The River Is Waiting (Oprah's Book Club)

By: Wally Lamb

Narrated by: Jeremy Sisto

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER | OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK | A USA TODAY BESTSELLER

#1 New York Times bestselling author Wally Lamb, celebrated for two prior Oprah’s Book Club selections, returns with an exceptional third pick, an “incandescent” (Oprah Daily) novel following a young father grappling with unbearable tragedy as he searches for hope, redemption, and the possibility of forgiveness.

Corby Ledbetter is struggling. New fatherhood, the loss of his job, and a growing secret addiction have thrown his marriage to his beloved Emily into a tailspin. And that’s before he causes the tragedy that tears the family apart. Sentenced to prison, Corby struggles to survive life on the inside, where he bears witness to frightful acts of brutality but also experiences small acts of kindness and elemental kinship with a prison librarian who sees his light and some of his fellow offenders, including a tender-hearted cellmate and a troubled teen desperate for a role model. Buoyed by them and by his mother’s enduring faith in him, Corby begins to transcend the boundaries of his confinement, sustained by his hope that mercy and reconciliation might still be possible. Can his crimes ever be forgiven by those he loves?

An “immersive novel of redemption” (The New Yorker), The River Is Waiting is another “soul-wrenching” (NPR) masterpiece from celebrated author Wally Lamb.

Critic reviews

"Actor Jeremy Sisto is a convincing and talented performer who skillfully immerses listeners in the psyche of Corby Ledbetter, particularly with his tone."

Excellent! ☆☆☆☆☆

Wally Lamb did it again! This is an intimate story of love, loss and grief. It may seem like a long audio book, but I couldn't stop listening. The pacing is excellent, portraying prison realistically, the agony of losing a loved one. (Trying not to spoil the plot here.) The narration is also first rate. I'm buying the book as well. This one is a keeper!

Painful and poetic

I don’t know what else to add. It brought me back to where I was when I finished “A Little Life.”

Heartbreaking story

*Spoiler alert*



Trigger warning: death of a child, prison rape.
Not nearly as good as Shawshank Redemption, but a well-written story with believable characters. I enjoyed the references to Icarus. Loved the character of the librarian and the description of the mural. I think the ending of Maisy seeing Nico in the mural could have been better- maybe if they hadn’t already described it earlier.
I love Clueless, but Jeremy Sisto was not great for narration here. The crying moments were bad.

beautiful story

Rarely do i find a book that elicits the amount of emotion I felt reading this. Its beautifully written and narrated. A wonderfully heartbreaking novel from beginning, right down to the last two words.

Stunningly beautiful

This is a tragically beautiful piece of literature. Grabs your heart from the first chapter. An emotional rollercoaster full of love, hate, perseverance, and redemption.