Book Description:

From the author of The Personal History of Rachel Dupree, shortlisted for the Orange Award for New Writers and longlisted for the Orange Prize.

1900. Young pianist Catherine Wainwright flees the fashionable town of Dayton, Ohio in the wake of a terrible scandal. Heartbroken and facing destitution, she finds herself striking up correspondence with a childhood admirer, the recently widowed Oscar Williams. In desperation she agrees to marry him, but when Catherine travels to Oscar’s farm on Galveston Island, Texas—a thousand miles from home—she finds she is little prepared for the life that awaits her.

The island is remote, the weather sweltering, and Oscar’s little boy Andre is grieving hard for his lost mother. And though Oscar tries to please his new wife, the secrets of the past sit uncomfortably between them.

Meanwhile for Nan Ogden, Oscar’s housekeeper, Catherine’s sudden arrival has come as a great shock. For not only did she promise Oscar’s first wife that she would be the one to take care of little Andre, but she has feelings for Oscar which she is struggling to suppress. And when the worst storm in a generation descends, the women will find themselves tested as never before.

My Thoughts:

Catherine Wainwright has been scandalized in Ohio society and knows she must leave.  As an accomplished pianist, she this thinks about going somewhere to teach piano but know it would still be a difficult life as a woman alone.  She starts corresponding with an old friend that she grew up with.  Oscar Williams is a recently widowed dairy farmer on the island of Galveston, Texas.  It is a very isolated place.

When Oscar writes to Katherine with a marriage proposal, she hastily accepts and hops on the train.  Oscar meets her at the station, they have lunch and then they get married.  They then take the boat ride to the island and as they approach she sees how remote it really is.

Oscar takes her home to meet his son, Andre, who is still grieving for his mother.  She also meets their housekeeper, Nan who loves both Andre and Oscar,  She was best friends with Oscars wife, whom asked her to take care Andre for her.

Nan has trouble accepting Katherine as Oscars wife and Katherine has trouble getting use to her new family and the lesser cultured people on the island.  However, she does try.

Then, the worst storm of the 20th century in the U.S. hits the island.

The storm really happened and was deemed “the worst natural disaster.”  Ann Weisgarber knew that there were accounts of what happened in Galveston but not on the remote part of the island.

She did a great job capturing the time, place, and landscape.  I felt like I was there with her descriptions.  She also created great characters that came to life.  Ann Weisgarber is the The Personal History of Rachel Dupree, which is on my “to be read”.  Reading The Promise has made me want to read it even more.  I highly recommend The Promise to fans of historical and literary fiction.

5/5

I received this novel for my honest review.

About Ann Weisgarber:

Ann Weisgarber’s first novel was the critically acclaimed The Personal History of Rachel DuPree. She was nominated for England’s 2009 Orange Prize and for the 2009 Orange
Award for New Writers. In the United States, she won the Stephen Turner Award for New Fiction and the Langum Prize for American Historical Fiction. She was shortlisted for the
Ohioana Book Award and was a Barnes and Noble Discover New Writer. She serves on the selection committee for the Langum Prize in American Historical Fiction.

She divides her time between Sugar Land, TX and Galveston, TX. Her website is http://annweisgarber.com.