When Hope Sank: April 27, 1865. The day the steamboat, the Sultana, went down and over 1,100 people died.
The book is the third in the series, A Day to Remember.
Such research went into this book. Like many history buffs (I’m one via my genealogy research and no, I didn’t have anyone on the Sultana.), I’ve read about the Sultana tragedy and wondered if it was an accident, poor judgment, or what we would call today a terrorist act. This is a novel based on a historical event. The Sultana remains the worst maritime disaster in United States history.
The novel, When Hope Sank, is a window into what happened, the survivors and those who cared for them. The Civil War had ended only days before (April 9th). Soldiers were coming home. Those who hated still hated — whether Union or Confederate.
One passenger on board the Sultana was a doctor, Lt. Cade Palmer, who was freed from Andersonville Prison. His best friend, James Caldwell, had also survived and Cade knew he wouldn’t have made it without James. The ship was overcrowded. Massively so. The upper deck had been braced with heavy wooden beams. A blast tore through the boat and Cade stopped worrying about the sick & injured on board. Now it was about getting as many off the ship as he and James could do plus saving themselves. The fires were moving fast and time was of the essence.
Those ashore heard the blasts and ran toward the Mississippi to see what happened. Those who thought a moment came more prepared with wagons and blankets to transport the injured. Lucy Livingston’s Uncle Chad was one of those. Lucy worked at her uncle’s establishment, River Rest, an inn with a private room where meetings were not always ones where what was discussed was meant for anyone outside the room to hear.
Dr. Palmer was taken along with many others including James to River Rest with a badly injured hand, the hand that he needed to continue to do surgery. Lucy became Dr. Palmer’s primary caretaker. Lucy worked at River Rest, but was treated, especially by “aunt” Susanna like a servant, not as a niece. Lucy held her tongue because she had no way to provide for herself and her younger brother, Jacob. Also part of River Rest were Martha and her daughter Mika now freed but nothing had changed about their lives and working conditions.
Before you jump to the conclusion this is a romance …
This story has that element but is far more. There’s the older doctor who is caring for the injured and considers Dr. Palmer an upstart and his insistence about the treatment of his hand to be wrong. Wrong. Wrong. There’s the daughter of Uncle Chad but who is more like her mother Susanna. A girl whose jealousy has her make bad decisions which impact others. The young man who everyone thinks is Lucy’s “intended” returns from the war uninjured in body but is not the same man she knew. And most important, a mystery entwined throughout that could cost Lucy her life.
I highly recommend When Hope Sank. A novel but an educational one. This book is number three in the “A Day to Remember” series. I am now eager to read the previous two books. The series features “historic American disasters that transformed landscapes and multiple lives. Whether by nature or by man, these disasters changed history and were a day to be remembered.“
Barbour Publishing’s mission is “to inspire the world with the life-changing message of the Bible” and this story meets that goal. Faith brings the doctor and Lucy together. You will feel with the doctor his concern about his best friend James, an unbeliever. The words are never hammered at the reader but are gently part of that person’s personna. To this reviewer, the best way to present our Lord’s message.
I received a complimentary DRC (digital review copy) of When Hope Sank via NetGalley from the publisher, Barbour. A positive review was not required; the opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
Rating: 5 stars
Series: A Day to Remember, #3
Cover: Absolutely perfect!!!!!!!
Pages: 259
Publish Date: 1 May 2024
#WhenHopeSank #NetGalley #DeniseWeimer
