A captivating reimagining of the intrepid woman who – 8 months pregnant and with a toddler in tow – braved violent earthquakes and treacherous waters on the first steamboat voyage to conquer the Mississippi River and redefine America.
It’s a journey that most deem an insane impossibility. Yet on October 20th, 1811, Lydia Latrobe Roosevelt—daughter of one of the architects of the United States Capitol—fearlessly boards the steamship New Orleans in Pittsburgh. Eight months pregnant and with a toddler in tow, Lydia is fiercely independent despite her youth. She’s also accustomed to defying convention. Against her father’s wishes, she married his much older business colleague, inventor Nicholas Roosevelt—builder of the New Orleans—and spent her honeymoon on a primitive flatboat. But the stakes for this trip are infinitely higher.
If Nicholas’s untried steamboat reaches New Orleans, it will serve as a profitable packet ship between that city and Natchez, proving the power of steam as it travels up and down the Mississippi. Success in this venture would revolutionize travel and trade, open the west to expansion, and secure the Roosevelts’ future.
Lydia had used her own architectural training to design the flatboat’s interior, including a bedroom, sitting area, and fireplace. The steamship, however, dwarfs the canoes and flatboats on the river. And no amount of power or comfort could shield its passengers from risk. Lydia believes herself ready for all the dangers ahead—growing unrest among native people, disease or injury, and the turbulent Falls of the Ohio, a sixty-foot drop long believed impassable in such a large boat.
But there are other challenges in store, impossible to predict as Lydia boards that fall day. Challenges which—if survived—will haunt and transform her, as surely as the journey will alter the course of a nation . . .
Dear Ms. McPhail,
This blurb sounded fascinating. And it actually happened! I eagerly signed up to read this. But I’m sorry to say that I ended up having some problems with the story as told.
Lydia is determined to be with her husband on this first voyage of the steamboat he has designed. It’s 1811 and women don’t do such things especially if they’re eight months pregnant and have a toddler in tow. But then Lydia doesn’t let “no” stop her as she proved when she decided that (much older) Nicholas was the man for her. Brimming with confidence they set out from Pittsburgh for New Orleans not knowing that there will be more dangers waiting for them than they planned on.
The book is told in present tense from Lydia’s POV. Lydia is intelligent and has been trained by her architect father. She and Nicholas spent their honeymoon floating down the Mississippi River on a (bespoke) flatboat two years ago so Lydia (sorta) knows what she’s getting into. But this time she’s got an active toddler with her as well as plans to stop in Louisville, KY to have her baby. Due to her personal history, it’s important to her that she and her husband not be separated from their children for Valid Reasons. Something we will hear about a lot.
Soon Lydia realizes that her nursemaid and one of the crew are exchanging glances. Bessie and Baker are both fine people and Lydia is delighted to help further their courtship. Something we will hear about a lot. Much time and effort have been devoted to not only building this marvelous new means of travel but also decorating it and outfitting it to appeal to the wealthy clientele whom the Roosevelts anticipate will book travel or cargo space on “The New Orleans.” Every care has been taken, every detail attended to. Something we will hear about a lot.
Although Lydia has rock solid reasons for wanting her children with her, Lydia worries and frets all along the way especially after all the problems and issues start piling up. Her daughter is a bundle of energy but toddlers do take a lot of time to look after so having not only Bessie the nursemaid and Sarah the maid but also Tiger the Newfoundland help a lot. We hear about all this. A lot.
Nicholas is a visionary and both he and Lydia know that this steamboat will revolutionize river travel and open up this new land. Lydia thinks about this and worries because of the Indians but the story stays true to how most settlers probably felt about Manifest Destiny. The skirmishes that would turn into the War of 1812 are kicking off and at one point, those aboard the steamboat were afraid that Indians stirred up by Tecumseh might be after them. Modern opinions on all of this will probably not match those of the Roosevelts and other settlers of the time.
The book isn’t that long and yet it reads very slowly. Lydia has to think and overthink everything. There is a lot of repetition. So much repetition. At times it got tedious. Lydia and Nicholas also both read as very modern in their views on women. Was this true? I don’t know. I think I might have enjoyed a non-fictionalized account better but I did learn a lot about this voyage, early steamboats, and the horrific earthquakes of 1811/1812. C+
~Jayne
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Jayne
Another long time reader who read romance novels in her teens, then took a long break before started back again about 25 years ago. She enjoys historical romance/fiction best, likes contemporaries, action- adventure and mysteries, will read suspense if there’s no TSTL characters and is currently reading more fantasy and SciFi.
