To the rest of the world, Guy Jerold has a life that can only inspire envy and no reason to be so unhappy. . At the prime of his life, Jerold is searching his soul for answers. Able to find nothing that will end his pain, he attempts to kill himself. When you have a beautiful wife and wealth beyond imagining, where do you find solace? How can you tell anyone your life is a barren desert. What do you do when there is no hope? How can you find strength to make a choice that will give you what you long for to obtain the happiness and romantic fulfillment you need?

Jerold’s desperate attempt results in his placement in a psychiatric facility where he refuses to talk to anyone, not even his family.

What terrible circumstance has brought him to this point. Successful in both career and marriage he is haunted by the inability to leave a past he must run from for the life he has created. In that past is a woman he truly loves. If you had it all, how much would you sacrifice in order to have another life? How would you tell the woman or man who shares your bed and your life it is all a mistake, and that what you need is a past and a person you loved there.

Fortunately for Guy Jerold, and old friend and psychiatrist, James Meyer begins to assist him in coming to terms with a life that no longer nurtures. Must hopes unfulfilled remain so? As they discuss the choice Guy must consider, James realizes his life has its own unrealized hopes.

What is success? Is it possible to make a new life out of a past with its temptations that won’t leave you in peace? We are all affected by the power of the past with all the memories it holds. When your life is troubled, it is natural to want a life that is simpler and purer, but is that the better choice? In the end, what should Guy choose? Is one answer more right than another, or will each cause its own undeniable and unendurable pain?
For fine conversation about this fine Taylor Caldwell novel, Bright Flows The River, join us for our next romance discussion at a new time, 8 p.m. eastern time. Bright Flows The River can be downloaded from Bookshare and is available from the Bard site as well. Below is the description from Bard and information about how you can attend this very timely and worthwhile discussion.

Bright flows the river
Caldwell, Taylor. Read by Franklin Spelvin. Reading time 18 hours 19 minutes.
Romance
Although he seems to have achieved the American dream of success, Guy, a middle-aged banker and real estate tycoon, is in a sanitarium after a suicide attempt. The psychiatrist tries to help him sort out his life and choose between his marriage and the woman he truly loves. Bestseller.
Download Bright flows the river, DB12953

Bonnie Blose, Group Facilitator
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