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 The Day the Falls Stood Still
by Cathy Marie Buchanan
1915. The dawn of the hydroelectric power era in Niagara Falls. Seventeen-year-old Bess Heath has led a sheltered existence as the youngest daughter of the director of the Niagara Power Company. After graduation day at her boarding school, she is impatient to return to her picturesque family home near Niagara Falls. But when she arrives, nothing is as she had left it. Her father has lost his job at the power company, her mother is reduced to taking in sewing from the society ladies she once entertained, and Isabel, her vivacious older sister, is a shadow of her former self. She has shut herself in her bedroom, barely eating–and harboring a secret.
The night of her return, Bess meets Tom Cole by chance on a trolley platform. She finds herself inexplicably drawn to him–against her family’s strong objections. He is not from their world. Rough-hewn and fearless, he lives off what the river provides and has an uncanny ability to predict the whims of the falls. His daring river rescues render him a local hero and cast him as a threat to the power companies that seek to harness the power of the falls for themselves. As their lives become more fully entwined, Bess is forced to make a painful choice between what she wants and what is best for her family and her future. (goodreads.com)
If you remember, this is my duplicate book. The one I got both from the library and in the mail on the same day – within 20 minutes of the other. I can now tell you that I am absolutely thrilled that I have a copy to keep for my very own because I know had I only had the library book that I would be desperate to run out to the store to pick up a copy for my own once I finished reading.
This book is beautiful, heart-wrenching and powerful. I was completely immersed in the life of Bess Heath. I found myself reading about historical events and terms that I vaguely remember being forced to learn about when I was in high school with no care about them then. This book made me wish I remembered more about them, or cared more when I was 14. But when I was 14 I was going to be a Rock Star and I didn’t give a hoot about what sort of Hydro Electric pacts were being made over the falls in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Whatevs! – I would scoff.
I cared deeply for Bess and her sister Isabelle and was heart broken when Bess was heart broken throughout the story. I found Bess’s relationship with Mrs. Anderson endearing and touching and I often had to remind myself that as she was married on her 18th birthday, the three years that had passed while her beloved was at war made her only 21. Bess lived through more in those 3 years than I feel I have lived in my 34.
Toward the end of the novel I turned to my husband and said, “This is a book they should teach in English classes in Canada.” And I mean it, I would have probably scoffed at the historical parts when I was in 10th or 11th grade (in Quebec high school is grades 7-11) but I would have fallen in love with the characters and therefore cared about what happened to the falls or to the people who drowned in them or made their livelihood from them. This book is steeped in very important Canadian history and yet it is woven so gracefully into the plot as a hole you do not feel like you’re being forced to read a stuffy ol’ history text book.
It has the same sort of feeling that Anne of Green Gables had, or the Little House on the Prairie series. You grow to love the characters and what they care about and you weep with them over loss as you have come to adore those that have passed away just as much as the characters do.
I myself have only been to Niagara Falls once in my life, and I don’t really remember much other than that none of the boots or raincoats fit me for the Maid of the Mist boat ride and that my parents wouldn’t take my sister and I to the wax museum because they said we were too young. I think I might have been 7 or 8 on this trip, 9 at the oldest. I have often said I would like to go back one day, but sadly it’s very much a tourist trap these days and I don’t like the crowds and of course everything is cordoned off for safety. I would love to see the falls as they were back in 1915.
The next book that Cathy Marie Buchanan puts out I am picking up without any hesitation. She created a world out of history that was so enrapturing that I was sad when I was finished with the story. I thought I was starting a new chapter when I realized that I was reading the Author’s Note. Oops! I was still reeling from events that had just come to pass and wasn’t paying attention to the chapter numbers! Even now I am still grieving for fictional characters that I will never get to know.
Brilliant novel that made me discover a new appreciation of Canadian history.
(Thank you, HC Canada!)
July 16th, 2010, @ 3:48 pm  Young Adult | historical fiction  Time of the Witches
by Anna Myers
An orphan named Drucilla has finally has a place to call home with the Putnam family in Salem. Although her adopted mother is strange—haunted by a troubled past—Dru feels drawn to her as the mother she never had. When a new reverend and his family move into town with their servant Tituba, life takes a strange turn as young girls begin to fall ill and accusations of witchcraft begin to swirl. Reluctant to turn her back on the Putnams or her peers and overwhelmed by the power of groupthink among the other girls in town, Dru becomes one of the accusers herself. But when her best friend Gabe is accused, she must find a way to end the hysteria, or risk losing him forever. (goodreads.com)
This book has been sitting on (in?) my Amazon wishlist for over a year, but it seems like longer than that. Imagine my absolute thrill to find it at my local library! No store near me ever stocked it and I was actually waiting for a paperback version anyhow so this was a bonus!
