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When the rain finally let up, Lucinda, George and George Sr., made their way to Sacramento. They reached the city and met Dr. Mitchell Kersey, who operated the town’s hospital. When the doctor learned about Lucinda’s background, he offered her an opportunity to work at his infirmary. Lucinda decided to stay in Sacramento and immediately accepted the position. George also decided to stay because he realized he could fulfill his ambition to become a respected business man if he helped rebuild the town. Everything seems to be falling into place, but Dr. Kersey’s ominous past and expectations concerning Miss Helen McPhail threatened to ruin Lucinda and George’s bright future.
Suzanne Lilly has mixed an intriguing story-line with historical events to inform readers about the early history of one of California’s major cities. It is evident that she did extensive research about this time period. Her straightforward writing style supplied detailed information about the living conditions of the people who survive the flood that actually inundated Sacramento in the winter of 1850. Lilly’s embellished writing style will help readers envision the devastation left behind by the flood waters. Her narrative will emotionally impact readers as it reveals what Lucinda, George and George Sr. saw as they approached the submerged city.
The main themes of God Rush Deluge dealt with love, perseverance, moral conflict and justice. These themes complimented each other as they revealed important information about these intriguing topics. The issues came across well as Lucinda and George faced personal dilemmas and interacted with the other characters. Readers get a strong sense of the characters’ personalities as the story is revealed from the third person point of view. The main character displayed strength and fortitude while they worked to survive harsh conditions. Both characters showed that they were capable leaders, and many readers will be impressed with Lucinda and George’s ability to cope with their difficult circumstances.
It was easy to identify with Lucinda as she struggled with her aim to become a doctor and her desire to be romantically involved with George. As she pursued her goal, it was very evident that she felt constant conflict about how her choices would impact their relationship. Lucinda’s dilemma became even more complicated as she worked closely with Dr. Kersey, and additional layers of complication in the story-line arose as troubling information was revealed about Dr. Kersey and Helen.
Dr. Kersey and Helen’s personalities are a stark contrast to Lucinda and George’s traits. As Lucinda interacted with the antagonists of the story, she learned lessons about trust and realized that there are certain moral dilemmas that many doctors have to face when they practice medicine. George also learned important lessons as he struggled with personal issues and worked toward becoming a successful business man.
I give Gold Rush Deluge 3 out of 4 stars. The dialogue between the characters was realistic, but there are a few grammatical errors and the narrative of the story contained a few mistakes and omissions. Some readers might also be dissatisfied with one of the major scenes which involved Helen. Something awful happened to her but the result of the terrible event wasn’t believable. The experience of many readers would be enhanced if the author addressed these issues.
Even though the book has flaws, the plot and pace of the story will motivate readers to find out about the conflicts and mysteries that envelop the characters. By the end of the story, the relationship issues between Lucinda’s and George were adequately addressed, and it was apparent that their tale would have a happy ending. It seemed as if the couple would experience additional adventures in an upcoming edition of the California Argonaut series. Part of the plot made it clear that George’s implementation of “justice” may come back to haunt him.
This story has a lot of very positive messages which will inform and enlighten readers. I would definitely recommend this book to young people who are thinking about going into the medical field. If you are a fan of historical fiction and/or romance novels, it is more than likely that you will enjoy reading this 187 page book.
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