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  1. Iola
    New Zealand
    Age: 45-54
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Historical Fiction at its Best
    September 23, 2012
    Iola
    New Zealand
    Age: 45-54
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 4
    Meets Expectations: 5
    This review was written for Through Rushing Water.
    When twenty-eight year old Sophia Makinoff doesn't receive the marriage proposal she expected, she volunteers as a teacher for the Board of Foreign Missions, expecting to be sent to China. Instead, she is assigned to the Ponca Agency in the Dakota Territory, where she finds extremely primitive conditions and her fellow workers: James Lawrence, the agent, Henry Granville, the minister, Nettie, Henry's mother, and Willoughby Dunn, the Agency carpenter.

    Despite first impressions of Sophia as an educated lady and social climber, we gradually get to know her as the daughter of a Russian Army officer who escaped from Russia with nothing, and has lived in surroundings both palatial and extremely basic. She draws on her many experiences befriend the Ponco people, and works hard to help them as outside forces threaten the Ponco way of life.

    Neither James nor Henry have positive feelings towards the local people, and the Army officers who occasionally visit are even less polite. Nettie is such a likeable and matter of fact character that it is hard to believe she is the mother of Henry, a self-righteous 'ninny' (as Sophia describes him). Will, a strong Christian even though not serving specifically as a missionary, has befriended the local people and teaches Sophia a lot about their culture.

    Overall, this is an excellent novel. The characters are real, with real hopes, fears and dreams. They are placed in difficult circumstances, and lean on their Christian faith to get through. They make mistakes as they learn and change. And there is a lovely romance element.

    Through Rushing Waters is broadly based on true events, and has been meticulously researched. There is a note at the end of the book in which the author explains which characters what aspects of the plot are based on fact, and this is enlightening. To modern readers, parts of the story (and aspects of the character's personalities) seem racist and repugnant: not only were the Ponco not American citizens, they were not even considered human in the eyes of the law. I really enjoy historical fiction where I feel I have actually learnt something of history.

    Thanks to Thomas Nelson and BookSneeze® for providing a free ebook for review.
  2. simplysusan
    central Texas
    Age: 35-44
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    a well researched book and is broadly based on tru
    October 16, 2012
    simplysusan
    central Texas
    Age: 35-44
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    This review was written for Through Rushing Water.
    Through Rushing Water is the first book by Catherine Richmond that I have read, but it won't be the last. Through Rushing Water is beautifully written. For the review, I had scheduled to read chucks of this book through out a week. To say the least, that schedule was an epic fail. I stayed up to nearly three a.m. on two different nights simply because I was so drawn into the story that I could not put it down. This is not something I do regularly, so that really tells you how much I enjoyed the story.

    I was easily drawn to Sophia's character. The way she was spurned by the man she thought she was going to marry made her very sympathetic. Her decision to become a missionary seemed to go against what I saw her character being. It wasn't her becoming a missionary so much as that it was such a spur-of-the-moment decision, which I thought went against the traits we had come to know about her from earlier in the book. I saw Sophia as being more in control and even keeled. But that decision sets the course for the resplendent story to come. I relished watching Sophia's faith grow and how God took her spur-of-the-moment decision and molded it for His glory. Sophia's romance with Will is sweet and satisfying. I was enchanted by their sweet romance set against such a stark and tragic background.

    While Sophia and Will were an integral part of the story, it was the Ponca people that kept me engaged. I became so invested in their fate that I simply could not put the book down. I was really struck by how much we take for granted today. The absolute poverty and the abysmal treatment of the Ponca Indians was disheartening. This treatment of the American Indians is a shameful chapter of our country's past.

    Through Rushing Water is a well researched book and is broadly based on true events, which are explained in the Author's Note at the end of the book. I'm a history junkie and am drawn to books that are true to history and life. Nothing frustrates me more than reading an historical novel filled with inaccuracies. I didn't find that with this book. Richmond has done and admirable job with Through Rushing Water . She has woven a beautiful romantic tale, while still staying true to the tragic facts of the dismal treatment of the Ponca people. Richmond now has a new fan, and I look forward to reading more from her. I simply cannot recommend Through Rushing Water highly enough!

    NOTICE:

    Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
  3. Theresa
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    A MUST READ!!!
    September 18, 2012
    Theresa
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    This review was written for Through Rushing Water.
    "Through Rushing Water" is a well written and emotionally charged historical novel that is sure to hold the reader's interest from beginning to end. The characters are wonderfully portrayed and so very realistic and will capture your heart as they take you through the time when the US government treated Indians shamefully - something that's not usually found in a piece of historical fiction!

    This novel focuses on the Ponca Indians in the Dakota Territory and how they were treated. When Sophia Makinoff is sent there as a missionary, she was just biding time until she would transfer to the Far East. She had no idea that her destiny held something that would challenge and change her and yet give her a wonderful gift of purpose and happiness. One of my favorite characters, Sophia is one of those that is sure to stick with me for a long time.

    Make sure to add this book to you must reads list, as it truly is one you MUST read!! This one comes highly recommended!

