Leif Enger Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Gun Pedersen Mystery Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Leif Enger is a published American author who has also had a career as a producer and a reporter.

Born in 1961, Leif grew up in Osakis, Minnesota. Both of his parents were employed as teachers. Leif went to Minnesota State University Moorhead, where he majored in mass communication and English. For nearly twenty years of his life, he worked for Minnesota Public Radio as a reporter and a producer.

He is married and has a wife and two sons, having met his wife in college. They lived together in Minnesota on a farm until the children were grown, then sold it and moved to Duluth. He regards his writing as a combination of reality and romanticism, something like a callback to some of the great cowboy stories of the Old West.

Leif’s debut fictional novel is Peace Like a River. It was picked as one of the top five novels of the year in 2001 by Time magazine and was named one of the best books of the year by the Los Angeles Times. It has also been featured on various best-seller lists. The novel also won the Booksense Award for Fiction. It is in development to be adapted.

The second novel released under this author’s name was titled So Brave, Young, and Handsome. The book did well, reaching the top of the best-seller lists in 2008. it was also named a Midwest Booksellers Honor Book and the novel was awarded the High Plains Book Award for Fiction. The author released a third novel after titled Virgil Wander. The book was named a best book of the year by the Chicago Public Library, Bookpage, Library Journal, and Amazon. It also made the longlist for the Carnegie Medal for excellence in fiction.

Enger only worked as a producer and reporter until 1984, when his book Peace Like a River was sold. He would also write along with his brother Lin in the early nineties. The two wrote under the pen name of L.L. Enger and they wrote a mystery novel series that was all about a retired baseball player.

Peace Like a River is the first novel from Leif Enger. This is such an evocative novel and if you are a fan of unique stories then you will certainly be affected by this dynamic story. Whether you are hearing it being read out loud or silently turning the pages as you absorb the story, this book is one worth checking out.

The story is narrated by a character by the name of Reuben Land, who has asthma at just eleven years old. It is the tale of the unusual family Reuben belongs to and follows along as they go across the Badlands of the Dakotas and its frozen lands, looking for his older brother, who is a fugitive.

Davy has completely fled, as he has been accused with killing two locals that had been bothering their family. He knows that when he is brought up for justice it is unlikely that things will go his way. However, his father Jeremiah has faith that they will find him, and Reuben and Swede, his little sister, track behind Davy as he flees.

This book has everything, from romance to tragedy to spirituality and magic that is possible in the regular world. Is there another world waiting for us on life’s other side? This is a fantastic debut book where many themes are celebrated, from spirit to faith and family. Pick up this book and see why Peace Like a River has been so highly praised!

So Brave, Young, and Handsome is the second novel to come out from author Leif Enger. If you liked the first work from this writer, then continue the dive into an all new voice in literature with this book!

This is the story of a train robber who is getting older. He’s on a quest to go and find the claims of judgment and love that have been made on his life. There is also a failed writer who is accompanying him on this quest.

Monte Becket is a novelist who is starting to lose his sense of purpose. The place is Minnesota, the year is 1915. The only success that he has ever had in life is way behind him. Now he resides living a simple life along with his son and wife.

When he starts to make friends with Glendon Hale, an outlaw, it appears that an entirely new world to experience and new opportunities are presenting themselves.

Glendon has been living in obscurity for years. However, he feels so guilty for leaving his wife Blue behind over two decades ago that he has come out from hiding. The modern era is continuing, but Glendon wants to go back to the past.

He is on his way to California so that he can find forgiveness from Blue. Montie is inspired and also finds that he is departing from his family and leaving them behind to go into the West along with his guide.

The two are on the run from Charles Siringo, a relentless ex-Pinkerton who has been after Glendon for years. Monte is getting further away from the law and his family, going on an adventure where he may never truly return home again. Will he be able to survive, or will he find out that he is in way over his head and it’s too late? Read this book to find out!