back. Ethan has some grown-up decisions to make and with the help of some neighbors ends up going into the Wilderness to try to find his father. What a story this is! It was everything I wanted it to be. It has memorable characters, gorgeous descriptive sections about a state that I love, and Ethan is a protagonist that I will remember for a long time. I also loved that author Hyde didn't cut the story off short. This would be a perfect book for a book discussion group to read. And this is a book I have on pre-order so I can have it for my library - so I can re-read it many times in the future. I received this book from Lake Union Publishing through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased review.

Catherine Ryan Hyde is an amazing writer. After reading just a few pages of this book, I felt like I was already into an interesting adventure. She has a way of writing that immediately draws me into her stories. I keep a list of books that I want to read and looking back at it I noticed that I had written "anything by Catherine Ryan Hyde." Leaving Blythe River falls into several categories. It's a great coming of age story, a good family drama and an adventure story. Ethan is a shy seventeen year old who looks like he's thirteen. His dad, Noah, is a bit of a jerk who's always trying to be better than everyone else. He even puts down his own son so he can look better. Ethan and his mom were packed and ready to take a trip when a mix up with their tickets sent them back home. They walked in on Noah and his secretary on the couch, partially dressed. They all knew their time as a family was over. Noah moved into a cabin in the mountains so he could continue to train for his extreme sports. Ethan and his mom stayed in the city. Due to poor health of his maternal grandparents, Ethan was sent to stay with his dad while his mom went to help her parents deal with their issues. I don't want to spoil any future readers enjoyment of the book so I'll leave the story here. The characters are well developed and their circumstances advanced the story in unexpected ways. I would recommend this book and author to anyone who enjoys reading a good story.

When Ethan who is 17, and insecure, learns that his Dad is cheating on his Mom, he loses any respect for his Dad. Noah (Ethan's Dad), leaves and moves to a small cabin by Blythe River. When Ethan is forced to spend the summer with Noah, alone and with only his dog, Rufus, he really hates his life and despises his Dad. However- when Noah goes out for a long run one day and doesn't return, Ethan decides to search for him In the mountains, where he knows his Dad runs, and organizes a small team to help him. The town ranger and others in the area are sure that Noah has taken off to be with a woman he has been seeing and leaving Ethan to fend for himself and quickly decide to abandon the search originally started in the mountains. Ethan isn't sure where his father is.-but feels strongly that Noah is in the hills and may be hurt or lost. I really enjoyed this book. It held my interest and definitely made me want to keep reading to see what was going to happen. I liked the characters and the writing style done by Catherine Ryan Hyde. . Definitely a great end of summer read.

I love Catherine Hyde's writing and I have read almost every SINGLE one of her books. This was a good story, it had the life lessons that Ms Hyde elequantly puts in her books. The story line in this book had so many NON FEASIBLE problems that it made me irate. 1. You DO NOT TAKE a dog into bear country without a leash, even just out for its to releave itself . 2. You DO NOT TAKE a dog in the mountainous region without A LEASH, (for walking) and WITH A HARNESS AND A LIFE VEST WHEN they were crossing the water with the horses. (the only thing that they had was a rope... seriously,,,a rope around what, his collar that can be pulled off with not much pressure. 3 AND WHY IN GODS NAME DID IT TAKE so long before they realized the dog should have been put on the mule with him to save the poor dog from exhaustion and bloody feet. 4. And this is what I take exception to the most. the writer leaves the reader hanging for an entire chapter while the boy is lowered down over a cliff,,,the other person in the search party has taken off on horse back, and THE WHOLE TIME THEY ARE WAITING FOR THE RESCUE TEAM, YOU ARE COMPLETELY IN THE DARK WONDERING WHERE THE DOG IS ! SERIOUSLY IT WAS SO IRRESPONSIBLE AND STRESSFUL FOR ME TO SIT THERE AND WONDER HOW IN THE WORLD THIS DOG IS SAFE. I am sitting there through the whole ordeal wondering if the dog is sitting on the cliff by itself or if it wandered off or how the heck anyone can be so stupid as to leave it there to begin with alone. Its just not a feasible that anyone could think that this was responsible pet ownership or writing. I found it very surprising since she has written about horses with such love and great care. Other than that it was a good story. It just was very stressful

This is one of the best books I’ve ever read. Literally spell binding. I wanted to keep reading without stopping. 100/100 recommend.

I received this book as gift from First Reads at Goodreads in exchange for an honest review. Not all coming of age stories work for me but this on sure did. From the beginning I was invested in Ethan Underwood and his story. Sent from New York City to spend the summer with his estranged father in the Blythe River National Wilderness, Ethan is immediately out of his element. He is small for his 17 years and skinny and afraid of his shadow. His father who is very athletic and into Extreme Sports has always made fun of him and criticized Ethan. Almost a soon as he arrives he begs his Mom to come home. He only knew one neighbor Sam an old local that leads pack rides into the Blythe River Wilderness. Ethan barely leaves the cabin his father is renting on the edge of the wilderness but one day when his father goes for his daily run and does not return home, Ethan begins to worry and wonder if his Dad just up and left him or if something has happened to him. Ethan is deathly afraid of bears as his father has told him never to go out without bear spray. The only can he can find in the cabin is out of date. He finally summons up the courage to go down to Sam's for help. The meat of the story is his search for his father and learning to deal with his fears and interact with people. I highly recommend this book. If I was willing to stay up all night I would have read it through in one sitting. I will definitely check out Catherine Ryan Hyde's other book.

This author grips the reader's attention from page one to the end of the book. The characters, description and action are skillfully drawn and the writing-style makes the story flow along. This is the second book I've read from this writer and I thoroughly enjoyed it. A very good read.

Great read. Love the emotional journeys of Catherine's books. Every story is touching and full of life and human emotions.

As usual Catherine Ryan Hyde explores and unearths the human frailties and unexpected strengths in ordinary people. To both love and hate someone seems now only logical - I get it! Thank you.

I really have enjoyed most of Catherine’s books and this one is no exception. Young Ethan’s path to find himself is so beautifully described and the unusual circumstances very credible. Her stories often lead to self reflection too which adds a dimension to the simple pleasure of reading. Thank you.

Gespannt hatte ich auf den neuen Roman von Catherine Ryan Hyde gewartet und wurde nicht enttäuscht. Fantastische Naturbeschreibungen, die die Landschaft lebendig machten und mich mit Sehnsucht erfüllten, auch selbst einmal alles zu sehen. Dazu wieder liebevoll gestaltete Charaktere, die einen wünschen lassen, man könnte sie kennen lernen, zwischenmenschliche Beziehungen, die man nicht nur versteht, sondern mitfühlt. Ich kann gar nicht genug von dieser Autorin bekommen und habe inzwischen fast alle Romane gelesen.