Reviews

The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan

kiableem's review

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4.0

This is a sad one

lornarei's review

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4.0

What a great read! I loved the time period and the history involved -- geekily typing "Niagara Falls History" into wikipedia...
I especially enjoyed Bess' faith journey. Even though she was Methodist, she found peace in the rosary she had been exposed to at the Catholic academy. Until events caused her to lose her faith, that is. Anchorless for most of the book, you see the glimmers of faith returning at the end.
I really enjoyed this book.

wayfaring_witch's review

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3.0

I picked up this book because it is set near Niagara Falls, but the meticulously researched history and setting seemed to overwhelm the story.

12grace4's review

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adventurous emotional informative medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

princessamy73's review

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5.0

I loved the characters in this book! The author writes wonderfully, just as I can imagine Bess was thinking it. The story was interesting, characters ware believable. Highly recommend!

klherring's review

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4.0

While I don't think I loved this one *quite* as much as The Painted Girls, it was still elegantly done and quite remarkable. I love the presentation, the research, the character development, tone, diction...everything about Buchanan's writing style. Her descriptions of the falls and back-stories were beautiful. While the story has sorrow, like Painted Girls, it is not a sorrowful tale. It is real and honest, but also has an element of faith and magic that I think we could all find in our lives, especially in times of loss or struggle. Buchanan is like a modern Thomas Hardy, with more precise descriptions (detailed, yes; endless, no) and less doom and gloom. I look forward to many many more by this author!

ducky1918's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

morepagesplease's review

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3.0

I would rate this as 3.5 stars. The characters were pleasant and there were plenty of interesting facts regarding the history of Niagara Falls. I just felt as though parts of this novel were a bit slow.

fran_mcbookface's review

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3.0

Not bad. Was a little let down by the ending though

robinsbooks's review

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5.0

Very well done story of a young woman living on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls during WWI and her relationships with family and the man she eventually marries. The characters were very well developed and the history of falls and the struggle between companies to harness the power were fascinating. If you read this, check out the author's website for photographs, maps, and other interesting tidbits that will greatly add to the experience of reading this book.