Where the River Bends - Tapa dura

A fine yarn, never pulling a punch. A story going hard toward, and not turning away from the truth of us. Haddaway's a writer as full of hope as he is of honesty, of compassion as he is of conscience, of faith as he is of fear. - Lee K. Abbott ""A lively, eccentric, often very funny (though not without its moments of deep sadness) account of several generations of a Texas family, and by extension, a history of the twentieth century. This is an admirable, ambitious piece of work and a story that was a great and deep pleasure to read."" - George Garrett

Richard Haddaway's novel is a warm-hearted, realistic, multi-generational story of the Beckwith clan, a Texas oil family dominated by its wealthy patriarch who does his best to mold his children and grandchildren to his narrow views of propriety and restraint. His grandson Stephen watches in grief as his father's life withers under Granddaddy's long shadow. Stephen's own life takes a turn into the same alcoholism and despair that ruined his father. Haddaway's narrative moves through joy and loss, failure and courage. Set near Fort Worth, Texas, the novel takes place from the mid-1950s to the mid-1990s. Where the River Bends is a much-expanded version of Haddaway's first novel, Our Island Home (Latitudes Press, 1990).