I read this book in one day, and if it had taken longer, I wouldn't have finished. All the characters were cardboard. The good guys were perfect in all ways that matter, their few imperfections or insecurities only serving to make them quirky and supposedly relatable. The bad guys were irredeemable. The outcomes were predictable, and the emotion and tension weren't genuine. The three timelines all in first person were confusing because the characters' voices and personalities were largely indistinguishable. Beth, the main character of the modern-day storyline, at one point took a jab at romance and bonnet fiction that seemed unwarranted in a book by no means better than a mediocre romance. It was good enough to get me through a day that I was laid up with a migraine, but I was largely skimming by the end so I could finish and read something better. I will probably not read more by this author. ( )

Heartwarming

An easy read with enough twists to be interesting. The ending is tear worthy. I did have a hard time keeping up with the dates though. ( )

When Beth Cohen finds a photo of her elderly father with an unknown woman, a mystery begins. Beth knows her time is limited with her father and that he wants her to help find out what happened to this woman of his past.
I recommend this book for anyone that enjoys historical fiction, multiple time lines, war genre and memorable characters. ( )

Across the Winding River by Aimie K. Runyan is a rich historical novel. Dr. Beth Cohen regrets that she did not spend more time with her mother when she was dying, and she is not going to make that mistake with her father. His request to look at his old box of World War II mementoes provides Beth with insight into her father and has her on a quest. The story takes place from 1937 to 2007. It goes back in forth in time and switches point-of-view from Beth, Max (Beth’s father), and Johanna. Johanna lost touch with her sister after the war and she has wondered all these years what happened to her. Johanna would like to get answers for herself and for her children. We see how the war affected Max and Johanna plus we get answers on Beth’s hunt. It sounds confusing, but it is not. It is all beautifully woven together into one complete piece. I like how their stories connected. We get transported back to World War II where Max is serving as a medic and Johanna is an engineer who designs planes. Johanna has a brother in the SS and her sister marries a high-ranking SS officer. Johanna is against everything Hitler stands for and believes in, but she loves her job. We get a look at life inside Germany during the war. Across the Winding River is a well-written with a complex plot and developed characters. The story does play out in an expected manner and the pacing is slow in the beginning. It is a compelling story, though, that will soon capture and hold your interest. The last seventy-five percent is the best part of the book. The pace and tension ramp up. Everything begins coming together and you get that aha moment. Across the Winding River is a captivating story about hope, love, loss, and courage. ( )

What can I say, I LOVE my WWII historical fiction and Aimie has written another one that knocks it out of the park. Dual storylines, war, and not giving up on a first love.

Max, a newly graduated dentist, finally gets his parents blessing to enlist into the war. He is sent over seas and soon in the midst of sewing and fixing soldiers back up. Although he is not on the front line, he is seeing everyday what that is doing to his fellow soldiers. Maybe he should become a surgeon when he gets back home, no dental work needed in the field. One night, he finds a woman trespassing near their base. He knows she is German and at first thinks she's a spy but gut tells him to just hear her out.

Beth doesn't have many months left with her nonagenarian father and she hopes to make the best of it. She often has regret that she should have done more for her mother, cancer had taken her. In a facility, Max is slowly living out his day and feel this time is coming, he asks Beth to bring in a box of his things he has to get some things in order. Beth takes a quick peak as she is assembling the items into a more sturdy, secure box and sees an old photograph of his father from the war, standing next to a beautiful pregnant woman. But it is not her mother. This would have been before her. She will have to ask him.

Max gets pulled into helping this woman, and her badly wounded friend. He needs to be stitched up, and cleaned up more proper than what the two ladies did and they need to get him out of the direct element. Max isn't sure what prompts him, but he helps them knowing if he is caught he will be seen as a traitor. As the days continue on, and this man starts to appear to heal, Max is worried about realizing he is going to miss these people he has helped, particularly the woman from the first night.

Beth asks her father about the photograph, but he is not yet ready to tell that story, but he does have one favor to ask. He wants Beth to see if she can find this woman. He has been searching for decades with no luck and this is one of his last wishes. What happened to her and the baby. Can Beth race against the clock her father has left and find the answers he has wanted for decades, and will this change things about what Beth knew about her father? ( )