River-Horse - Hardcover

Least-Heat Moon

3.91

2,142 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0436205300 ISBN 13: 9780436205309

Publisher: Martin Secker & Warburg Ltd, 2000

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The author sets off aboard a small boat called Nikawa ("river-horse" in Osage) from the Atlantic at New York harbour in hopes of entering the Pacific near Astoria, Oregon. He and his companion, Pilotis, struggle to cover 5000 watery miles often following in the wakes of the great explorers from, Henry Hudson to Lewis and Clark. En route, the voyagers confront massive floods, submerged rocks, dangerous weather and their own doubts about whether they can complete the trip. But the hard days yield up incomparable pleasures: strangers generous with help and eccentric tales; landscapes unchanged since Sacagawea saw them; riverscapes flowing with a lively past; and the growing belief that efforts to protect the land and waters are beginning to pay off. Throughout its course, the expedition enjoys coincidences such as to suggest the intervention of a divine and witty providence. The author offers an unsentimental portrait of America at the edge of the millennium.

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Review:

William Least Heat-Moon, author of Blue Highways and PrairyErth, is a pre-eminent chronicler of American back roads. Both dreamer and achiever, he is poetically minded, yet has the skill and strength to turn his fantasy into reality. River-Horse: The Logbook of a Boat Across America tells the story of his ambitious attempt to cross America entirely by its interior waterways, following in the wakes of famous explorers Lewis and Clark.

Together with his co-pilot, Heat-Moon set out to cover 5,000 miles of water, more than any other river traveller in America's history. Their vessel was a 22-foot fibreglass powerboat named Nikawa, Osage for "river horse", small enough to fit onto the back of a trailer but just large enough to hold the bare essentials. Starting from New York Harbour, where the water is so dirty "you could bottle it and sell it for poison", the hearty travellers headed for the distant waters of the Pacific ocean.

The book is illustrated with maps, a hand-drawn diagram of the boat and a selection of scenic photographs. In general, rather than swamping the reader in technical detail, Heat-Moon's prose flows with the beauty of the open river, calling to mind the novels of Mark Twain. Though some may find Heat-Moon's language a tad precious ("The sun rose and with it our appetites for a hearty meal") the more romantically-minded will be swept away. --Daren King

Review:

"Heat-Moon''s exuberant erudition propels the reader with historical vignettes, ecological and geological detail, and often hilarious encounters with local eccentrics." --Time

"Heat-Moon''s prose is clear, straight-forward and lively and his vision unclouded." --Chicago Sun-Times

"Heat-Moon's exuberant erudition propels the reader with historical vignettes, ecological and geological detail, and often hilarious encounters with local eccentrics." --Time

"Heat-Moon's prose is clear, straight-forward and lively and his vision unclouded." --Chicago Sun-Times

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