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Ruthless River
Ruthless River: Love and Survival by Raft on the Amazon's Relentless Madre de Dios | Holly Fitzgerald
11 posts | 12 read | 16 to read
A stunning debut; a Departures original publication. The ultimate survival story; a wild ride--the wildest--down a South American river in the thick of the Amazon Basin; a true and thrilling adventure of a young married couple who survive a plane crash only to later raft hundreds of miles across Peru and Bolivia, ending up in a channel to nowhere, a dead end so flooded there is literally no land to stand on. Their raft--a mere four logs--separates them from the piranha-and-caiman-infested water until they realize that finally there is no way out but to swim. Vintage Original. Holly FitzGerald and her husband, Fitz--married less than two years--set out on a yearlong honeymoon adventure of a lifetime, backpacking around the world. Five months into the trip their plane crash lands in Peru at a penal colony walled in by jungle, and their blissfully romantic journey turns into a terrifying nonstop labyrinth of escape and survival. On a small, soon-ravaged raft that quickly becomes their entire universe through dangerous waters alive with deadly animals and fish, their only choice: to continue on, despite the rush of insects swarming them by day, the sounds of encroaching predators at night. Without food or means of communication, with no one to hear their cries for help or on a search-and-rescue expedition to find them, the author and her husband make their way, fighting to conquer starvation and navigate the brute force of the river, their only hope for survival, in spite of hunger and weakening resolve, to somehow, miraculously hang on and find their way south to a large riverside town, before it is too late. . . .
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Hilary427
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Pickpick

What a great adventure book and true story of survival! Very easy to read, with short, concise chapters. It makes you wonder if you would have what it takes to survive...
⭐️: 4/5

TEArificbooks I read this awhile ago. I would definitely die. The bug bites alone.... 4y
23 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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readtheworld
Ruthless River | Holly Conklin FitzGerald
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Pickpick

This was fantastic on audio. Thrilling and tragic, Ruthless River tells the true story of a young couple who set out on an adventurous honeymoon and end up stranded in a flooded offshoot of the Madre de Dios River in the Bolivian Amazon.

#audiobook #nonfiction #audio #libby #lovedit

dragondrool I started reading this last summer, but set it down when we picked a new book for our real-time book club. I need to get back to it and finish it up. I think I'm halfway. I was enjoying it. 5y
37 likes1 comment
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heatherspoetlife
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Pickpick

This is incredible. I appreciate that Fitzgerald shared her story and loved her writing. I can't imagine being stuck in that situation or how I'd get through it. I loved her tedtalk about it too.

Lea Oh that sounds interesting 6y
11 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Audrey
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Mehso-so

I wanted to love this book. I enjoy true stories of travel and adventure. The problem with this book is that the writing was a bit juvenile. I thought this couple was incredibly lucky in how their story turned out. They had a lot of bad luck and were truly fortunate to have both survived. I do wonder if some of their observations about privilege was something they realized then (as depicted in the book) or realized as they aged.

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RealBooks4ever
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Pickpick

Ok, so I did really like the story, BUT, if you want to read this please do so in print and not the audiobook! It sucked! This is more than the story of her being lost in the jungle with her husband, its the history of their marriage.

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MrBook
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#TBRtemptation post 4! The paperback was released a few weeks ago. This is an adventure travel memoir...as if you couldn't tell from the sub-title 🙄🤦🏼‍♂️☺️. About a young newlywed couple who survived a plane crash on their year-long honeymoon and then, on a four-log raft, floated for hundreds of miles down Amazonian rivers. And they had to swim in piranha- and caiman-infested water!!! And no hope of help. 😱 #blameLitsy #blameMrBook 😎

CouronneDhiver I hope they stayed together after all that... I can't imagine a deeper lesson in overcoming adversity as a duo! 🤵🏼👰🏽 7y
NovelPairing That book sounds amazing 😱😍 7y
LitsyGoesPostal 😊👍🏻 7y
92 likes9 stack adds3 comments
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WordWaller
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Surprising myself by diving into this one last night after getting the galley from my rep! It's about a newly married couple in the 70s who, after a bizarre set of circumstances, get lost on a raft on the Rio Madre de Dios in the Amazon! Ever since I was a kid I've loooooooooooved the Amazon jungle so I had to start this! 👍👍 so far! Out May 30!!

Hooked_on_books Huh, sounds really interesting! 8y
RealBooks4ever Sign me up! 😍 8y
My_novel_obsession This one sounds amazing! 8y
68 likes1 stack add3 comments
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Bookdodger
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Pickpick

This is an amazing, TRUE story of survival. This woman can actually write in a compelling manner. Better yet, 44 years later the couple are still together! Put this one on the top of your TBR stack!

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Bookdodger
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Reading this amazing memoir. Can't put it down despite the siren call of the bed.....

5 likes1 stack add