Along the Endless River by Rose Alexander
In the heart of the rainforest, Katharine will fight for her life and for love?
1890: When Katharine and her husband, Anselmo, set sail to Brazil to reap the spoils of the rubber boom, it seems as if they cannot fail. But when Anselmo dies suddenly on the treacherous waters of the Amazon, a pregnant Katharine must decide whether or not to continue her husband’s dream, alone.
Meanwhile her sister Mabel is struggling to support their family back in London. Navigating new worlds in the upper class, she discovers that life as a housemaid has its own dangers, and Mabel soon learns that the whims of men can prove deadly…
Mabel and Katharine must both fight for their futures if they are ever to be reunited. Can they find love and happiness along the way?
A stunning saga of love, betrayal, secrets and family for fans of Dinah Jefferies, Erica Brown and Renita D'Silva.
Author Bio:
Rose Alexander has had more careers than she cares to mention and is currently a secondary school English teacher. She writes in the holidays, weekends and evenings, whenever she has a chance, although with three children, a husband, a lodger and a cat, this isn't always as often as she'd like. She’s a keen sewist and is on a mission to make all her own clothes.
Review
‘Along The Endless River’ was a engrossing read as it beautifully detailed a period of history I knew nothing about, had a amazing strong female lead character and a plot that was superbly detailed. It’s a great piece of historical fiction based in Brazil during the rubber boom!
I really enjoyed the tale of Katharine and her husband, who put all their eggs in one basket and sailed off into the Amazon to make their fortune in rubber. There are a lot of twists and turns to keep the audience engaged and they were great. I was fully gripped whilst reading this tale and devoured the book in one day! We also find out more about Katharine siblings and family which added extra layers to the story.
The star of this book was the character of Katharine. She is feisty, strong willed, hugely determined to succeed but also shows a great empathy for the local populations. Which was historically a time of exploitation of the indigenous population, whereas Katharine knew she wanted a more working collaboration with them. I found this to be extremely refreshing as it does tally with my ethos and therefore I found the plot more believable. There are some dark aspects to the plot but they are dealt with compassion and with understanding.
I really enjoyed this book - 4⭐️‘s from me!
