Title: Eastland
Author: Marian Cheatham
Genre: YA Historical Fiction
Published: Feb. 7th 2014
WOULD YOU RISK YOUR LIFE FOR JUST ONE DAY OF FREEDOM?
For hardworking teen, Dee Pageau, the annual employee picnic will let her escape the drudgery of work and possibly find love with her best friend Mae’s older brother, Karel. But in 1915 Chicago, girls don’t go on picnics without their mother’s approval. Unfortunately for Dee, Mama has had a premonition of disaster and forbids Dee from going. Forced to watch as Mae and Karel leave without her, Dee defies Mama and rushes off to join her friends. But Dee’s joy soon turns to terror when the ship ferrying them to the picnic capsizes. Rescued not once but twice-by Karel and a mysterious sailor-Dee finds herself tested in unimaginable ways. What happens next turns out to be worse … and better … than anything Dee ever expected.
For hardworking teen, Dee Pageau, the annual employee picnic will let her escape the drudgery of work and possibly find love with her best friend Mae’s older brother, Karel. But in 1915 Chicago, girls don’t go on picnics without their mother’s approval. Unfortunately for Dee, Mama has had a premonition of disaster and forbids Dee from going. Forced to watch as Mae and Karel leave without her, Dee defies Mama and rushes off to join her friends. But Dee’s joy soon turns to terror when the ship ferrying them to the picnic capsizes. Rescued not once but twice-by Karel and a mysterious sailor-Dee finds herself tested in unimaginable ways. What happens next turns out to be worse … and better … than anything Dee ever expected.
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This book starts so very excitedly with our protagonist, Delia or Dee as her friends call her is excited to go on a company picnic but how they are meant to get there is the talk of the town. The SS Eastland.
Her mother has a premonition and forbids her to go along, ruining her plans to get closer to her crush. She considers what her mother says and runs off anyways to be with her friends. If something bad was going to happen she wanted to be there to help them.
It's all good after a defiant Dee gets on board, she even manages to locate her friends Mae and Mae's brother who is Dee's crush Karel. The descriptive nature that Marian Cheatham captures the scenery had me right there and covering my nose I might add on the streets of Chicago, 1815. The entire experience of the extravagence of the boat and the excited atmosphere was beautiful that is until things go very wrong, very fast. Not even away from the dock
completely the tottering Eastland topples over and Dee and Karel barely
escape with their lives. Karel goes looking for his sister who was below in the dancehall leaving Dee standing on a now sideways surface. It takes so long for him to return and despair overcomes Dee. She is saved once more by Lars, a young engineer and Merchant Marine.
The story plummeted me emotionally on a roller coaster ride for the rest of the read. It was so hard afterwards. and no, I am not going to spoil the story at all but it was tragic and beautiful and would win an Academy award if it were a movie. I wasn't sure how I would like the book seeing as Historical Fiction but I really liked this book alot. I think the depth of the story kept me tuned in more than anything. I am a sucker for an emotional read.
For spoilers click HERE
For spoilers click HERE
I highly recommend this if you like a dramatic and emotion inducing read. If you have never given historical Romance a shot I think this is a great start!
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Marian Cheatham lives in a suburb
of Chicago with her family and their menagerie of pets. A graduate of Northern
Illinois University, Marian taught Special Education for many years before
becoming a full-time writer.
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