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Julie
Will the dam hold?
Julie Wallace has always wanted to write. Trying to escape the Great Depression, Julie’s father buys The Alderton Sentinel, a small-town newspaper in flood-prone Alderton, Pennsylvania, and moves his family there. As flash floods ominously increase, Julie’s investigative reporting uncovers secrets that could endanger the entire community.
Julie, the newspaper, and her family are thrown into a perilous standoff with the owners of the steel mills as they investigate the conditions of the steelworkers. Battle lines are drawn between the steel mill owners and their immigrant laborers. As The Sentinel and Julie take on a more aggressive role in reforming these conditions in their community, seething tensions come to a head.
When a devastating tragedy follows a shocking revelation, Julie’s courage and strength are tested. Will truth and justice win, or will Julie lose everything she holds dear?
Julie Wallace has always wanted to write. Trying to escape the Great Depression, Julie’s father buys The Alderton Sentinel, a small-town newspaper in flood-prone Alderton, Pennsylvania, and moves his family there. As flash floods ominously increase, Julie’s investigative reporting uncovers secrets that could endanger the entire community.
Julie, the newspaper, and her family are thrown into a perilous standoff with the owners of the steel mills as they investigate the conditions of the steelworkers. Battle lines are drawn between the steel mill owners and their immigrant laborers. As The Sentinel and Julie take on a more aggressive role in reforming these conditions in their community, seething tensions come to a head.
When a devastating tragedy follows a shocking revelation, Julie’s courage and strength are tested. Will truth and justice win, or will Julie lose everything she holds dear?
384 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1985
78 people are currently reading
1866 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Marshall
196 books1,034 followersMarshall was born in Johnson City, Tennessee. She was the daughter of the Reverend John Ambrose Wood and Leonora Whitaker Wood. From the age of nine until her graduation from high school, Marshall was raised in Keyser, West Virginia, where her father served as pastor of a Presbyterian church from 1924 to 1942.
While a junior at Agnes Scott College, she met Peter Marshall, marrying him in 1936. The couple moved to Washington, DC, where her husband served as pastor of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church and Chaplain of the United States Senate.
In 1940, Marshall contracted tuberculosis, for which at that time there was no antibiotic treatment. She spent nearly three years recovering from the illness. Her husband died in 1949 of a heart attack, leaving her to care for their 9-year-old son, Peter John Marshall. He later also became a minister and author.
Marshall wrote a biography of her husband, A Man Called Peter, published in 1951. It became a nationwide success and was adapted as a film of the same name, released in 1955. Her success encouraged her to keep writing.
Marshall wrote or edited more than 30 books, which have sold over 16 million copies.[citation needed] They include edited collections of Peter Marshall's sermons and prayers, and her own inspirational writings. Her most successful books were A Man Called Peter (1951); and her novel, Christy (1967), which was inspired by the story of her mother's time in the mountains teaching the impoverished children of Appalachia. Christy was adapted as a CBS television series, starring Kellie Martin, beginning in 1994.
In 1959, Marshall married Leonard LeSourd, who was the editor of Guideposts Magazine for 28 years. Together they founded a book imprint, Chosen Books. They had three children, Linda, Chester and Jeffery.
Marshall died on March 18, 1983 at the age of 68. She was buried alongside her first husband.
While a junior at Agnes Scott College, she met Peter Marshall, marrying him in 1936. The couple moved to Washington, DC, where her husband served as pastor of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church and Chaplain of the United States Senate.
In 1940, Marshall contracted tuberculosis, for which at that time there was no antibiotic treatment. She spent nearly three years recovering from the illness. Her husband died in 1949 of a heart attack, leaving her to care for their 9-year-old son, Peter John Marshall. He later also became a minister and author.
Marshall wrote a biography of her husband, A Man Called Peter, published in 1951. It became a nationwide success and was adapted as a film of the same name, released in 1955. Her success encouraged her to keep writing.
Marshall wrote or edited more than 30 books, which have sold over 16 million copies.[citation needed] They include edited collections of Peter Marshall's sermons and prayers, and her own inspirational writings. Her most successful books were A Man Called Peter (1951); and her novel, Christy (1967), which was inspired by the story of her mother's time in the mountains teaching the impoverished children of Appalachia. Christy was adapted as a CBS television series, starring Kellie Martin, beginning in 1994.
In 1959, Marshall married Leonard LeSourd, who was the editor of Guideposts Magazine for 28 years. Together they founded a book imprint, Chosen Books. They had three children, Linda, Chester and Jeffery.
Marshall died on March 18, 1983 at the age of 68. She was buried alongside her first husband.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 320 reviews
May 18, 2017
On a lighter note, it's a good thing that Miss Emily Cruley at THE SENTINEL didn't have a nice younger brother or nephew that might have fallen in love with Julie and made her....Julie Cruley!
April 23, 2018
“Julie” by Catherine Marshall is another Christian classic that every Christian should read! “Julie” is brought to you by the same author of the beloved classic “Christy” (after which the prestigious Christy Awards are named). I read “Christy” growing up and loved the book and the movies. Somehow though, I completely missed “Julie” when it was first published, so when I saw that it was being reissued, I knew I had to read and review it! I’m so glad I did!
I love the setting and the premise of the book. Ms. Marshall writes great descriptions of the time period of the 1930s and the Great Depression. The setting is especially relevant to me as I live in Pennsylvania (the same setting as the book) and have volunteered in a town that used to be a huge steel mill town. This story really shows the incredibly rough conditions that the steel workers and immigrants worked with and how steel mills can really destroy the natural landscape. Despite the rough conditions, I like how the people of the town don’t give up, no matter what hardships they face. Julie, our heroine, is motivated by this inner strength of the townspeople and wants it for herself. She is also a journalist investigating these conditions and reports what she sees, even though she and her family could be negatively affected by telling the truth.
Julie is a relatable character who really grows up as she faces hardships and grapples with truth and faith. I love how Julie wants to be a writer and finds inspiration from L.M. Montgomery. Julie needs to make her family’s faith her own and learns more about what she believes and why she believes it. I like how Julie cries out to God in a scary situation and He gives her supernatural power. There is so much amazing faith content in this story. It really inspired me in my walk with the Lord.
“Julie” is Christian fiction at its best! It addresses prejudice in the church, social justice, the disparity between the classes and what the role of the church is in regards to the poor. It is a beautiful coming of age story that girls and women alike will fall in love with!
Content: This is a clean read with a PG rating for some minor content. Some examples of the content are: a character smokes a cigarette; a man is drunk; a reference to a couple “necking;” the word “negro” is used; some underage drinking; a man curses but the curse words are not actually written; the “s” word is used as a mistake in a newspaper; references to salons, brothels and gamblers; there is drinking at a dance, a lot of people are drunk and the punch is spiked; a man asks a woman to come to his hotel room; references to boys’ groping hands; the word “hell” is used.
Rating: I give this book 5 stars!
Genre: Christian fiction; Historical; Romance
I want to thank JustRead Publicity Tours, Catherine Marshall and Gilead Publishing for the complimentary copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255.
I love the setting and the premise of the book. Ms. Marshall writes great descriptions of the time period of the 1930s and the Great Depression. The setting is especially relevant to me as I live in Pennsylvania (the same setting as the book) and have volunteered in a town that used to be a huge steel mill town. This story really shows the incredibly rough conditions that the steel workers and immigrants worked with and how steel mills can really destroy the natural landscape. Despite the rough conditions, I like how the people of the town don’t give up, no matter what hardships they face. Julie, our heroine, is motivated by this inner strength of the townspeople and wants it for herself. She is also a journalist investigating these conditions and reports what she sees, even though she and her family could be negatively affected by telling the truth.
Julie is a relatable character who really grows up as she faces hardships and grapples with truth and faith. I love how Julie wants to be a writer and finds inspiration from L.M. Montgomery. Julie needs to make her family’s faith her own and learns more about what she believes and why she believes it. I like how Julie cries out to God in a scary situation and He gives her supernatural power. There is so much amazing faith content in this story. It really inspired me in my walk with the Lord.
“Julie” is Christian fiction at its best! It addresses prejudice in the church, social justice, the disparity between the classes and what the role of the church is in regards to the poor. It is a beautiful coming of age story that girls and women alike will fall in love with!
Content: This is a clean read with a PG rating for some minor content. Some examples of the content are: a character smokes a cigarette; a man is drunk; a reference to a couple “necking;” the word “negro” is used; some underage drinking; a man curses but the curse words are not actually written; the “s” word is used as a mistake in a newspaper; references to salons, brothels and gamblers; there is drinking at a dance, a lot of people are drunk and the punch is spiked; a man asks a woman to come to his hotel room; references to boys’ groping hands; the word “hell” is used.
Rating: I give this book 5 stars!
Genre: Christian fiction; Historical; Romance
I want to thank JustRead Publicity Tours, Catherine Marshall and Gilead Publishing for the complimentary copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255.
May 26, 2019
4.5 stars. I had been wanting to read Julie ever since I'd heard about it after finishing Catherine Marshall's Christy. Since I also had determined to read books set in the 1930s during January, it was convenient to kill two birds with one stone and devour Julie!
I enjoy realistic fiction, so I appreciated Marshall's way of telling the story. She wrote mainly nonfiction, and her two novels were based on her mother's young womanhood and her own young womanhood, respectively. So the details made me feel like I was watching a movie about something that really happened. The prose had no frills, and though I usually like lyricism and descriptiveness, the straightforward language made for a compelling, fast-moving story.
There were a couple of things that disappointed me about Julie's character: first, her experiences with faith in God were not as fundamental to the book as Christy's were in hers. Christy's uplifted me, but Julie's were somehow flatter and she spent most of the book not really understanding God or learning how to integrate Him into her life. However, her dad Ken Wallace, a former pastor's, experiences were much richer---I enjoyed that! Second, I thought that the three or four young men so interested in Julie, a girl not overly remarkable to me, was unrealistic. The way she handled these romances didn't seem godly to me. (Others might think differently, considering the standards of the time, but this lessened my enjoyment of the book somewhat.)
Now, on to the aspects I loved! Ken Wallace, the father of a family and a pastor who bought a newspaper office, was probably my favorite character. His story was intriguing because you don't get the full reason he left the ministry until far into the book. Dean Fleming, the strongest Christian in the book and Ken's good friend, had inspiring spiritual insight and brought forward some stimulating thoughts on the Spirit in Christianity that isn't often discussed in Christian novels. Julie kept my interest as the protagonist and I certainly did like most of her, particularly her devotion to helping the poor and bringing about change through her writing. The details of Alderton, a 1930s, flood-prone, Pennsylvanian mill town, were incredible. Catherine Marshall was a keen researcher and the things I learned from this story about history, the Great Depression, the inner workings of a newspaper (loved that part, loved, loved, loved it!), and the workings of a steel mill, really informed me. The tension throughout the book was perfectly paced; I kept holding my breath, wondering what would happen with the dam that contained a lake uphill from Alderton, and yet the tension didn't distract me from the details of what else was going on.
The ending made me cry ... I love it when a book causes that. It means I was completely wrapped up in its world. I wish Catherine Marshall had written another novel or two, but I will have to be content with rereading Christy and Julie; and believe me, there is a lot to gain from them through rereadings!
I enjoy realistic fiction, so I appreciated Marshall's way of telling the story. She wrote mainly nonfiction, and her two novels were based on her mother's young womanhood and her own young womanhood, respectively. So the details made me feel like I was watching a movie about something that really happened. The prose had no frills, and though I usually like lyricism and descriptiveness, the straightforward language made for a compelling, fast-moving story.
There were a couple of things that disappointed me about Julie's character: first, her experiences with faith in God were not as fundamental to the book as Christy's were in hers. Christy's uplifted me, but Julie's were somehow flatter and she spent most of the book not really understanding God or learning how to integrate Him into her life. However, her dad Ken Wallace, a former pastor's, experiences were much richer---I enjoyed that! Second, I thought that the three or four young men so interested in Julie, a girl not overly remarkable to me, was unrealistic. The way she handled these romances didn't seem godly to me. (Others might think differently, considering the standards of the time, but this lessened my enjoyment of the book somewhat.)
Now, on to the aspects I loved! Ken Wallace, the father of a family and a pastor who bought a newspaper office, was probably my favorite character. His story was intriguing because you don't get the full reason he left the ministry until far into the book. Dean Fleming, the strongest Christian in the book and Ken's good friend, had inspiring spiritual insight and brought forward some stimulating thoughts on the Spirit in Christianity that isn't often discussed in Christian novels. Julie kept my interest as the protagonist and I certainly did like most of her, particularly her devotion to helping the poor and bringing about change through her writing. The details of Alderton, a 1930s, flood-prone, Pennsylvanian mill town, were incredible. Catherine Marshall was a keen researcher and the things I learned from this story about history, the Great Depression, the inner workings of a newspaper (loved that part, loved, loved, loved it!), and the workings of a steel mill, really informed me. The tension throughout the book was perfectly paced; I kept holding my breath, wondering what would happen with the dam that contained a lake uphill from Alderton, and yet the tension didn't distract me from the details of what else was going on.
The ending made me cry ... I love it when a book causes that. It means I was completely wrapped up in its world. I wish Catherine Marshall had written another novel or two, but I will have to be content with rereading Christy and Julie; and believe me, there is a lot to gain from them through rereadings!
April 5, 2013
I had forgotten how much I enjoyed reading Catherine Marshall's "Christy" until reading "Julie". Everything about this book is wholesome and uplifting. It also offers a peek into a steel mining Pennsylvania town during the depression. I did a bit of fact checking and learned that the life, conflicts, and trials portrayed are quite accurate; especially of the great flood. Reading about the flood was as heart thumping and tragic as about anything I've experienced.
August 11, 2024
3.5 rounded up to 4
Julie by Catherine Marshall is a Historical Fiction novel set in the 1930s in the small town of Alderton, Pennsylvania. The story follows the life of 18-year-old Julie Wallace with her family when her father takes over the Alderton’s struggling newspaper, The Alderton Sentinel. I really wanted to give this book a 4 star. But it didn’t quite get my attention and draw me in until the last quarter of the book. It is a slow burn. I had to force myself to comeback at times. This novel takes place during the depression. Faced issues such as poverty, corruption which caused the town to die multiple times, and social injustices. The corruption was the main force through out. Political, social and religious corruption. Much like we see today, but on a smaller scale. Julie and the editor (dad), along with a dew good friends go up against the town. What they faced was tragic and sad. I never wanted so badly to see something bad happen in order to show how right somethings are. There is romance too. Julie had her pick of beaus. It was fun to see who wins her hand in the end. This novel is a 3.5. I rounded to a 4. I love how faith wins. The same say as my own faith finally won!
Julie by Catherine Marshall is a Historical Fiction novel set in the 1930s in the small town of Alderton, Pennsylvania. The story follows the life of 18-year-old Julie Wallace with her family when her father takes over the Alderton’s struggling newspaper, The Alderton Sentinel. I really wanted to give this book a 4 star. But it didn’t quite get my attention and draw me in until the last quarter of the book. It is a slow burn. I had to force myself to comeback at times. This novel takes place during the depression. Faced issues such as poverty, corruption which caused the town to die multiple times, and social injustices. The corruption was the main force through out. Political, social and religious corruption. Much like we see today, but on a smaller scale. Julie and the editor (dad), along with a dew good friends go up against the town. What they faced was tragic and sad. I never wanted so badly to see something bad happen in order to show how right somethings are. There is romance too. Julie had her pick of beaus. It was fun to see who wins her hand in the end. This novel is a 3.5. I rounded to a 4. I love how faith wins. The same say as my own faith finally won!
February 22, 2017
Julie was a wonderful story about a young woman who moves with her family to Alderton, a town essentially run by the steel mill, during the Great Depression to run the newspaper there. Through the newspaper, Julie and her father bring to light some important issues that town industry executives don't want examined...and ignore with devastating consequences.
I've been wanting to read this ever since I read Christy a while back, and I loved it! Catherine Marshall has a way with words, making you feel like you're right in the story and giving you thought-provoking lessons without making it sound too preachy.
I really liked Julie; however, she seemed to keep 4 boys at her fingertips, dating one boy while still liking another. I didn't enjoy the love triangles, but I did like her courage to find and share the truth.
4.5 stars!
I've been wanting to read this ever since I read Christy a while back, and I loved it! Catherine Marshall has a way with words, making you feel like you're right in the story and giving you thought-provoking lessons without making it sound too preachy.
I really liked Julie; however, she seemed to keep 4 boys at her fingertips, dating one boy while still liking another. I didn't enjoy the love triangles, but I did like her courage to find and share the truth.
4.5 stars!
August 12, 2012
All through the book I kept waiting for the flood to happen but Marshall keeps you hanging on until the last minute as she follows the struggles of a teenage girl and her family struggling in 1935. The book is about life and people (human nature-a both ends of the spectrum), a little romance -how they help each other through life. The author gives a good description of a steel factory. That was fascinating. The book describes the struggles of a small newspaper. Even though the time period of the book is 1935, the flood is based on the real "Johnstown Flood" that happened in Johnstown, Pennsylvannia that happened May 31, 1889. Another good book to read is the "The Johnstown Flood" by David McCullough.
May 25, 2018
"Julie" is set in the 1930s Depression era, although Catherine Marshall actually wrote it in the 1970s. It was published after her 1983 death. The basic story is of 18-year-old Julie Wallace and her family. They have recently moved to Pennsylvania from another state, where her dad was a pastor. Some mysterious situations led to his resignation there, and he has now decided to become the editor of a newspaper in the fictional town of Alderton. Alderton has a large steel industry, and a dam — which is constantly teased out as being shady and unstable.
Julie is quite outspoken and confident for an 18-year-old. She goes to work editing and writing at the newspaper after finishing with school each day. She interviews people about the local steel industry and is dismayed to learn that the head of the steel company is greedy and mean to his employees, who live in the “lowlands” where they are basically starving and presumably living in cardboard boxes. Some of the workers want to start a union, but the head of the steel business is against that. Julie decides she wants to get involved by writing articles that expose the evil side of the steel company management. “My sympathy was all with the worker,” she tells us as she writes.
Julie’s dad is unsure about the strident tone Julie is taking with her writing, although he tells her that he privately supports the idea of a union. ‘”Then why don’t we support the union idea in the Sentinel?” (Julie) almost shout(s).’ Julie is a girl on a mission, without a doubt.
Although I was excited to get this book and read it, I quickly realized that it was not going to be a winner for me. Allow me to explain a bit about my history with unions. I grew up in a house where my dad was a school principal aka a member of the “evil administration.” Most all teachers in his district did join the teachers’ union. I remember hearing of one teacher who didn’t join, who then had their tires slashed. When I became a teacher, I studied the union’s beliefs. There were many things I disagreed with; some being their support for Planned Parenthood and celebrating things like “gay days” in the schools. The school union rep came to ask me to join, and I turned her down, every year.
This did not go over well. I was told that joining “the association” was “the professional thing to do.” One rep in particular was frequently unfriendly and condescending to me, and I have always felt that this was because I didn’t join the union. Thankfully, at my school only about half of the teachers joined, so I never feared retaliation. Still, it was unpleasant for a new teacher like me to be treated poorly by some of the more experienced teachers just because I had different beliefs.
So, this book’s pro-union focus was an automatic turn off for me. I think that, while perhaps some unions did prompt needed reforms years ago, at this point often unions have become greater bullies than bosses are. I guess in life many things in life go like that — eventually flipping from the way they began.
Another thing that sort of annoyed me with this book was Julie’s legion of male admirers. This 18-year-old girl had three men hanging all over her throughout the book: the handsome high school football player, the progressive local pastor, and a dashing older British rich guy. At least two of these proposed to her during the book. Julie maintains relationships with all three, going out with each as the situations arise. It just seemed a bit too much for her to have all this admiration, all the while confidently and brazenly stating her mind on all manner of issues. Did 1930s guys really fall so hard for outspoken women?
Julie meets with the rich guy’s uncle, who quizzes her on her life beliefs. She tells rich guy that she’d told the uncle “that I wanted to join the Bolsheviks and destroy capitalism in America.” I’m sure this was spoken jokingly, but it kind of seemed likely, given the way the book was written! Honestly, Julie reminded me a lot of the current crop of “social justice warriors” we have today in high schools and colleges.
When Julie wants the church to get involved in the union issue, one church members tells her, "'I just don’t believe that social action is the main business of the Church.'
'Then what is?'
'Salvation.'
I (Julie) was sickened."
Well … okay, then.
The book continues on to its climax. When that occurs, (SPOILER ALERT!) and the dam does break, the steel magnate is killed in a way that is no doubt intended to feel satisfactory to readers, and his company goes bankrupt. Score big for the working class, woo hoo?
I’ll say that reading “Julie” made me kind of want to re-read “Christy” to see whether it has the same political leanings. I don’t remember that it did, but it’s been decades.
Julie is quite outspoken and confident for an 18-year-old. She goes to work editing and writing at the newspaper after finishing with school each day. She interviews people about the local steel industry and is dismayed to learn that the head of the steel company is greedy and mean to his employees, who live in the “lowlands” where they are basically starving and presumably living in cardboard boxes. Some of the workers want to start a union, but the head of the steel business is against that. Julie decides she wants to get involved by writing articles that expose the evil side of the steel company management. “My sympathy was all with the worker,” she tells us as she writes.
Julie’s dad is unsure about the strident tone Julie is taking with her writing, although he tells her that he privately supports the idea of a union. ‘”Then why don’t we support the union idea in the Sentinel?” (Julie) almost shout(s).’ Julie is a girl on a mission, without a doubt.
Although I was excited to get this book and read it, I quickly realized that it was not going to be a winner for me. Allow me to explain a bit about my history with unions. I grew up in a house where my dad was a school principal aka a member of the “evil administration.” Most all teachers in his district did join the teachers’ union. I remember hearing of one teacher who didn’t join, who then had their tires slashed. When I became a teacher, I studied the union’s beliefs. There were many things I disagreed with; some being their support for Planned Parenthood and celebrating things like “gay days” in the schools. The school union rep came to ask me to join, and I turned her down, every year.
This did not go over well. I was told that joining “the association” was “the professional thing to do.” One rep in particular was frequently unfriendly and condescending to me, and I have always felt that this was because I didn’t join the union. Thankfully, at my school only about half of the teachers joined, so I never feared retaliation. Still, it was unpleasant for a new teacher like me to be treated poorly by some of the more experienced teachers just because I had different beliefs.
So, this book’s pro-union focus was an automatic turn off for me. I think that, while perhaps some unions did prompt needed reforms years ago, at this point often unions have become greater bullies than bosses are. I guess in life many things in life go like that — eventually flipping from the way they began.
Another thing that sort of annoyed me with this book was Julie’s legion of male admirers. This 18-year-old girl had three men hanging all over her throughout the book: the handsome high school football player, the progressive local pastor, and a dashing older British rich guy. At least two of these proposed to her during the book. Julie maintains relationships with all three, going out with each as the situations arise. It just seemed a bit too much for her to have all this admiration, all the while confidently and brazenly stating her mind on all manner of issues. Did 1930s guys really fall so hard for outspoken women?
Julie meets with the rich guy’s uncle, who quizzes her on her life beliefs. She tells rich guy that she’d told the uncle “that I wanted to join the Bolsheviks and destroy capitalism in America.” I’m sure this was spoken jokingly, but it kind of seemed likely, given the way the book was written! Honestly, Julie reminded me a lot of the current crop of “social justice warriors” we have today in high schools and colleges.
When Julie wants the church to get involved in the union issue, one church members tells her, "'I just don’t believe that social action is the main business of the Church.'
'Then what is?'
'Salvation.'
I (Julie) was sickened."
Well … okay, then.
The book continues on to its climax. When that occurs, (SPOILER ALERT!) and the dam does break, the steel magnate is killed in a way that is no doubt intended to feel satisfactory to readers, and his company goes bankrupt. Score big for the working class, woo hoo?
I’ll say that reading “Julie” made me kind of want to re-read “Christy” to see whether it has the same political leanings. I don’t remember that it did, but it’s been decades.
April 30, 2020
I realized that it's been a year and I never actually reviewed this book. I think that waiting has actually helped me to have clear thoughts about this story.
Marshall was a talented writer. In this book, she explores many things that she herself dealt with in her life (at least that is what I surmise from what I know about her). I think this book suffered some because it was more about her life then it was a story.
Two of the things I liked most about Marshall's other fiction book, Christy, was the character growth and the realistic and lovable characters. Julie doesn't seem to grow or learn anything in this story and I had a hard time connecting with her. I loved her father's aspect of the story better. He grew and changed and was very likable.
The characters were vivid and the story was interesting. Just because I didn't love this book doesn't mean that I didn't appreciate Marshall's talent. The town was real, the characters, their struggles, and the times were vivid.
As a writer, I loved the newspaper and the struggles of Julie as a writer.
It's really hard to put into words how I feel about this book. It was vivid, well done and the climax was so good. I honestly have not read a book that captured The characters were realistic and some of them were lovable.
Perhaps the best way to sum up this book was that it was a well-told story, yet it had pessimistic undertones and did not hold the same charm of Christy.
Marshall was a talented writer. In this book, she explores many things that she herself dealt with in her life (at least that is what I surmise from what I know about her). I think this book suffered some because it was more about her life then it was a story.
Two of the things I liked most about Marshall's other fiction book, Christy, was the character growth and the realistic and lovable characters. Julie doesn't seem to grow or learn anything in this story and I had a hard time connecting with her. I loved her father's aspect of the story better. He grew and changed and was very likable.
The characters were vivid and the story was interesting. Just because I didn't love this book doesn't mean that I didn't appreciate Marshall's talent. The town was real, the characters, their struggles, and the times were vivid.
As a writer, I loved the newspaper and the struggles of Julie as a writer.
It's really hard to put into words how I feel about this book. It was vivid, well done and the climax was so good. I honestly have not read a book that captured The characters were realistic and some of them were lovable.
Perhaps the best way to sum up this book was that it was a well-told story, yet it had pessimistic undertones and did not hold the same charm of Christy.
November 29, 2021
Many years ago I read Catherine Marshall's other semi-biographical book, Christy, based on her mother's life. This is based on events from her own life and one of only two novels among the eighteen books she authored.
It is an excellent story and held my attention from start to riveting finish.
It is an excellent story and held my attention from start to riveting finish.
July 2, 2015
SUMMARY: Julie Wallace is just eighteen in 1934 when her father risks their life savings on a struggling newspaper and moves the family to a flood-prone Pennsylvania town.
It is here a young woman's convictions take firm root, as Julie finds herself taking sides when battle lines are drawn between desperate steelworkers and the mill owners who control their lives. And it is here where her heart and her loyalties are torn, divided between two special men. But when a devastating natural catastrophe becomes the ultimate test of courage and commitment, Julie's remarkable inner strength will come to the fore -- a strength born of faith and love.
REVIEW: I have long been a fan of Catherine Marshall ever since I read her book
and watched the TV series. This book was the last of the 19 books she wrote and is based partly on her life as well as the history of the Johnstown Flood of 1977. The storyline takes place shortly after the Depression and focuses on union/management problems as well as the disparity between the wealthy and poor classes. It is filled with faith and conviction without being preachy. The characters are varied, interesting, and realistic showing strengths and weaknesses of every day Christians. The romance in Julie's life was well portrayed as she struggled with 3 men who loved her and tried to determine which was the man God intended her to marry. Her dad's struggle as he transitioned from a pastor to a publisher amidst his faith crisis was well written. Marshall does a fantastic job of letting the reader into the heart, mind, and soul of her characters. The historical detail in the flood chapters was excellent. This is a captivating coming of age story that will keep your attention until the very end.
FAVORITE QUOTES: "i believe God has me here for a purpose. So I intend to hang around until I find out what it is."
"Jesus' message here is clear: preach the Word to the whole world."
"When a church ceases to care, then you may be certain it has become too insulated. And in such insulation we can become so wrapped up in high-flown spirituality that we convince ourselves it's the Church's business to care for men's souls--AND NOTHING ELSE."
I felt the next two were very prophetic:
"The union movement is necessary because company owners are too greedy. And sooner or later we'll have union leaders who will be just as greedy and arrogant as management leaders."
"Big John made a prophecy about God's plan for this century. He said that ninety-nine percent of the world will largely be in spiritual darkness for the first fifty years (1934-1984) Then the last fifty years will see a tremendous surge of spiritual vitality and an equal onslaught of Satanic forces , followed soon after by the Second Coming of Jesus (1984-2034)."
It is here a young woman's convictions take firm root, as Julie finds herself taking sides when battle lines are drawn between desperate steelworkers and the mill owners who control their lives. And it is here where her heart and her loyalties are torn, divided between two special men. But when a devastating natural catastrophe becomes the ultimate test of courage and commitment, Julie's remarkable inner strength will come to the fore -- a strength born of faith and love.
