Welcome to River Braids

Marcy Luikart’s short stories have appeared in The Iconoclast, Bellowing Ark, Pangolin Papers, Beginnings, QWF, and the Connecticut Review. Marcy lives in Santa Barbara, California, with her husband, Ralph, and a miniature poodle. She enjoys obedience and agility training with the poodle, hiking, camping, fiddling, painting, and most especially a good story.

River Braids A Novel

RIVER_BRAIDS_CoverSonny Barton was raised on his Grandpa Joe’s stories about the Mississippi River. But when he discovers that Joe’s prized 1904 Olympic Rowing Team photo is a fraud, Sonny comes to doubt everything he thought was true.

Set in 2004, River Braids weaves together Sonny’s modern-day journey, Joseph Barton’s 1904 recollections, and Joseph’s wife Annie Barton’s diary entries to chronicle the one-hundred-year history of the Barton clan.  As it becomes clear that Joseph was denied a place on the rowing team due to his Native American Heritage, Sonny realizes the importance of his heritage as a descendent of a proud Native American line and as the latest link in a generations-long bond with the Mississippi River itself.

⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆ “This book has been such a pleasure to read, bringing me back to a time when life was simple yet untamed by technology. The author captures the audience with her witty characters as well as historical perspective; while keeping the reader in suspense of what will happen next. “ – Andrea

⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆“The characters become your friends and the language is fluid and visual. You are taken on a journey without feeling dragged along through repetitive imagery and condescension.” – Kathryn Woolf

⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆ “Marcy is a master of weaving many timelines and characters into a very simple but powerfully emotional portrait of a family that crosses racial lines.” – Tina

Literary Gumbo: Marcy Luikart from Literary Gumbo on Vimeo.