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I Got Here As Fast As I Could
All over New Orleans, people are getting ready for Hurricane Katrina. No emergency preparations, however, could adequately protect them from the devastating storm heading their way.
Longtime residents Rob and Penny Anderson find themselves abandoned by the elderly transportation program. Their Gentilly home fills with water, the heat rises, and their medication supply dwindles.
At Saint Liberatus Hospital, Dr. Ray Reid is appointed head of emergency preparations. As people crowd into the hospital seeking shelter, he and his staff risk their own lives trying to save as many patients as possible. Just like the Andersons, Reid feels abandoned by emergency services. The generators have broken down, patients are dying, and no help is in sight.
Outside of New Orleans, Ava Cabot and Remy Devereaux join the rescue efforts with Remy’s small boat. They and the Cajun Navy, a volunteer force, begin a series of dangerous rescue missions into the heart of the flooded city.
In the aftermath of the storm, the stories of the Andersons, the hospital staff, and Ava and Remy all connect in unexpected ways in this poignant novel honoring the victims and celebrating the heroes of one of the worst natural disasters in American history.
Longtime residents Rob and Penny Anderson find themselves abandoned by the elderly transportation program. Their Gentilly home fills with water, the heat rises, and their medication supply dwindles.
At Saint Liberatus Hospital, Dr. Ray Reid is appointed head of emergency preparations. As people crowd into the hospital seeking shelter, he and his staff risk their own lives trying to save as many patients as possible. Just like the Andersons, Reid feels abandoned by emergency services. The generators have broken down, patients are dying, and no help is in sight.
Outside of New Orleans, Ava Cabot and Remy Devereaux join the rescue efforts with Remy’s small boat. They and the Cajun Navy, a volunteer force, begin a series of dangerous rescue missions into the heart of the flooded city.
In the aftermath of the storm, the stories of the Andersons, the hospital staff, and Ava and Remy all connect in unexpected ways in this poignant novel honoring the victims and celebrating the heroes of one of the worst natural disasters in American history.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
247 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 4, 2015
3 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 21, 2019
Katrina Up Close
This book is recent fictional history. As I read it, I remembered watching the reports on television, the interviews with survivors, and the unbelievable images of the flood that came after everyone had relaxed and thought they were safe.
The beginning of the book, a prologue, grabbed me with its story. But I didn’t feel it was woven into the remainder of the book as well as it could have been.
Nevertheless, I kept reading and near the end it caused me to stay up well past my bedtime to finish. I appreciated what I felt to be a mostly true relating of what it was like to be down there among the flooded homes and trying with whatever was at hand to save those in their attics and on their roofs. I think some things may have been a little exaggerated, the danger of alligators in the water, for one. I’ve lived in Florida and I know with so much easy food in the water it’s unlikely gators were much interested in live humans.
My biggest problem, which, again, did not keep the book from being an interesting read, was there wasn’t a lot of present story. There was a lot of information about the characters’ lives in the past, but only the barest details of their present lives. Maybe it was enough information. I’m sure some will feel it was.
I loved the protagonist, but she does things in parts of the book that I thought seemed inconsistent with what we know of her character.
Despite any of that, I still found it to be a good book and worthy of the time it took to read it.
This book is recent fictional history. As I read it, I remembered watching the reports on television, the interviews with survivors, and the unbelievable images of the flood that came after everyone had relaxed and thought they were safe.
The beginning of the book, a prologue, grabbed me with its story. But I didn’t feel it was woven into the remainder of the book as well as it could have been.
Nevertheless, I kept reading and near the end it caused me to stay up well past my bedtime to finish. I appreciated what I felt to be a mostly true relating of what it was like to be down there among the flooded homes and trying with whatever was at hand to save those in their attics and on their roofs. I think some things may have been a little exaggerated, the danger of alligators in the water, for one. I’ve lived in Florida and I know with so much easy food in the water it’s unlikely gators were much interested in live humans.