REVIEW: I have long been a fan of Catherine Marshall ever since I read her book
and watched the TV series. This book was the last of the 19 books she wrote and is based partly on her life as well as the history of the Johnstown Flood of 1977. The storyline takes place shortly after the Depression and focuses on union/management problems as well as the disparity between the wealthy and poor classes. It is filled with faith and conviction without being preachy. The characters are varied, interesting, and realistic showing strengths and weaknesses of every day Christians. The romance in Julie's life was well portrayed as she struggled with 3 men who loved her and tried to determine which was the man God intended her to marry. Her dad's struggle as he transitioned from a pastor to a publisher amidst his faith crisis was well written. Marshall does a fantastic job of letting the reader into the heart, mind, and soul of her characters. The historical detail in the flood chapters was excellent. This is a captivating coming of age story that will keep your attention until the very end.FAVORITE QUOTES: "i believe God has me here for a purpose. So I intend to hang around until I find out what it is."
"Jesus' message here is clear: preach the Word to the whole world."
"When a church ceases to care, then you may be certain it has become too insulated. And in such insulation we can become so wrapped up in high-flown spirituality that we convince ourselves it's the Church's business to care for men's souls--AND NOTHING ELSE."
I felt the next two were very prophetic:
"The union movement is necessary because company owners are too greedy. And sooner or later we'll have union leaders who will be just as greedy and arrogant as management leaders."
"Big John made a prophecy about God's plan for this century. He said that ninety-nine percent of the world will largely be in spiritual darkness for the first fifty years (1934-1984) Then the last fifty years will see a tremendous surge of spiritual vitality and an equal onslaught of Satanic forces , followed soon after by the Second Coming of Jesus (1984-2034)."
December 27, 2007
This book is really good to read. I heard about the review of this book from Amazon.com
This book is something that you can relate to if you are going through a struggling time in your life and if your life is in transition. Catherine Marshal is such a great author, she writes nice books.
This book is something that you can relate to if you are going through a struggling time in your life and if your life is in transition. Catherine Marshal is such a great author, she writes nice books.
October 21, 2011
Though lauded as a sequel to "Christy", it was not. It is an interesting story but it's definitely meant for the female gender.
September 18, 2021
1st time reading, excellent story.
Listened on audio, the narrator was great!
Listened on audio, the narrator was great!
October 25, 2025
After reading (and loving!) Christy last year, I thought I would give this a chance. It was just ok. Julie's character wasn't very interesting to me, and there were a lot of far-fetched plot points. I didn't agree with a lot of the theology. Ultimately, I was just glad when I finished.
May 19, 2009
Summary: Marshall, author of the classic Christy, drew on her life experiences for this coming-of-age story in which a young girl discovers herself and the strength of her faith.
Julie, is a heartwarming, coming of age story about the struggles a young lady enounters with her family in post-depression Pennsylvania. Julie's family purchase the small town's local newspaper, and in doing so, enouncouter financial, political, and faith-based, tests. Her father's chronic illness, propels Julie in to a position of leadership and responsibility at the newspaper. Her talent as an investigative reporter also uncovers devestating news about a improperly built dam, that will prove prophetic and catastrophic.
Juile was our book group selection for the month of May. It was a delightful read, reminiscent of the work of L. M. Montgomery.
Julie, is a heartwarming, coming of age story about the struggles a young lady enounters with her family in post-depression Pennsylvania. Julie's family purchase the small town's local newspaper, and in doing so, enouncouter financial, political, and faith-based, tests. Her father's chronic illness, propels Julie in to a position of leadership and responsibility at the newspaper. Her talent as an investigative reporter also uncovers devestating news about a improperly built dam, that will prove prophetic and catastrophic.
Juile was our book group selection for the month of May. It was a delightful read, reminiscent of the work of L. M. Montgomery.
October 12, 2010
Catherine Marshall's more well-known novel, Christy, had a huge influence on me during my teen years. I appreciated this one just as much, even though it didn't impact me in the same way. The story starts off slowly, making the amusingly old-fashioned style of dialogue stand out, but it takes off as Julie gets involved in her own romance and the suspicion grows about the integrity of the valley's dam. I was blown away by the flood scene and I felt my respect for the characters reach a whole new level... what started out as flat, two-dimensional types became heroes and heroines battling grief and sacrifice. And of course I cried at the end, realizing Julie had left quite a legacy, one worth aspiring to.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 18, 2023
This is a delightful, yet tragic, story that I just finished - again. This novel is one that can be reread numerous times and enjoyed at different stages in one's life.
The characters are refreshingly not perfect as they struggle with life in a small town. While set in the 1930s, the problems they face are still with us today - environmental issues, money vs. safety, corruption, exclusive vs. inclusive (even in church), priorities ... and finding love.
While written by a Christian author, the novel is not overly "preachy" as the main character, Julie, is still learning about her relationship with God. One might have thought with a father as a former pastor she would "know" more or not have the questions so many of us struggle with, but she does and it makes her a welcome friend.
The characters are refreshingly not perfect as they struggle with life in a small town. While set in the 1930s, the problems they face are still with us today - environmental issues, money vs. safety, corruption, exclusive vs. inclusive (even in church), priorities ... and finding love.
While written by a Christian author, the novel is not overly "preachy" as the main character, Julie, is still learning about her relationship with God. One might have thought with a father as a former pastor she would "know" more or not have the questions so many of us struggle with, but she does and it makes her a welcome friend.
September 19, 2024
An OK story mired in social gospel mush. A character laments that his seminary denied all the supernatural aspects of the Christian faith, and then announced that he settled on Harry Emerson Fosdick as his model. Marshall evidently could not discern herself out of a wet paper sack, and the book gives no evidence she understood the actual biblical gospel.
Narrator was pretty awful. Pronounced "sports coupe" with a silent p (is there a plan to violently overthrow the International Olympics Committee?), China ISLAND Mission, Lucy MAND Montgomery.
Narrator was pretty awful. Pronounced "sports coupe" with a silent p (is there a plan to violently overthrow the International Olympics Committee?), China ISLAND Mission, Lucy MAND Montgomery.
December 12, 2016
Julie by Catherine Marshall was quite interesting and unique. (But I definitely didn't like it as much as Christy.) There were a few small things that bothered me ... and overall, it wasn't as satisfying as Catherine Marshall's other novel. But all in all, it was a thought-provoking and good read.
