In Sunlight, in a Beautiful Garden

Rating:
Summary: intriguing look at life in the late 1800's
Review: This is a novel about life in the late 1800's that highlights the differences between the haves and the have nots. This picture of life then shows the harsh realities of death and disease, of families being destroyed and the attempts to continue to reach for dreams and continue living and working and hoping for better times. It also portrays the lifestyles of the very wealthy and well known. The novel revolves around the Johnstown flood, the people who lived and worked in the iron works in Johnstown, and the secluded private resort above Johnstown, where a group of wealthy families spent there summers. From the beginning of the story you know that many people will be destroyed by the great flood, but you wonder which of the people you meet will be affected, and who will survive. The lives of all the characters are intimately described, what they think, how they live, who they love and their hopes for their future. As the story progresses you see how a lack of understanding and a lack of desire to change a pattern of life is leading up to the disastrous flooding of Johnstown. While the flood itself seems to center the novel, it actually takes up very few pages in the novel. The horrifying description of the flood occuring is vivid and catastrophic. The reactions to the devastation by the American public will seem familiar, the reaction of those who were ultimately responsible also ring true. This was an interesting story about a horrendous disaster and the people will be forever changed.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent historical fiction
Review: This is an excellent story that is very well written. The characters' interesting lives and backgrounds are told in depth so that by the end of the book you really feel for those who lost their lives or survived the flood. I would highly recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction.

Rating:
Summary: I'd drown in a flood before recommending this book
Review: When I picked up this book, I was genuinely excited at the prospect of learning more about the Johnstown flood and the lives of those who perished. My excitement quickly waned as I plodded through the first 237 pages with not so much as a deep puddle in sight. Cambor spends the majority of the novel developing several different characters and, oddly, relates each character's entire family history in an attempt to emotionally engage the reader once the flood strikes. However, the 10 or so pages that actually deal with the flood only mention most of these characters in passing. I'm guessing the author did a great job of imagining the lives of the real people who were effected by the flood, but the effort is lost on those of us who are not Johnstown flood historians.