A Polish Love Story in the Time of King Stanislaw | Push Not the River

LOVE THAT FLOWS LIKE A RIVER | Push Not the River | James Conroyd Martin

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	• Push Not the River James Conroyd Martin St. Martin's Griffin, 2004 - 528 pages average customer review:based on 70 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A TRUE CLASSIC: ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS EVER WRITTEN

Push Not the River by James Conroyd Martin is a one-of-a kind truely unique novel that is bound to become a classic for many years to come. The novel's concept is unprecedented as the author uses the diary of a real life Polish Countess, Anna Maria Berezowska, (1791-1794) and mixes facts with fiction to creat a truely outstanding historical fictional novel.

The novel is based on the real life story of a young polish girl who's diary is found after passing down generation after generation. The author discovered the diary from a friend who had translated it from his great great great great grandmother and then spent many years researching the historical period it covered.

This novel is beautifully written with intricate details which allow the reader to identify with the main character Anna. I was so encredibly moved by this novel. I found that I shared all her devastations, hopes, losses, loves, betrayals and despairs. It is a novel about loss, love, hope, betrayel, despair and redemption set in the tremulous period in 1790's Poland. I also found the historical content of Poland very interesting. It was a time when Poland was being torn apart by surrounding countries.

Push Not The River is a truely epic saga that you simply cannot miss. This novel has everything in it and is a truely universal book. It is a novel that all genders, ages and cultures would appreciate. After you read this book, read the sequel, "Against a Crimson Sky" and look for the last book that he is currently working on. The author also received the Polish Culture Award from Poland for this novel. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!!

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A Polish Love Story in the Time of King Stanislaw

This excellent novel, which gets its name from the Polish proverb "Push not the river; it will flow of its own accord", is the story of two cousins, both countesses, who are in love with the same untitled man in a period of eightieth century history, a time when Russia, Prussia and Austria were bent on conquering and dividing Poland.

The characters are well developed, the dialogue is free flowing, and the plot is fast moving, interesting and convoluted. It is a superb five star piece of work.

LOVE THAT FLOWS LIKE A RIVER

PUSH NOT THE RIVER is a dream of a book for lovers of historical fiction, panoramic sagas and/or romance novels. Based upon the actual diary of an eighteenth century Polish Countess, Anna Maria Berezowska, this tale sweeps the reader into an adventure in Polish history as they experience the Third of May Constitution which granted freedom to noblemen and peasants alike. The resulting violence and intrigue generated by the Constitution produced an outcome that devastated Poland. It was repeatedly partitioned by bordering countries, an act which literally erased it from the maps of Europe for over 100 years .

The book itself covers three exciting but turbulent years in Anna Maria's life. Readers will find a story that resonates with meticulous historical detail and adventure coupled with a fabulous love story that continues to echo long after the final page is turned.

If there ever was a story that lent credibility to the adage that "truth is stranger (and in this case more hauntingly beautiful) than fiction..........this is that story!

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A sweeping romantic epic

"Push Not the River" is a gripping tale of love and loss, not just on a personal scale, but on a national scale, as the Polish nation is finally taken over by the Russians in 1794. "Push Not the River," is a story based on the Countess Anna Maria Berezowska's diary which she kept from 1791-1794. Her story is fascinating, compelling, and will have the reader anxiously turning the page to find out what happens next.

The story begins with seventeen-year-old Anna reeling from the loss of her immediate family. Her father is killed in a fight with a peasant, and her mother, grief stricken, gives premature birth. Anna's infant brother and her mother also pass away. Anna goes to stay with her aunt and uncle, the Gronska's. They live in Halicuz, a town in southern Poland. They have a son, Walter, who is in the Russian army, and a daughter, Zofia, a couple of years older than Anna. Zofia takes a liking to Anna, and befriends her.

While exploring the countryside, Anna meets a young man, Count Jan Stelnicki, who is only a few years older than her. Anna finds herself losing her heart to him. When she finally comes out of mourning for her parents, she spends a wonderful day riding with Jan and he asks her to marry him. The moment is ruined as Zofia arrives - jealous that Anna has captured Jan's heart when she wanted it for herself. A fight ensues and Jan leaves. Anna has sprained her ankle and Zofia goes for help. While Anna waits, she's raped, and doesn't recognize her attacker. Finally, her uncle and Walter arrive to take her back to the house.