June 16, 2009
Loved this book--captivating story of a 1930s Pennsylvania family--with a historical backdrop that will make you laugh and cry. Julie is a crusader, has a heart for the hurting, and...well, you just need to read it for yourselves!
April 26, 2018
Source: Complimentary ebook from Just Read Tours and Evergreen Farm.
Recently, I read and reviewed the first fiction book Catherine Marshall published, Christy. Christy and Julie have both been republished by Evergreen Farm. Christy is based on Marshall’s mother, and Julie is based on Marshall’s life. The time period for Christy is 1912. The time period for Julie is 1934-35.
It’s been a while back, but I read a nonfiction book about the Johnston Flood of 1889. Later, I found out a family friend had relatives who survived this flood. She grew up in this same area of Pennsylvania. I have seen photographs of her relatives who lived to tell their own harrowing stories of survival. There were several floods in this same area. One of the floods was in 1936. A worse flood came in 1977. More people died during the horrific flood of 1889, than the 1900 Galveston hurricane. I wanted to mention these statistics and history, because a significant part of Julie’s story is centered on a flood. Even in the first pages of the book, Julie begins her story with a heavy downfall of rain, the lake and the spillway. Throughout the book, there is a feeling of dread about the terrain, lake and dam. The references to these worries builds to a crescendo. This is a large plot in the story: “will the dam hold?”
Julie is 17-18 years old in the novel. She is the oldest child of three. Her father had been ill. Their family moved to a new state and began a new life. Her father is now the publisher and owner of a struggling newspaper. These are the years of the worst of the Great Depression. People her age had a maturity that future generations did not have. The maturity shows in Julie. She is a young woman who cares about her looks, boys and life after high school. She has experiences that cause angst. However, she feels a strong responsibility to her family and to do the right thing. I love it that she too is a writer, poet, and proofreader for the newspaper. Her personality is a blend of resilience, beauty and intelligence. She has emotion, but she thinks logically.
In Julie, I saw the town and its people. This includes the steelworkers, and those men who run the mill. The politicians of the town and what control they had over it is displayed.
References are made to the southern state they’d lived in. The racial divide and the problems it caused in their home church. This incident had left bad memories.
Sharing stories like racial discrimination, poverty, economic class levels, education, employment, travel, and the culture of the 1930s gave me a well-rounded view of this era.
A strength in the writing style of Marshall’s is the descriptions of scenery and people, and because of this the story came alive, and I felt an investment in Julie and her family.
Recently, I read and reviewed the first fiction book Catherine Marshall published, Christy. Christy and Julie have both been republished by Evergreen Farm. Christy is based on Marshall’s mother, and Julie is based on Marshall’s life. The time period for Christy is 1912. The time period for Julie is 1934-35.
It’s been a while back, but I read a nonfiction book about the Johnston Flood of 1889. Later, I found out a family friend had relatives who survived this flood. She grew up in this same area of Pennsylvania. I have seen photographs of her relatives who lived to tell their own harrowing stories of survival. There were several floods in this same area. One of the floods was in 1936. A worse flood came in 1977. More people died during the horrific flood of 1889, than the 1900 Galveston hurricane. I wanted to mention these statistics and history, because a significant part of Julie’s story is centered on a flood. Even in the first pages of the book, Julie begins her story with a heavy downfall of rain, the lake and the spillway. Throughout the book, there is a feeling of dread about the terrain, lake and dam. The references to these worries builds to a crescendo. This is a large plot in the story: “will the dam hold?”
Julie is 17-18 years old in the novel. She is the oldest child of three. Her father had been ill. Their family moved to a new state and began a new life. Her father is now the publisher and owner of a struggling newspaper. These are the years of the worst of the Great Depression. People her age had a maturity that future generations did not have. The maturity shows in Julie. She is a young woman who cares about her looks, boys and life after high school. She has experiences that cause angst. However, she feels a strong responsibility to her family and to do the right thing. I love it that she too is a writer, poet, and proofreader for the newspaper. Her personality is a blend of resilience, beauty and intelligence. She has emotion, but she thinks logically.
In Julie, I saw the town and its people. This includes the steelworkers, and those men who run the mill. The politicians of the town and what control they had over it is displayed.
References are made to the southern state they’d lived in. The racial divide and the problems it caused in their home church. This incident had left bad memories.
Sharing stories like racial discrimination, poverty, economic class levels, education, employment, travel, and the culture of the 1930s gave me a well-rounded view of this era.
A strength in the writing style of Marshall’s is the descriptions of scenery and people, and because of this the story came alive, and I felt an investment in Julie and her family.
April 28, 2024
3.5: It can't hold a candle to Christy.
I thought Julie was a shallow main character. She had a lot of "causes", but she didn't seem to understand any of them fully. Also, is it realistic that three men are so smitten by one eighteen year old girl? I guess because she was somewhat pretty and very honest. Realistic? Not really. Overall I felt no compassion or kinship for her character.
I found the comparison to the Johnstown Flood the most interesting part because I find the Johnstown Flood story fascinating. Still, that plot had some issues. Julie mentions the Johnstown Flood from history, so clearly the author is not trying to write historical fiction about the Johnstown Flood, but rather make up an entirely new flood that happened exactly like the Johnstown Flood. Like exactly, 100% the same. What a coincidence that another earthen dam owned by rich, old guys could collapse and wipe out an entire town because it was poorly constructed and maintained.
Several different part of the plot were poorly done.
But hurrah. At the end the villian dies tragically, and the hero becomes rich.
I thought Julie was a shallow main character. She had a lot of "causes", but she didn't seem to understand any of them fully. Also, is it realistic that three men are so smitten by one eighteen year old girl? I guess because she was somewhat pretty and very honest. Realistic? Not really. Overall I felt no compassion or kinship for her character.
I found the comparison to the Johnstown Flood the most interesting part because I find the Johnstown Flood story fascinating. Still, that plot had some issues. Julie mentions the Johnstown Flood from history, so clearly the author is not trying to write historical fiction about the Johnstown Flood, but rather make up an entirely new flood that happened exactly like the Johnstown Flood. Like exactly, 100% the same. What a coincidence that another earthen dam owned by rich, old guys could collapse and wipe out an entire town because it was poorly constructed and maintained.
