The day the falls stood still: a novel
Historical fiction
Human-narrated audio
Summary
1915. 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 arrives home to find that her father has lost his job,… 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. Then 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 he 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. 2009.