What I was expecting: a paranormal witchy story.
What it actually is: historical fiction.
Was I disappointed? Nope. Not one bit. In fact the historical setting made the book all that much more terrifying knowing that these things actually happened and there was nothing anyone could do about it.
I was riveted by the writing in this book. I was caught up in the life of Drucilla and the delicate line she had to walk while living with her “adoptive” family. Mistress Putnam was obviously insane and a dangerous woman to cross. Drucilla had to lie to protect herself, the younger children and her long-time friend Gabe and after awhile it just became too much.
I have always been fascinated by witches and the Salem witch trials. I am no scholar in regards to these events because as much as they drawn my curiosity they have also repulsed me with the cruelty and mob mentality. How a town could possibly murder so many innocent people for their own amusement (it seems) is beyond me.
I know there were hangings and deaths in prison and drownings, but I think the one act that horrifies me the post was the death of Giles Corey who was pressed to death in a field as he would not admit to being a witch. Pressed to death. It started with a board on his chest and each day more weight would be added until he died never admitting to the accusations of witchcraft.
When I read this in the story and then the author’s note at the end which stated this was fact I could hardly breathe myself.
Most all characters in this book, with the exception of Drucilla and Gabe are real characters from the history books regarding the witch trials in 1692. The last page of the book lists the names of those who were hung and who died in prison and then Mr. Corey who was pressed to death.
I have never understood cruelty in the world. I have never understood people who would punish others, or hurt others just for being different. People were wrongly accused and arrested due to greed, jealously and fear of the different. It sickens me.
This book was superbly written and the story horrifyingly told with fact and fiction woven together intricately. I am so very happy my library had this on their shelves and if you like historical fiction (which, generally, I do not) and like stories about the Salem witch trials I would highly recommend it.
As a comparison, when I read The Merrybegot earlier this past spring it also chilled me with stories of the witch trials, however that story includes more of a fanciful telling of the story with references to magic and fae creatures. This one does not have the whimsical element that Julie Hearn’s story did, but it is just as gripping in its own way.
May 22nd, 2010, @ 8:35 pm Young Adult | historical fiction  The Merrybegot
by Julie Hearn
I bought this book because Michelle Harrison told me to. She raved about it. She’s a bloody pusher for this book. She pushed it on Jenny at Wondrous Reads, too! The woman has it bad for this book.
I did enjoy this book greatly, although I do not think I have the same mad love for it as Michelle does. I entered into this book thinking it would be something different, I was surprised when I discovered it was a witch hunt story. I thought it would have much more to do with faeries. There were piskies, but not at the focus of the story.
Why I didn’t realize this was a story about a witch hunt when I read the summary I have no idea. Probably because I read it ages ago and only just now picked up the book. But I was delighted when that’s the turn the story took. I love me a good witch hunt. It makes me anxious and cramps my stomach and clams up my hands, but it’s the best thriller I can think of. Poor witches, witches are awesome.
But Nell wasn’t a witch. She was the granddaughter of the local cunning woman (healer, midwife) and the mean girls of 1645, the Minister’s daughters set out to make her life miserable. All because the eldest daughter went and got herself all knocked up by the blacksmith’s boy. Tsk. Mean girls are mean girls, no matter the era.
I liked Nell a lot. I loved her dun chicken. And the only part of the story that made me cry was when a woman went to rescue the chicken, who was thought dead, from the empty house after Nell was taken away. As soon as I knew what that woman was doing the tears sprang to my eyes and I was dripping on the pages. I am such a sap. Nell tied up and about to hang? Dry eyes. Finding out the chicken was alive and being rescued? Sobbing.
It’s a CHICKEN!
I am a sap. Big ol’ sap.
Although I was rather emotional when the townsfolk tried to drown Nell’s Granny and then realized she was drowning so she musn’t be a witch and then she was so frail. I didn’t tear up but I felt the pain of losing someone dear.
What I didn’t get was the end of the story. The last journal/confession of the youngest Minister’s daughter. She sent people after her sister, saying she was a witch. Was that just to get back at her for all the years of misery? Or was she trying to deflect the suspicion from herself? And why was the fact that all three girls seem to have shared a mother never really addressed? I kept waiting for that plot point to resurface and it didn’t really.
Is there a sequel to this book? Am I just as dim as that chicken that I’m not getting the ending? I am so confused!
The story-telling and writing was melodious. I know that sounds like an odd way to describe words on a page, but that’s how they came off to me. It’s a dramatic yet beautiful fair tale about witch hunting. I think that takes talent. 
