Four towns, gone. Dismantled slowly while their inhabitants grieve for a history and heritage that has been voted away from them. The present threatens; the future belongs to the fearless.
“Beside the Still Waters” is a family saga based on an actual event which displaced four entire towns in central Massachusetts for the construction of a reservoir. Today, the Quabbin Reservoir provides water for millions of citizens, primarily in the greater Boston area.
Families are divided between those who protest the construction project, those who give up and leave, and those who help to build it. The central character is Jenny, a girl who comes of age facing the extinction of her community, who becomes the guardian of her family’s heritage, and ultimately, the one to decide what happens to them.
A rift between two brothers, Eli and John Vaughn, at the turn of the 20th Century continues through to the next generation as John tries to use Jenny, Eli’s daughter, in a plot to regain the family farm from Alonzo, who now runs it, who is Jenny's love. John is broke and eager to sell the farm to the state, which is buying up area property for the coming reservoir. Both Alonzo and Eli refuse to sell their properties, and protest removal by eminent domain. Torn between loyalty to her family and heritage, and the allure of a future beyond the valley, Jenny refuses to remain powerless like the men she loves, but looks for a way to take control. A disastrous decision may prove fatal in a race against time.
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2 comments:
Jacqueline T. Lynch - doing her bit for the economy. You are solely responsible my serious rethink about purchasing a kindle or similar device.
You crack me up, Caftan Woman. Actually, I'm doing my bit for my personal stake in this economy -- just trying to keep the wolf away from the door.
Though I confess, I've been doing a rethink about the wolf. It might be better to stop trying to keep him away from the door. I'm thinking of just letting him in the house, putting down a bowl of water for him. Keeping a sack of Purina Wolf Chow under the sink. Scratching him behind his ears, rubbing his belly. Maybe putting a colorful bandana around his neck, take him to the park and teach him to retrieve a frisbee.
Make friends with the wolf. I've come to the conclusion he's always going to be with me. We might as well be friends.
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