City of Three Rivers

by Grace Gillespie Carter

This epic historical novel is set in Dayton, Ohio, between the years of 1876 and 1924, and follows the life of one extraordinary woman during a time when floods repeatedly threaten to destroy the city she loves. It is also a time when women were confined to the roles of wives and mothers, but Susan chooses her own journey, pursuing her passion to become a healer.

When her father confesses to a less than perfect past and asks her to help him if he ever gets “another chance,” Susan begins to explore unconventional beliefs about life and death, and to uncover family secrets. But the mystery continues to unfold. Why do her nephew’s maps remind her of the maps her father used to draw? And why does a beautiful young artist seem strangely familiar? Susan’s quest takes her across the country to her father’s childhood home and leads her to a deeper understanding of herself and an unexpected way to help two people who have been searching for each other for a long time.

461 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 4, 2014

Reviews

[Catherine Mustread · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three Rivers – Miami River, Mad River and Stillwater River, the latter two merging near Dayton with the Miami to form the Great Miami River plus three major characters equals the formation of a wonderful family saga set in the greater Dayton, Ohio area between 1876-1924. Major world and family events shape the novel while several major floods, including the Great Dayton Flood of 1913, the Wright Brothers, automobile industry, and more affect the family as well as the area.

I enjoyed the continuity of the generations and the emphasis of moving beyond mistakes and missteps to achieve potential and happiness and the setting, which is quite near my hometown and seemed quite familiar even if it was a couple generations before my time.