The Day The Falls Stood Still

Three Stars out of Five Stars
I finished this book weeks ago. It was my first completed attempt at reading since ending my second semester of grad school. “The Day The Falls Stood Still” is not a great book. It has a beautiful cover and a great premise, but the story telling left something to be desired. Maybe it’s the English teacher in me, but I could not get past how often she jumped tenses. It disrupted the flow of the story, and the element of the supernatural was too much for me to grasp in a historical fiction novel.

That said, I did enjoy the details of this story. I could hear the pounding of Niagara Falls and feel the spray of the water against my face. I could see the green folds of fabric in Bess’ hands, and I was invested in Tom and Bess’ love story. There was just something missing for me in the overall story.

I am giving this book three stars instead of two because I had a nostalgic twinge through the whole book. Maybe the twinge came from the time period and location because some details felt reminiscent to “Anne of Green Gables.” Maybe the twinge came from memories of standing by the falls on a family trip years ago. I had and still have never seen anything like Niagara Falls – there was so much beauty and terror wrapped into seeing that much water pounding everything in its path into submission. I don’t know, but three stars just the same for “The Day The Falls Stood Still.”