My biggest problem, which, again, did not keep the book from being an interesting read, was there wasn’t a lot of present story. There was a lot of information about the characters’ lives in the past, but only the barest details of their present lives. Maybe it was enough information. I’m sure some will feel it was.
I loved the protagonist, but she does things in parts of the book that I thought seemed inconsistent with what we know of her character.
Despite any of that, I still found it to be a good book and worthy of the time it took to read it.
October 17, 2015
I really liked the way Del Giudice brought response to the storm and flood to a very personal encounter. Never having been to New Orleans (It was months later when I spent some time with a volunteer group helping with storm surge, rain & wind damage restoration at Gulfport) this book brought the desperation and resiliency of the people home to me. So, that part is five star.
I'm a slow reader and grammar nerd, so I see little things -- typos, misspellings, small usage errors. The book really needs a copy editor who does a thorough job. (I say this while admitting that my first novel published with too many typos not found in time.) Seeing errors took me into a reading mode of watching for more. I began to question why the stories of two people are told in first person while the main protagonist, whose inner thoughts are shared often, is told in third person. I wonder if it wouldn't have been a better book with Ava also in first person.
The book certainly does not stink, but Ms. Del Guidice's description makes sure her readers are aware of the overpowering odors of the flood. A good first novel -- I hope she'll keep writing.
I'm a slow reader and grammar nerd, so I see little things -- typos, misspellings, small usage errors. The book really needs a copy editor who does a thorough job. (I say this while admitting that my first novel published with too many typos not found in time.) Seeing errors took me into a reading mode of watching for more. I began to question why the stories of two people are told in first person while the main protagonist, whose inner thoughts are shared often, is told in third person. I wonder if it wouldn't have been a better book with Ava also in first person.
The book certainly does not stink, but Ms. Del Guidice's description makes sure her readers are aware of the overpowering odors of the flood. A good first novel -- I hope she'll keep writing.
August 30, 2015
I just happened to get this book, not realizing at the time that it was about New Orleans & the devastating Katrina Storm. And, also coincidentally, the ten year anniversary of Katrina. If you actually lived through or helped with the horrifying results of the storm, I doubt you would want to relive it through this novel. That is a compliment to the writer, who makes all the characters, both victims and rescuers, come to life on these pages. Having been safely far away from this tragedy in 2005 I learned a lot from reading this book. Although it is a work of fiction there are certain details in the book of particular locations and incidents that I recalled clearly hearing or reading about from news sources at that time. I recommend this book to anyone that will not have to live through Katrina a second time.
February 22, 2016
Novel Retelling of Katrina's Devastation of New Orleans
I generally liked this book. It is a Retelling of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, told from the perspective of a few different characters. There is a doctor trapped in a hospital in a poor neighborhood - working with his staff to care for patients, waiting for promised rescue that continually fails to show up - until in desperation he calls the national news media. There is an older couple trapped in their attic with their dog, waiting for rescue. Finally, there is Ava, who lives in Maine but whose late father was born and raised in New Orleans. Together with a cousin, they head to New Orleans with their boat - as volunteers, rescuing as many people (and dogs) as they can reach.
I generally liked this book. It is a Retelling of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, told from the perspective of a few different characters. There is a doctor trapped in a hospital in a poor neighborhood - working with his staff to care for patients, waiting for promised rescue that continually fails to show up - until in desperation he calls the national news media. There is an older couple trapped in their attic with their dog, waiting for rescue. Finally, there is Ava, who lives in Maine but whose late father was born and raised in New Orleans. Together with a cousin, they head to New Orleans with their boat - as volunteers, rescuing as many people (and dogs) as they can reach.
September 10, 2015
Well written, informative, great reminder of us as a people, a nation , family, and human being
Well worth your time . Good read!!! Would like to read more by this author. Great job looking fo.rward to the next book.
Well worth your time . Good read!!! Would like to read more by this author. Great job looking fo.rward to the next book.
Want to read
February 25, 2016kindle 257 katrina
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews