The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie

[Divia]

This book was an OK read. I actually gave it 3 stars on Amazon and I really dont think I should have. As a HF novel it kinda fell flat for me. It moved at a snails pace, thats for sure. Don't get me wrong, it was good. The story was interesting and I thought the characters were well developed but the plot was slooowwwwwww.

Bess Heath was a wealthy young woman, until her father lost their fortune. Losing the family fortune has caused a lot of problems for the family. Her mother now has to take up sewing to pay the bills. Her father spends a little too much time at the local hotel drinking. Plus Bess' sister Isabel has an eating disorder and is fighting some of her own demons. Bess falls in love with Tom, a man of no social standing. Her family is outraged (of course they are). She is determined to have him (of course she is). This always happens and for once(this is a huge complaint of mine) I just wish the girl would get stuck marrying the boy her parents told her to.

The historical details in this novel were lukewarm at best. I felt like this book could take place during any era. A couple of times World War I was mentioned. I thought it should have been brought up more, it was the Great War...the war to end all wars. You think more people would have been talking about it. For me it just fell flat for me.

The characters are well developed and interesting. I liked Bess' narrative. This book is written in the first person.

I wanted more. More details. More historical feel. More something. This book has gotten really good reviews on Amazon but I wonder if they are HF fans or just casual HF readers.

[Misfit]

Thanks, I'd heard good things about it as well and was considering it. Maybe not.

[Divia]

You may enjoy it but I think you would read it and think "why am I reading this??" I dont think you would wall bang it though. Ah but who knows you may love it. ;)

[Margaret]

I liked it better than Divia did. It's a quiet, reflective story rather than a plot-driven page-turner, but I found it absorbing and often quite interesting. I'll be posting a review and author interview on August 25.

[MedievalBookworm]

I liked it better too. It's more of a straight love story than a historical fiction novel, really. I didn't think it was the amazing book that others seem to believe, but it was a nice read. What I liked the least about it was that the back revealed more than a third of the book, which always makes me impatient.

I liked the historical details but you're right, they weren't focused on much, and there could have been more.

[Margaret]

I've just posted my review at www.HistoricalNovels.info (http://www.HistoricalNovels.info/Day-the-Falls-Stood-Still.html). There's also an interview with Cathy Marie Buchanan on my blog (http://www.historicalnovels.info/historical-novels-blog.html). This novel will probably appeal more to people who like novels that are a bit on the literary side, with more attention devoted to character development than to plot. I found it quite lovely.

[Divia]

I disliked the romantic relationship, as I stated above. I'm tired of the same old thing done again and again. Its tiresome and thats one thing that made me not enjoy this book.

I also think it lacked historical detail the same reason I didnt enjoy the Palace Circle. Any book that has to tell you its 1915 without describing the time doesn't do it for me, sorry.

But hey, to each their own. :)

[Misfit]

I just finished it and agree with Margaret and MB. It's not the greatest book out there, nor is it the fastest paced but I enjoyed the bits about the hydro electric plants and how the development affected the river. I also liked hearing the old stories from the *early days* and how she worked them into her story and characters.