Review: The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan

Bess Heath had just completed another year at Loretto and was looking forward to seeing her family. She knew something was wrong when her father and sister did not show up with her mother to deliver Bess home for the summer. She did, however, meet a handsome man when he offered to carry her trunk.

Life at Glenview, the family home, had changed while Bess was away at school. Her father had lost his job at the power plant, her sister was bed ridden due to the break up with her fiance, the house staff had been let go and her mother was taking on work sewing dresses to make ends meet. To make matters worse, Bess could not stop thinking of the handsome river man that had carried her trunk.

The Day the Falls Stood Still is a beautiful work of historical fiction centered around the majestic Niagara Falls set in the time of World War I. The main storyline follows the developing love between Bess Heath and Tom Cole, the river man. Bess's mother is against the idea from the beginning and attempts to come between them. Bess is put in the situation of choosing between the man she loves and a marriage that will benefit her family.

Another major theme throughout the book is Tom's love for the river. He learned everything about the river from his grandfather, Fergus Cole. Like his grandfather, Tom is called upon to rescue people in trouble on the river and to recover the bodies of those taken before help could arrive. Tom feels that his grandfather is with him when he is on the river, guiding him.

I enjoyed the various tidbits of history concerning the falls and the movement to harness hydroelectric power. I also enjoyed the brief glimpses into how the war affected the Canadians. The only real downside for me was the in depth descriptions of the dresses that were being made. I found this a bit overdone, but that could just be the guy's perspective sneaking in there.

The story is told from Bess's point of view. Bess evolves throughout the book from a young and naive girl to a mature and worldly mother. I found that the characters all evolved and changed throughout the book. The Tom you meet in the early chapters of the book would not have chosen to work for the power company that he despises so much for the destruction of his beloved river.

This was a good read and I recommend it to those that enjoy good historical fiction.

About the Author:

Cathy Marie Buchanan was born and raised in Niagara Falls, Ontario. She holds a BSc (Honours Biochemistry) and an MBA from the University of Western Ontario. She has been awarded grants from both the Ontario Arts Council and the Toronto Arts Council. Her stories have appeared in some of Canada's most respected journals including The Antigonish Review, The Dalhousie Review, Descant and The New Quarterly.