具体描述
The war between the States has only been over for two months, and the roads and rivers are clogged with men traveling in all directions. Most of them will make it home one way or another. That's the easy part. It's what you bring home inside your head that's the problem. Set during the last year of the American Civil War, Death on the River portrays the grim brutality of war through the eyes of a young soldier. After the older brother he worshipped is killed in battle, young Jake Clay joins the Union Army in the spring of 1864, determined to make his parents proud and honor his brother's death. His dreams of glory vanish, however, when he is wounded and taken prisoner in his first battle at Cold Harbor, Virginia, and confined to the Confederate prison camp at Andersonville, where 30,000 soldiers face violence, disease and starvation. Frightened and disillusioned, Jake takes up with Billy Sharp, an unscrupulous opportunist who shows him how to survive, no matter what the cost. By the war's end Jake's sleep is haunted by the ghosts of those who have died so he could live. When the camp is liberated, Jake and Billy head north on the Mississippi riverboat Sultana, overcrowded far beyond its capacity. Unknown to Jake, the fateful journey up river will come closer to killing him than Andersonville did, but it will also provide him with his one chance at redemption. John Wilson is the author of twenty-three books for juveniles, teens and adults. His self-described "addiction to history" has resulted in many award-winning novels that bring the past alive for young readers. Incredibly, even the worst of the horrors that Jake experiences in Death on the River actually happened. John spends significant portions of the year traveling across the country speaking in schools, leaving his audiences excited about the past. John lives in Lantzville, British Columbia.
《逝者如斯》 关于本书 《逝者如斯》并非一本关于死亡的冷峻叙事，亦非一曲哀歌，而是一次穿越时间与空间的灵魂之旅，一次对生命存在意义的深度探索。本书以极具诗意且引人入胜的笔触，描绘了一个个体如何在错综复杂的生活河流中，寻找自我，理解痛苦，最终拥抱生命深处的宁静与力量。它并非直接呈现一场具体的死亡事件，而是围绕着“逝去”这一普遍生命体验，展开一系列关于记忆、遗忘、爱、失落、成长以及个体与集体命运的哲学性思考。 这是一部需要静心品读的作品，它没有跌宕起伏的惊悚情节，却有着撼动人心的情感深度。作者以细腻入微的观察力，捕捉那些在日常生活中稍纵即逝却至关重要的瞬间。从童年模糊的回忆碎片，到成年后面对的各种选择与困境；从与亲人、朋友的情感羁绊，到与陌生人之间偶然的擦肩而过；从对宏大历史事件的旁观，到对个体微小命运的关怀——《逝者如斯》将这些看似零散的元素编织成一张宏大的生命之网，邀请读者一同潜入其中，感受生命的潮汐涨落。 本书的主角并非一个单一、固定的“我”，而是通过一种多视角、多层次的叙事方式，展现了不同个体在不同生命阶段所经历的“逝去”。这些“逝去”可以是亲人的离去，青春的远去，梦想的破灭，甚至是对过往的自我的一种告别。作者并非简单地罗列这些“逝去”，而是深入挖掘其背后所蕴含的普遍人性，探讨个体如何在这种失去中学会承受，如何从痛苦中汲取养分，如何最终完成一次次自我超越与新生。 《逝者如斯》的语言风格 is equally compelling. It is not overly ornate, nor is it starkly minimalist. Instead, it strikes a harmonious balance, employing vivid imagery, evocative metaphors, and a profound understanding of human emotion. The prose flows with a quiet grace, drawing the reader into a contemplative mood. Each sentence is carefully crafted, designed to resonate with the reader's own inner experiences. It’s a language that speaks not just to the intellect, but directly to the heart, bypassing the usual defenses and reaching into the core of our shared humanity. 