So, Michelle Harrison was right when she said I should read this book. And so should you.
April 30th, 2010, @ 12:03 am historical fiction  The Temptation of the Night Jasmine
by Lauren Willig
I enjoy this series. It’s not one I rush out to the store to get on release day (especially since I wait for the paperback to come out) but I like to make sure I have them all in my possession on my shelf. I am always a year or so behind in the series due to my waiting for the paper edition but I’m ok with that.
There’s an odd thing about this book, I adored it, I adored Charlotte and Robert and the “mystery” but at the same time I felt it didn’t really fit into the main story arc – which is present era Eloise’s research into the Pink Carnation. Sure there was treason with the King of England and whatnot, but it seemed out of the “spy” story to me.
Either way, I found this one of the more enjoyable stories in the series. It made me chuckle a couple of times and all of the characters were fun. In fact Henrietta and Miles were around a lot and I had forgotten they were the other two characters that I loved. So fun and funny!
I had a feeling at the start of the book that the next one would focus on Penelope and it looks like I am right (I know it’s been out forever but I never read reviews or the summary as I had not read this book yet and I didn’t want to get too far ahead of myself. There are a ton of people in these books and I am confused enough trying to remember who the heck everyone is!) But she sort of vanished after that first quarter of the book and I thought that was weird.
I am finding myself more and more disinterested with Eloise and Colin in the present world. The chapters are too far apart and short for me to devote much of my emotion in them. And this time around with the “maybe he’s a spy too!” sub-plot I just didn’t care. I wanted to get back to Charlotte and Robert and when the chapters would suddenly switch to “present” time I’d get confused and frustrated.
Whereas this book didn’t focus on spies all that much, there was mystery and intrigue and a threat on the Crown. I loved that Charlotte was accepted at Court as much as she was. I get the impression it’s impossible not to adore her. And her love of books made me think of Callie in Nine Rules… and of course endeared her even more to me as I adore books just as much (though I do not romanticize them as much as those ladies do).
I did feel that the flower reference was just sort of tossed in there at the last minute when perhaps an editor said “hey, so, who is the Night Jasmine?” It was touched upon so briefly and yet another reason why I felt this book was outside of the spy arc of the series. It was sort of an insignificant part of the story when you really think about it.
Pink Carnation series
- Secret History of the Pink Carnation
- The Masque of the Black Tulip
- The Deception of the Emerald Ring
- The Seduction of the Crimson Rose
- The Temptation of the Night Jasmine
- The Betrayal of the Blood Lilly – Hardcover
- The Mischief of the Mistletoe - Hardcover, November 2010
March 26th, 2008, @ 7:57 pm historical fiction  The Seduction of the Crimson Rose
by Lauren Willig
This is book four in The Pink Carnation series by Lauren Willig. This novel is another great blend of present (following the life of Eloise as she finds love with Collin, and continues her research of the infamous Victorian spy the Pink Carnation) and the past (the lives of the floral-named Victorian spies) as we find out more and more through Eloise’s research.
The main plot of the book deals with Mary Alsworthy’s life after being scandalously dumped by her fiancée when he ended up falling in-love with her sister Letty (as detailed in the previous book The Deception of the Emerald Ring). Mary Alsworthy gets tangled up with Lord Vaughn and makes a deal where she’s used as bait to try and lure out the dreaded Black Tulip as she has the colouring and look of his favourite type of lady.
I have to say I really didn’t like this book as much as I liked the first three. I am not a fan of Mary Alsworthy or Lord Vaughn to be honest and I didn’t much care for the plot and politics of this fourth book. One of the things I liked the most about this series is the sense of humour and wit that comes out in the writing, but I found myself yawning more than laughing this time around.
I think the main problem was my dislike of the characters. Whereas in the first book The Secret History of the Pink Carnation, I loved Jane and the other characters, and even Lord Vaughn was slight more likable since he wasn’t as prominent a player in the story. I think he’s one of those Small Dose characters. Kind of like watching a Will Ferrell movie. I like him as a bit part, but not always as the lead character. It’s a little too much for me.
I will, of course, read the next one when it comes out (if there is a next one?) because I like the series, even if the occasional storyline doesn’t quite catch my interest.
Pink Carnation series
- Secret History of the Pink Carnation
- The Masque of the Black Tulip
- The Deception of the Emerald Ring
- The Seduction of the Crimson Rose
- The Temptation of the Night Jasmine
- The Betrayal of the Blood Lilly – Hardcover
- The Mischief of the Mistletoe – Hardcover, November 2010
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