For most of this novel I found myself enjoying the flash backs much more than the front story. The flashbacks dealt with the narrator falling in love and marrying his childhood sweetheart whereas the front story dealt with the narrator meeting a pregnant 16 year old African American girl and taking her in to his home. It just seemed a bit implausible to me. But as the novel progressed and the flashbacks got closer and closer to the present an interesting plot twist made everything fall into place very nicely. ( )

Harper Montgomery vive ofuscado pela tristeza. Desde a morte de sua mulher, há 12 anos, ele aprisionou-se em uma pequena cidade, Dois Rios, onde todo mundo se conhece, porque ali — justifica-se — poderia criar melhor sua única filha. Atormentado pelo desgosto, Harper prefere esconder-se. Mas a verdade é que a morte de sua mulher é somente um dos motivos de sua dor. Além de sofrer por sua perda, ele se sente culpado por um ato abominável: quando mais jovem foi cúmplice de um crime brutal e sem sentido. Há muito sentimento em jogo quando se trata de sua vida cheia de remorsos. Então, um acidente de trem oferece a Harper a chance de redenção: uma das sobreviventes, uma menina de 15 anos, grávida, precisa de um lugar para ficar, e ele se oferece para levá-la para casa. No entanto, a aparição dessa menina, Maggie, não tem nada de simples acaso, talvez, ela tenha alguma coisa a ver com o crime do qual ele participou um dia...

I'm not entirely sure what it was about this book that made me bring it home from the library...it's just not the kind of description that would typically draw me in. But wow. Wow.

Two Rivers has quickly become a new favorite. The story is broken into chapters that alternate between telling the story of Harper growing up in love with his neighbor Betsy from an early age, one night that changed everything, and his current life, up to the point where they all come together.
I'm always a sucker for a good twist, and this novel doesn't disappoint. Nothing is quite what you first imagined and each thing you assume to be fact is shattered in the end. There are no lies, just simple truths that lead your mind to believe things which are, in fact, false.
( )

Harper Montgomery is a man who is driven by grief, guilt and uncertainty. The girl he loved since he was 12 years old, the wife he had for less than a year, died on the day their daughter Shelley was born. Now, more than a decade later, Harper is raising Shelley on his own after finally leaving the welcoming nest of his late wife's, Betsy, aunt and uncle. His work at the Two Rivers, Vermont, train station freight office earns enough money for a small apartment above the local bowling alley. On a quiet fall afternoon the train bound for Montreal derails at the fork of the two rivers plunging several train cars into the cold murky water. Harper rushes to the river to help where he finds a pregnant teenaged black girl among the wreckage who pleads with him to help her. The girl, Maggie, says that her mother is dead and she has nowhere to go. Harper takes pity on the child and brings her home for a temporary stay until her family can be contacted. Maggie quickly makes herself at home by cooking, cleaning and befriending Shelley, but she is not forthcoming about her personal situation. As the days pass, Harper becomes convinced that their meeting was not happenstance and that Maggie has a secret agenda.
The story is told in alternating chapters of the present and Harper's past with Betsy. He loved her from the day they met and knew that he wanted her in his life for ever. There is a dark secret in Harper's past that is given to the reader in small snippets throughout the book and that, more than anything, made him willing to take Maggie into his home. The story takes place in the late 1950's through the early 80's and much of it revolves around civil rights and the Vietnam war. This was my era as well and even my part of the country; it is all well founded and familiar. The only reason I did not give the book 5 stars is that there is something that is just a little too coincidental to be believable. Greenwood can really write and I will most definitely read everything else by her that I can find. ( )

Another winner and page-turner by T. Greenwood! Once again, this talented author knows how to tell a powerful, and beautifully written heartwarming story! Looking forward to reading her remaining three books which I have not read (each is as good as the previous one).

Two Rivers is a bittersweet story of a man living in Two Rivers, Vermont, who is suffering daily from guilt after his role in a brutal crime which still haunts him daily. His sins of the past threatens to destroy his present, as Harper seeks forgiveness to make amends for his involvement in the crime long ago.

After his wife, Betsy died twelve years earlier, Harper is raising his daughter, Shelly and working at the railroad, until one day a train derails, he has a chance at redeeming himself when he encounters, Maggie, a pregnant 15 yr old girl who needs his help.

Does the tragedy of losing Betsy justify Harper’s involvement in the scene at the river and the blackberry imagery? A very interesting take on motherhood of Mrs. Parker, Helen, and Betsy and how they embrace their role and are they victims of their time?

A master of combining past with present, the intense feelings and emotions will warm and engage fans of Greenwood for a highly moving love story of redemption, racial tension, loss, love, and forgiveness.

http://judithdcollins.booklikes.com/post/833950/tworivers
( )