Time is a River is one of my favorite books. I read this when it was first released in hardcover (by the way the hardcover image is BEAUTIFUL. I have it face out on my bookshelf). I thoroughly enjoyed the trip through the mountains and the fly fishing was so interesting. I swear I could feel the chill of the water as I read it. The mystery woven into this story of a woman battling to not only recover but restore her confidence is one that you'll want to share with all your friends.

Mia finds refuge and healing in an old mountain cabin after struggling with breast cancer and her husband's leaving her for another woman--one with an intact body and no illness. Feeling defeated by her life, she gets wrapped up in the mystery of the original resident of the cabin in the 1920's, Kate. Mia is inspired by the words and advice she finds in Kate's journal as she tries to remake her own life. Fly fishing provides her with therapy---as it did Kate.

TIME IS A RIVER is a quick read for the most part. There are parts that are beautifully written and made this reader want to experience the joy and wonder of nature and fly fishing. Although I enjoyed the nature scenes and the basic storyline, the story comes across as somewhat contrived and formulaic (or at least that was the consensus of our book group). The book group questions that are provided harken back to elementary/middle-school reading tests. Our conclusion was that this book is perfect as a beach read but doesn't really provide much fodder for discussion.