Set in the early American Republic in the opening decades of the nineteenth century, Ride the River is a novel built around the pressures of its historical setting. Sixteen-year-old Echo Sackett has never been far from her Tennessee home--until she makes the long trek to Philadelphia to collect her inheritance. In the wilderness Echo can take care of herself as well as any man, but she never imagined the challenge that awaits: a crooked city lawyer who intends to take advantage of her by any means necessary. Echo will need all of her wits to best this scoundrel and make it back home in one piece.
The historical background is Early American Republic. L’Amour uses practical details of travel, work, weather, weapons, distance and local authority to make the setting more than a backdrop. The result combines fast-moving adventure with a strong sense of how isolation, weak institutions and rapid economic change could shape individual choices.
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