Anna is pregnant as a result of the rape and is forced into a marriage she doesn't want to Count Antoni Grawinski. The marriage is unbearable for both of them. Antoni and Jan duel over Anna, but it's not Jan who kills him, but a mysterious sniper. Just as Anna and Jan are about to give into their feelings, Poland is threatened by yet another partion, and Jan goes off to war before Anna can tell him she loves him. Anna stays with Zofia in Praga, near Warsaw, but Zofia, now Countess Gronska, is an enigma to her cousin, and Anna can't help but wonder if Zofia is continuing to keep her from Jan. As the Russians burn Praga, both Anna and Zofia face the ultimate challenge.

"Push Not the River," is wonderfully paced in a grand, sweeping style that will keep the reader enthralled in Anna's story. The plot is tight, expertly weaving between the destruction of a nation and the love story of Anna and Jan. Anna's story is so very human, it's one that leaves the reader thinking about her even after they put the novel down.

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Simultaneously Fascinating, Frightening and Fantastic

James Conroyd Martin has taken the diary of Countess Anna Maria Berezowska and created a dramatic and moving historical novel.

A friend of Martin's, a direct descendant of the Countess's shared her diary with him, he thought her life was fascinating and spent years researching the historical setting for this novelization. He was unable to get his work published and so initially published the book himself.

Many times while reading this story I found myself impressed that Martin could write in a woman's voice so perfectly. I later learned the author said he employed almost all of the events and much of the dialogue from Anna Maria's diary.

Anna Maria sadly lost her parents when she was only seventeen. She went to live with her aunt Countess Stella Gronska and her family in Halicz. Her cousin Zofia is a year older yet far more worldly than her country cousin. Zofia's older brother Walter is serving Empress Catherine of Russia.

Not long after her arrival Anna Maria meets a handsome young man named Jan Stelnicki who is impressed by her intellect and appreciation of nature. Anna Maria is happy to have something to take her mind off the deep sadness she feels because of the loss of her parents. However her cousin is also interested in Jan Stelnicki and Zofia is manipulative and conniving and willing to do anything to get what she wants.

While Anna Maria seems an innocent and weak young girl events happen that shape her into a strong and persevering woman. She is a heroine to admire.

I enjoyed this story very much. The backdrop of political unrest made for even more dramatic events in the lives of these people. The history of Poland's fight for democracy as well as independence from Russia, Prussia and Austria was all very interesting.

I also enjoyed the special little things included in this book; the historical maps of the locations in the story that show the changes Poland underwent during this period in time, the Polish proverbs as well as the Wycinanki (folk papercuts) by Frances Drwal.

I think there could have been a better title for the book. For some reason I didn't care for the title Push Not the River which is taken from a Polish proverb 'Don't push the river it will flow of it's own accord'. I didn't like it before reading the book and I still don't, I just seems like there could have been a title that was a more reflective of Anna Maria Berezowska's indomitable spirit. But that's hardly worth mentioning.

I did finish the book wanting to know more of what happened to Anna Maria. And I subsequently discovered that there is a continuation of Anna Maria's story. Yay! It's called Against a Crimson Sky, and I will be reading it.

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A panoramic and epic novel in the grand romantic style, Push Not the River is the rich story of Poland in the late 1700s--a time of heartache and turmoil as the country's once peaceful people are being torn apart by neighboring countries and divided loyalties. It is then, at the young and vulnerable age of seventeen, when Lady Anna Maria Berezowska loses both of her parents and must leave the only home she has ever known.With Empress Catherine's Russian armies streaming in to take their spoils, Anna is quickly thrust into a world of love and hate, loyalty and deceit, patriotism and treason, life and death. Even kind Aunt Stella, Anna's new guardian who soon comes to personify Poland's courage and spirit, can't protect Anna from the uncertain future of the country.Anna, a child no longer, turns to love and comfort in the form of Jan, a brave patriot and architect of democracy, unaware that her beautiful and enigmatic cousin Zofia has already set her sights on the handsome young fighter. Thus Anna walks unwittingly into Zofia's jealous wrath and darkly sinister intentions.Forced to survive several tragic events, many of them orchestrated by the crafty Zofia, a strengthened Anna begins to learn to place herself in the way of destiny--for love and for country. Heeding the proud spirit of her late father, Anna becomes a major player in the fight against the countries who come to partion her beloved Poland.Push Not the River is based on the true eighteenth century diary of Anna Maria Berezowska, a Polish countess who lived through the rise and fall of the historic Third of May Constitution. Vivid, romantic, and thrillingly paced, it paints the emotional and unforgettable story of the metamorphosis of a nation--and of a proud and resilient young woman.

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