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The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan
(Soon to be announced as the latest Barnes & Noble Recommends title. Release date 8/25/09)
This debut historical romance by Canadian author Cathy Marie Buchanan focuses on the life of Niagara Falls native and seventeen year-old Bess Heath in the early 1900's, a time when hydroelectric power was becoming the power of choice. Used to the comforts that come with wealth, Bess' life as she knows it is upended when her father is let go from his prestigious position at the Niagara Power Company. To add insult to injury, her sister Isabel is dumped by her fiance, the son of the power company's founder and president. While Bess' mother struggles to keep the family afloat, her father and sister take these new hardships rather harshly and it is up to Bess to help save her family. In the midst of her transition into adulthood, she becomes romantically involved with Tom Cole, who has the uncanny ability of predicting events of nature surrounding the Falls. As her family finally begins to rise from the ashes, she is forced to make the adult decision of choosing between her family and her lover, while Tom begins to publicly criticize the ecological ramifications of the power companies siphoning off water, causing even more trouble for a future with Bess.
Bess really transforms the image of the typical 1900's woman. While expected to wear pretty dresses, serve tea, and keep her emotions and thoughts under control, she does quite the opposite. She only does such acts sporadically and at her mother's wishes, but still makes her opinions known. She is quite the revolutionary young woman, but everyone has their weakness and Bess is no exception, eventually conforming for the good of her family. However, her actions when everything becomes almost unbearable are what transforms her into the strong and capable woman she proves herself to be.
With The Day the Falls Stood Still being a historical fiction, I probably never would have thought to look twice at this book if it had not come across my desk as an advanced reader copy from Voice (a division of Hyperion Books). Even though it is tauted as the latest Barnes & Noble Recommends, I still did not have much faith in it at first glance. However, The Day the Falls Stood Still was so interesting that I literally read it in one day. I couldn't put it down, desperately needing to know how the relationship between Bess and Tom would play out. Would they get their happy ending? And what constitutes as a "happy ending", anyway? Everything is a means to an end, and this book is no different -- it's all about the journey along the way. I got tripped up with all of the scientific aspects of nature and the Niagara Falls, such as when Tom describes how he knew there would be a rock slide in the next few moments because of the rapid change in temperature and something about crevices not having enough scrub, but I tended to just flitter over that and concentrated on engrossing myself in his relationship with Bess instead. The historical and scientific moments did nothing to diminish their romantic storyline -- it merely weaved the two and left a sense of foreboding for the rest of the book. While the science of the story might deter some from reading, those who invest themselves in the characters will have no trouble getting lost in this book. If you enjoyed The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Neffenegger, then I would say it would be safe to assume you would like this story, as well. Both have similar science-related backstories taking place, foreshadowing future events while heightening truly remarkable love stories.
For more info:
Visit Cathy Marie Buchanan's website for more information on her debut title, and check out my previous articles, as well. Happy reading!
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