Book Review: Though Waters Roar by Lynn Austin

"It was ironic.

I lay in my jail cell on a squeaky iron bunk, gazing at the stained mattress above me, and I remembered the day I first understood the meaning of the word ironic. I couldn't help smiling at . . . well, the irony of it. The meaning had become clear to me ten years ago on the day my grandmother, Beatrice Monroe Garner, was arrested."

Though Waters Roar, pg. 7.

Harriet Sherwood wants her life to mean something, just like the courageous women who have come before her. Her efforts to right the wrongs of the world land her in jail, under the watch of her childhood enemy, Tommy O'Reilly. Alone in her cell, Harriet has a lot of time to consider how she came to this place. As she wades through the memory of three generations of her maternal heritage, she comes to understand more about the direction of her own life, and about the God that each of the women serve.

I enjoyed the historical setting of this book. Placed in 1920, just after World War I, the story looks at women's role in the abolition of slavery, prohibition and the suffrage movement. Lynn Austin does a great job showing the intensity that these women had about their cause, and the struggles they endured trying to reach the goal. Austin's characters are real, and easy to identify with. They are heroic, but human at the same time - a wonderful mix of vice and virtue.

Though Waters Roar is another great story by Lynn Austin. I love the way that Austin creates her characters and flushes them out. The more I read of her books, the higher she travels up the list of my favorite authors.

I would highly recommend this book!

(I received a complimentary copy of this book for the purpose of reviewing.)