内容概述（非剧情透露） 《逝者如斯》的篇章结构并非按照传统的时间线索展开，而是更倾向于一种情感与主题的螺旋式推进。本书可以被理解为一系列相互关联的“沉思录”，每一章节都像是一块精心打磨的宝石，折射出生命不同侧面的光芒。 第一部分：记忆的碎片与河流的源头 这一部分着重于对童年记忆的回溯与重构。作者笔下的“童年”并非总是阳光灿烂，它也包含了最初的疑惑、懵懂的恐惧，以及那些至今仍未完全理解的家庭叙事。关于“逝去”的最初感知，往往萌发于童年对时间流逝的模糊体验，以及对身边亲人、熟悉景物的不可避免的改变与消失的观察。这里，“河流”的比喻开始显现其多重含义：它既是自然界中永不停歇的流动，也是生命时间线的隐喻，更是承载着家族历史、情感传承的载体。作者通过描绘一些具体的童年场景——或许是一次夏日午后关于光影的沉思，一次与长辈关于往事的对话，一次对故乡河畔的探访——来展现个体最初的生命意识是如何被唤醒，又是如何开始感知到“逝去”的痕迹。 第二部分：成长的潮汐与岸边的选择 随着主角进入青年及成年时期，生命的河流变得更加宽阔，也更加汹涌。这一部分探讨的是个体在面对更复杂的社会关系、职业挑战、人生抉择时所经历的“逝去”。这可能是初恋的结束，友谊的疏离，理想的幻灭，或是为了生存而不得不做出的妥协。作者在这里深入剖析了“选择”与“放弃”之间的张力，以及每一个选择背后所带来的无法挽回的“逝去”。“岸边”成为一个重要的意象，它象征着人生的各个节点，是停驻、是观望，还是义无反顾地投入新的河流。本书不会提供简单的答案，而是呈现出人性的复杂与矛盾，以及个体在不确定性中如何寻找方向，如何与内心的失落感共存。 第三部分：流淌的羁绊与河畔的守望 这一部分将视角转向了亲情、爱情以及人际关系中的“逝去”与“留下”。它探讨的是，即使个体生命如同河流般向前，但那些深刻的情感羁绊却能穿越时间，在记忆中形成永恒的河床。本书并非颂扬永恒不变的爱，而是关注爱在变化中的韧性，在失落后的延续，以及在代际传承中的变形与升华。它也描绘了那些在人生河流中“守望”的角色——或许是默默奉献的长辈，或许是始终给予支持的朋友，他们如同河畔的风景，见证着河流的流淌，也为河流注入温暖的力量。这一部分的情感基调可能略显沉静，但却蕴含着深厚的力量，是对生命中那些无声的爱的礼赞。 第四部分：遗忘的岸边与重生的浪花 “遗忘”在这本书中并非完全的负面概念，它也是一种自我疗愈与前行的机制。作者探讨了如何在一个充满信息与记忆的时代，选择性地“遗忘”，从而卸下沉重的包袱，重新获得轻盈。然而，真正的“遗忘”并非抹去，而是与过去的经历达成和解，让那些曾经的痛苦、遗憾，最终化为滋养生命的养分。“重生”的意象在这里被进一步深化，它不是戏剧性的突变，而是如同河流入海口，经历了重重考验后，依然保持着生命的活力，并孕育出新的可能。本书最终导向的是一种对生命本身的敬畏与热爱，即使在经历无数“逝去”之后，依然能在奔流不息的生命之河中，找到属于自己的那份宁静与力量。 风格与主题 《逝者如斯》的风格 is characterized by its understated power and profound empathy. The author avoids sensationalism, opting instead for a deeply introspective and philosophical approach. The narrative is rich with sensory details, evoking a palpable sense of place and atmosphere. However, these details are never gratuitous; they serve to illuminate the inner landscape of the characters and the universality of their experiences. The central theme revolves around the ceaseless flow of life and the inevitability of change. The "river" metaphor is consistently woven throughout the text, representing time, existence, memory, and the journey of the soul. The book explores how individuals navigate the currents of life, grappling with loss, embracing impermanence, and ultimately finding meaning and resilience amidst the constant flux. It is a meditation on the human condition, acknowledging the inherent sorrow of existence while simultaneously celebrating its enduring beauty and the potential for growth and renewal. This book is for readers who appreciate literature that delves into the complexities of the human spirit, that encourages self-reflection, and that offers a profound sense of connection to the shared human experience. It is a journey into the heart of what it means to live, to love, to lose, and to ultimately find peace within the ever-flowing river of existence.
