An entertaining, gripping book: My review & GIVEAWAY of "Through Rushing Water" by Catherine Richmond @WriterCatherine

Read on for my review of "Through Rushing Water" by Catherine Richmond.

First, a warning: This book was so good, I kept reading bits of it to my wife, and as a result she kept stealing it from me to try to read it herself, before I was even finished it! Simply scandalous! I recommend hiding somewhere and reading this book in private.....

Don't forget to enter my giveaway at the end!

Determined to live a life of importance, Sophia Makinoff has set her gaze upon marrying congressman Rexford Montgomery, a plan that is well known by the many students she teaches, as well as her friends and colleagues. However, her moment of triumph ends with Montgomery instead announcing his engagement to her roommate. Desperate to get away from the pitying stares and difficult memories, Sophia seizes the first available opportunity to teach in a far off missions field, ending up being posted to the Ponca Indian Agency in the Dakota Territory. In the midst of sending up pleas to God to quickly rescue her from her circumstances, Sophia instead finds herself falling in love with the Ponca people as she teaches their children and becomes immersed in their village life. As she partners with the Agency carpenter, Will, to meet the needs of the children and their families, they forge a common bond of compassion for the people, a determination to fight for their survival, and in so doing find an unexpected chance at love.

Written with splendid prose, and painted in vivid historical detail, Through Rushing Water gripped me from page one. Catherine Richmond perfectly captures the wildness of the frontier during those times, the racism towards the American Indians, the horrific plight of a people stripped of their land and their livelihoods. And yet, in the midst of this sobering historical setting, the author also manages to portray a wonderful character in Safia, a woman of strength, a delightful sense of humor, and a sensitive soul who has surprisingly deep insight into the lives of those society has deemed unlovable. More than once, Safia's interactions with others had me literally laughing out loud, so much so that I had to stop reading several times to explain to my wife why I kept laughing. Sophia Makinoff is, quite simply, one of the most alive characters I've been introduced to recently, and one that I wished existed in real life today to captivate all with her passion and zeal for justice and fairness and compassion. Her relationship with Will progresses naturally, and the romance is portrayed in a manner that will please male and female readers alike. Perhaps most importantly, readers will leave the pages of this book pondering how God wants to use them to impact the world around them, realizing that God's plans for our lives are often so much more exciting and fulfilling than anything we can dream up on our own.

This is the first book I've read that has been written by Catherine Richmond, and I can say that I am adding another author to my "must read" list. I highly recommend this book, and award it 5 out of 5 stars.

Book has been provided courtesy of the publisher, Thomas Nelson, for the purposes of this unbiased review.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I was busy raising a family, working as an occupational therapist, and trying to remember where I hid the chocolate, when a song sparked a story within me. The journey to publication has been long, but full of blessings. I couldn't have done it without ACFW, RWA, and FHL, the inspirational chapter of RWA - and lots of chocolate!

GIVEAWAY

I am giving away 1 copy of Through Rushing Water to readers from the U.S. and Canada! 

You can get 1 entry into the giveaway for each task you perform:

1. Become a follower of my blog (through Google Followers or Networked Blogs) then leave a comment confirming you became a follower. If you are already a follower, just leave a comment that you already follow and I'll give you 1 entry for that.

2. "Like" my Facebook page, and let me know you did so in a comment. (The link is at the top of the webpage). Let me know if you've already liked it, and I'll give you an entry.

3. Post about the giveaway on your own blog or on twitter or facebook and leave me a comment. You get 1 entry for each method of spreading the word!

4. Leave a comment answering the following question: "What type of fiction do you most like to read?"

++ Please include your email address in your comment so I can contact you to arrange to get the book in the mail to you.

That's all there is to it. Contest Ends June 8, 2012.

 Good luck!