    I received this book through the Booksneeze program. I was not required to write a positive review, but instead, one that gives my honest opinion.
  4. tigers fan
    hudsonville, michigan
    Age: 45-54
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    awesome book
    September 6, 2012
    tigers fan
    hudsonville, michigan
    Age: 45-54
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    This review was written for Through Rushing Water.
    This book was very enjoyable. This is the first book I have read from this particular author so I wasn't sure what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised and will definitely read more books from her.
  5. Rachel Ropper
    Scotland, UK
    Age: 18-24
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Far from a conventional historical romance
    August 15, 2012
    Rachel Ropper
    Scotland, UK
    Age: 18-24
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    This review was written for Through Rushing Water.
    GENRE: HISTORICAL ROMANCE

    PUBLISHER: THOMAS NELSON

    PUBLICATION DATE: JULY 03, 2012

    RATING: 5 OUT OF 5 - NEAR PERFECT

    PROS: Great spiritual message about relying on God's direction and guidance; unconventional non-American heroine; realistic plot progression and conclusion; well-researched historical details about the Poncas

    CONS: None!

    Sophia Makinoff thought she had her entire life planned out. She was to marry a congressman and become a woman of substantial influence in the political world - that is, until the congressman in question decided that her roommate would make a better wife than Sophia. Humiliated, Sophia takes the first opportunity she has and escapes the women's college where she used to teach, signing up to become a missionary. But although the life of a missionary appealed to her, Sophia imagined that she would be spending her time witnessing to natives in China, not teaching the poverty-stricken children of the Ponca tribe in Nebraska. The way her students live couldn't be further from what Sophia experienced as a child, growing up amongst nobility in Russia. The other agency workers are reticent to Sophia, both because she wasn't born on American soil and because her Orthodox Christian beliefs confuse them. Sophia doesn't see how she's ever going to adapt to life with the Poncas, but as she becomes aware of how much her students need and how little the government provides them with, she uses the links and influence from her previous lifestyle to aid the Agency's work. But no amount of letter-writing can stop the government from moving the Poncas away from their homeland to Indian Territory. Sophia and the other agency workers fight to stop this move from occurring, but only Sophia and Will, the agency carpenter, truly know the full affects of such a decision. Will is the only employee who has learned the Ponca's language and understands when Sophia needs to bend the Agency's rules to suit the needs of her students. But it seems that all of their efforts will have been in vain, if the Poncas are forced from their homes. Will this also mean the end for Sophia and Will's relationship, if they no longer have their common cause to unite them?

    Although I had my issues with the structuring of Catherine Richmond's debut novel, Spring for Susannah, her writing showed a lot of originality and promise, which prompted me to add Through Rushing Water to my wishlist as soon as I heard about it. I was a little cautious at approaching Through Rushing Water, in case the book didn't live up to its absolutely stunning cover, but thankfully this novel far surpassed my expectations. The little quirks that made Spring for Susannah so unique have come into their fullness in Catherine's second novel, proving that new and innovative books can still come out of the Christian historical fiction genre.

    One of the things that can grate me about any novel that deals with racism or the treatment of minority groups is the sheer improbability that the average white American in any given time period just happens to have not bought into the racial stereotypes of their peers. What are the chances, honestly, that the daughter of a prosperous splantation owner in Texas in 1850 just happens to be a militant abolitionist? Through Rushing Water, thankfully, avoids this problem by making Sophia an outsider to the issue of Christianising and relocating Indian groups. Although Sophia has lived in the United States for several years and taught at a women's college in New York, she was brought up in Russia and also spent part of her life in France. She's familiar with other cultures and races, and this allows her to see the treatment of the Poncas from a different angle from those she works with. While I was initially surprised that Catherine had chosen a non-American heroine for her novel, it was a pleasant surprise, especially to a reader who is also an outsider to American culture. Sophia's background and experiences of other cultures brought an angle to Through Rushing Water that just couldn't have been explored with an American heroine without seeming too forced or modernised, and I commend Catherine for taking a step outside the traditional comfort zones of Christian fiction to choose a non-American heroine.

    As I mentioned previously, my biggest struggle with Spring for Susannah was the unconventional pacing of the novel. When I reached the three-quarters mark in Through Rushing Water and realised that Sophia's time with the Poncas was coming to an end, I did wonder if this chance of pace and location was going to affect my rating of this book. But what I expected to be a flaw in this novel actually ended up making it more realistic. Anyone who has studied this period of history knows that Sophia couldn't have saved the Poncas from being relocated to Indian Territory, and her move to the city of Omaha actually brought a lot of contextualisation into the story. Sophia's encounters with her new friends and neighbours made her realise how little the people of Nebraska knew about the local tribes and she was able to use her experiences as an opportunity to educate those who had bought into stereotypes about "wild Indians". As much as I love a neatly tied-up happy ending, I felt that the end of Through Rushing Water was optimistic yet realistic in the way it was left open, with the hope that Sophia might still be able to help the Poncas while living in Omaha.

    The final quarter of the novel also allows Sophia's relationship with Will to develop. Some readers may be disappointed that the hero and heroine found little time to profess their love for each other while working among the Poncas, but again, this is probably quite understandable, given the stressful conditions under which they were living and working. Towards the end of the book, we get the chance to see their relationship blossom under different circumstances, and Sophia and Will realise the false nature of the assumptions they had made about each other when they first met. Their romance is sweet, but not the main focus of the novel. That said, I did love the epilogue, which not only gives hope for the Ponca tribe but also for Sophia and Will's relationship. Some epilogues can come across as cheesy in the way that they skip forward a few years to prove that the hero and heroine are still happy, but Through Rushing Water managed to avoid this while still being optimistic.

    Through Rushing Water is far from being a conventional historical romance, considering the Russian heroine, unusual plot progression and focus on historical details over romantic intrigue. I encourage potential readers to not be put off by these quirks that so endeared Through Rushing Water to me, and to take a chance on a budding author who I hope will continue to bring something original to this popular genre.

    Review title provided by Thomas Nelson.
Displaying items 1-5 of 28
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