Several different part of the plot were poorly done.
But hurrah. At the end the villian dies tragically, and the hero becomes rich.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 2, 2024
Catherine Marshall is most famous for her book Christy. This is not Christy, but it is a strong book in its own right. Julie is a strong woman who faces trials of faith and morality. I highly recommend this book. Have the tissues nearby.
Read
November 6, 2023When I read this book back in high school, I was living overseas and the only part I could imagine was the flooding. Since then, I lived in Pennsylvania for 30 years and can totally relate to the landscape, history, culture, and industry of the setting for 'Julie.' I enjoyed it much more the 2nd time around!
December 18, 2023
Not quite as good as Christy, but still an enjoyable read that was perfect after reading some heavier books.
January 8, 2019
Second reading, Jan 2019. Still a two-star for Reasons:
Survives the next cull on the strength of the back... call it 300 pages of the book. But caveat lector, all the same. Go into it knowing Marshall and her ghostwriting husband were a particular kind of Christian, with whom you may not see eye-to-eye.
---
I won't say this was interesting.
I don't like love triangles, so I flipped to the end to settle that question because I knew the question was going to come up. Once I'd settled it, I could get down to the business of watching Marshall build her characters and setting. The plot had promise: Depression-era preacher ups sticks for some reason to run a newspaper in Pennsylvania. There is corporate corruption! There is pluck! There is a disaster looming!
Unfortunately, as with Christy, Marshall built and built her plot toward a catastrophe and then -- there's really no proper denouement. In this case, Marshall outright told the Big Event, as if she were, well, a newspaper reporter, and then with a chapter or two of "this is how everyone responded", she called it quits. In fairness, perhaps this is a case of Author Existence Failure. Marshall died in 1983, and there's an afterword/epilogue of sorts written by second husband Leonard LeSourd. However, I've also heard that Julie was a long time coming, and after all, Christy ended even more abruptly.
I would have liked to see a lot more of the aftermath of the Big Event, and a little less of the parts that felt like a Protestant version of The DaVinci Code. I appreciate that Marshall was writing for a Christian audience. I even appreciate the Christians in the book, because unlike so much of pointedly Christian fiction, these people are very real. They have flaws, they struggle, they have a sexuality that's appropriate to the era -- they're human, and I love that. Unfortunately, the parts of this book that are specific to a particular type of Christianity jerked me out of the story. Those parts were like stepping on Legos.
Overall, worth a read, but there are parts you can skim that'll make the experience better.
Survives the next cull on the strength of the back... call it 300 pages of the book. But caveat lector, all the same. Go into it knowing Marshall and her ghostwriting husband were a particular kind of Christian, with whom you may not see eye-to-eye.
---
I won't say this was interesting.
I don't like love triangles, so I flipped to the end to settle that question because I knew the question was going to come up. Once I'd settled it, I could get down to the business of watching Marshall build her characters and setting. The plot had promise: Depression-era preacher ups sticks for some reason to run a newspaper in Pennsylvania. There is corporate corruption! There is pluck! There is a disaster looming!
Unfortunately, as with Christy, Marshall built and built her plot toward a catastrophe and then -- there's really no proper denouement. In this case, Marshall outright told the Big Event, as if she were, well, a newspaper reporter, and then with a chapter or two of "this is how everyone responded", she called it quits. In fairness, perhaps this is a case of Author Existence Failure. Marshall died in 1983, and there's an afterword/epilogue of sorts written by second husband Leonard LeSourd. However, I've also heard that Julie was a long time coming, and after all, Christy ended even more abruptly.
I would have liked to see a lot more of the aftermath of the Big Event, and a little less of the parts that felt like a Protestant version of The DaVinci Code. I appreciate that Marshall was writing for a Christian audience. I even appreciate the Christians in the book, because unlike so much of pointedly Christian fiction, these people are very real. They have flaws, they struggle, they have a sexuality that's appropriate to the era -- they're human, and I love that. Unfortunately, the parts of this book that are specific to a particular type of Christianity jerked me out of the story. Those parts were like stepping on Legos.
Overall, worth a read, but there are parts you can skim that'll make the experience better.
May 29, 2009
When I was young Catherine Marshall was one of my favorite authors and her book Christy was one of my favorite books. So when I saw this book, I was excited to read it. I loved the story - it's an old fashioned romance/adventure/coming of age/thought provoking story of Julie Wallace, 18 years old. Her father, a minister, resigns his job because of some disagreement within his church and he uses all of the family savings to open a newspaper in Pennsylvania during the depression years. She helps her father at the newspaper and in the process matures into a wonderful young woman, filled with faith and religious conviction. A good part of the book deals with peoples' struggles with good versus evil. I found the flood (based on a real life event), fascinating and couldn't help thinking of Hurricane Katrina as I read about it. Now I want to go back and re-read Kristy.
October 19, 2012
To be honest, when I first started reading this book, it didn't really interest me. It's not exactly plot-driven. Reaching the climax is almost painfully slow sometimes and there are also many points that get bogged down by needless description. However, I gave it four stars, so I obviously liked it. And yes, I did. Somewhere among the digressions and slowness, I enjoyed this book. Julie is a relatable and fun character, so reading about her life became endearing over time. In addition, Marshall is skilled at writing and it's evident with some of her beautiful descriptions. Julie also has a great moral tone that describes what many humans feel as they search for God. It's a fun book and I did enjoy it despite some of its shortcomings.
June 1, 2013
It's interesting how different people get different things out of the same book and how one person might get different things at different times. Although the coming of age story and the romantic triangle were always there, to me they were in the background. the real story seemed to be about how many of the upper class ignored problems (social, safety, and ecological) in their pursuit of the almighty dollar and how influential people misuse their power to manipulate the media, the community, and the government. It speaks of a time when the little-guy had no voice and no power; a scary time that I fear is coming back to American society with the end of pensions, benefits, and unions. A very good book.
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