Book Description
In hurricane-ravaged Galveston, a storm of betrayal is brewing.
Nineteen-year-old Grace’s golden age is just beginning. She and her mother live a privileged life. Beautiful and talented, Grace is looking forward to a pleasant summer celebrating her engagement to a wealthy young gentleman.
But when her lovely, charming, and disgraced cousin Etta arrives, Grace finds her place in society—and in her mother’s heart—threatened. Etta enchants everyone as she maneuvers to secure a station in Galveston’s upper echelons. Grace, in a reckless moment, reveals Etta’s scandalous past, and as punishment, she’s sent to work in Galveston’s back alleys, helping the poor. There, a silent waif known only as Miss Girl opens Grace’s eyes to new love and purpose. She’s determined to save this girl who lost her entire family in the hurricane and now slips along the shadows of the unfinished seawall with a mysterious resolve.
Soon, the lives of the three young women will converge as betrayal, mistaken identity, and a family secret sweep them toward a future that defies all expectations.
Nineteen-year-old Grace’s golden age is just beginning. She and her mother live a privileged life. Beautiful and talented, Grace is looking forward to a pleasant summer celebrating her engagement to a wealthy young gentleman.
But when her lovely, charming, and disgraced cousin Etta arrives, Grace finds her place in society—and in her mother’s heart—threatened. Etta enchants everyone as she maneuvers to secure a station in Galveston’s upper echelons. Grace, in a reckless moment, reveals Etta’s scandalous past, and as punishment, she’s sent to work in Galveston’s back alleys, helping the poor. There, a silent waif known only as Miss Girl opens Grace’s eyes to new love and purpose. She’s determined to save this girl who lost her entire family in the hurricane and now slips along the shadows of the unfinished seawall with a mysterious resolve.
Soon, the lives of the three young women will converge as betrayal, mistaken identity, and a family secret sweep them toward a future that defies all expectations.
Review
I received an eARC copy of this book from the publisher. Here is my honest review.
This book follows three ladies: Grace, Etta and Miss Girl, in the aftermath of the 1900 Hurricane that destroyed Galveston, Texas. They are from different walks of life and very different people. It was a compelling story, although I found Grace and Miss Girl's journey more interesting than Etta's, perhaps because Etta was manipulative rather than genuine. However, all three show great courage as they face their circumstances and face the constraints of society and economic norms for their day.
I wanted to weep for Miss Girl and her situation. It was interesting reading this book in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and drawing parallels between then and now. There's no way to compare the devastation of the two storms, but what could have been different for Miss Girl had she lived in modern times where her emotional trauma and its physical manifestations would have been more readily understood?
I really enjoyed this story and my only complaint rises from the difficulty I had in keeping track of the timeline. Creel writes from each of the ladies perspective; at times it seems that many weeks pass - even months. But at the end, the story really follows one summer that ends up changing the course of each girls life. Aside from enjoying the growth and journey of Grace and Miss Girl, I love Creel's writing style. One thing Creel does very well is to effectively create life in Galveston at the time period. It's not just set in the past and references long dresses; I could really picture the time period: daily activities that Galvestonians would have experienced from work to leisure to the oppressive heat. It's clear that her research is deep and broad and then expertly conveyed through her writing. It made the book come alive.
I wanted to weep for Miss Girl and her situation. It was interesting reading this book in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and drawing parallels between then and now. There's no way to compare the devastation of the two storms, but what could have been different for Miss Girl had she lived in modern times where her emotional trauma and its physical manifestations would have been more readily understood?
I really enjoyed this story and my only complaint rises from the difficulty I had in keeping track of the timeline. Creel writes from each of the ladies perspective; at times it seems that many weeks pass - even months. But at the end, the story really follows one summer that ends up changing the course of each girls life. Aside from enjoying the growth and journey of Grace and Miss Girl, I love Creel's writing style. One thing Creel does very well is to effectively create life in Galveston at the time period. It's not just set in the past and references long dresses; I could really picture the time period: daily activities that Galvestonians would have experienced from work to leisure to the oppressive heat. It's clear that her research is deep and broad and then expertly conveyed through her writing. It made the book come alive.
I gave this book: ★★★★
★ = I did not like it ★★ = It was okay ★★★ = I liked it
★★★★ = I really liked it ★★★★★ = I loved it
Want to Know More?
I've read two other books by Ann Howard Creel that I also enjoyed immensely. I'd recommend them as well. You can click the book cover below to visit its Goodreads page.
I gave this book: ★★★★ I gave this book: ★★★★★
I gave this book: ★★★★ I gave this book: ★★★★★
1 comment:
I read Whiskey Sea by Creel and really loved it. I meant to read more books from her but of course that hasn't happened yet. This sounds wonderful and heartbreaking though I can see how the timeline would get confusing. I had kind of forgotten about Ann Howard Creel and hadn't seen this book so thank you for sharing! It's definitely on my TBR!
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