In Sunlight, in a Beautiful Garden

by Kathleen Cambor | Literature & Fiction |
ISBN: 0374165378 Global Overview for this book
Registered by Oldbroad of Grapeview, Washington USA on 7/11/2004
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16 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by Oldbroad from Grapeview, Washington USA on Sunday, July 11, 2004
The story of a bittersweet romance set against the backdrop of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania flood of 1889.

Journal Entry 2 by Oldbroad from Grapeview, Washington USA on Friday, November 26, 2004
Released in postal trde to LyekkaMarengo in Pennsylvania.

Journal Entry 3 by LyekkaMarengo from Warriors Mark, Pennsylvania USA on Tuesday, November 30, 2004
Received from oldbroad. Thanks a lot.
02/25/2005 I'm about halfway through this book and am enjoying very much. I've decided to organize a book ray for this book since it is not a very well know book. In checking Cliffs wishlist I only found 5 people who have it on their wishlists. I'll PM them to see if they are interested in the ray, and also put it up on forum and the e-mail group.

2/28/2005: I finished this book this week-end and I thought this was a really good read. The book is based on real people and real events but a fictionalized version of the Johnstown, PA,USA flood of 1889, caused by the defective dam at the South Forks Hunting and Fishing Club. The blurb on the book bills it as a love story but really the major part of the book was involved with exploring the backgrounds and characters of the people involved in the South Forks Hunting Club and the lives of the people in Johnstown. I live in Central PA so the book made mention of a lot of places and events I was familiar with but it was still a compelling story written by Kathleen Cambor. She has a wonderful way of describing things and her description of the flood captured the scope, force and sheer terror of the event. It is well worth reading just for that.

Even having lived near Johnstown all my life I have never gone to the Flood Memorial Museum but after reading this I think I will put on my TBD (to be done) list for the summer.

Journal Entry 4 by LyekkaMarengo from Warriors Mark, Pennsylvania USA on Friday, February 25, 2005
Bookray was mailed 3/4/2005. Order at this time:

1. pam99 - UK- arrived safe and sound 3/9/2005
2. heathwitch - UK - received 03/19/2005
3. lauraloo29 - Canada - received 05/31/2005 - just as I was getting worried that it got lost on it's journey. BTW thanks heathwitch for replying to my worried PM so quickly. lauraloo29 has finished book and is mailing on as of 06/07/2005
4. Megi53 - VA - Received 06/22/2005.Finished 07/18/2005.
5. Ladybug01 - VA - Received 08/05/2005
6. YeaBooks - PA-received but passed on un-read. Will PM her when the book comes back to me.
7. Adia415 - OH - RECEIVED 11/25/2005
8. quinnsmom - CA - got the book as a RABCK - asked to be skipped

9. momofap - Iowa - received 12/28/2005

10. Darkangll - FL
11. gkkk4 - MA
12. Apolonia - MA
13. Back to LyekkaMarengo to be put out at my OBCZ at Stone Soup


Note: This is a hard cover book, but not very thick.

Journal Entry 5 by wingpam99wing from Isle of Cumbrae, Scotland United Kingdom on Wednesday, March 9, 2005
received in bookray today, thank you! I have one other book ahead of it in the queue but I will pass this on as soon as possible.

Journal Entry 6 by wingpam99wing from Isle of Cumbrae, Scotland United Kingdom on Tuesday, March 15, 2005
This was a good book - a complex read, but not necessarily in a bad way! I did find it difficult to keep track of the characters at some points, but it was beautifully written. Will pm heathwitch for an address and pass it on asap.

Journal Entry 7 by wingpam99wing from Isle of Cumbrae, Scotland United Kingdom on Friday, March 18, 2005
mailing to Heathwitch today

Journal Entry 8 by heathwitch from Glossop, Derbyshire United Kingdom on Monday, March 21, 2005
Received as part of a bookray on 19th March, and I'm already a few chapters in :) I'll post detailed thoughts when I've read it, and pass it on accordingly then.

Journal Entry 9 by heathwitch from Glossop, Derbyshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Sadly, I have too much on my To Be Read pile at the moment and it looks like I'm not going to finish this novel anytime soon :( so I am posting this on to lauraloo29 in Canada. Shame too, as what I read of it was really enjoyable.

Journal Entry 10 by winglauraloo29wing from Edmonton, Alberta Canada on Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Arrived today! I'm in the middle of another bookring, but I will get to this book soon. THank you!

Journal Entry 11 by winglauraloo29wing from Edmonton, Alberta Canada on Tuesday, June 7, 2005
I wanted to enjoy this book, but for some reason just couldn't. I got characters confused and at times the story seemed to move slowly. I did however, want to know how it turned out, so I did quickly read the last couple of chapters. :)

This will go in the mail on June 13th to Virginia. Thank you for sharing!

Journal Entry 12 by Megi53 from Danville, Virginia USA on Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Waiting for me when I got home from work. I'm so glad it came today, because I'll see my relatives from Johnstown tomorrow, and we can discuss it.

I read the author's note and the prologue already, and I like Cambor's writing style. Sounds like the plot will have lots of rich/poor class conflict.

Journal Entry 13 by Megi53 from Danville, Virginia USA on Monday, July 18, 2005
I'm very glad I had a chance to read this book. The best parts for me were the inside look at upper-class customs (the debutantes in white and their lesser "guest", Evelyn, in pink); the exquisite descriptions of nature as Nora pursued her interest in entomology, and the engineering-type explanations of Bessemer converters and earth dam construction and repair.

Romance spoilers: The really romantic plot line concerned Andrew Mellon and his doomed fiancee. His devotion (up to and including singing Christmas carols to her on her deathbed) was so touching.

I'm glad Frank and Julia ended up so close that even a horse crashing into their dead bodies couldn't separate them. It was quite poignant the way Julia just recovered herself and returned to her music the very day she died. (Hmm -- did Cambor deliberately develop these music/death threads in the plot?)

It was satisfying to me that Daniel and Grace were thwarted in their courtships. Grace seemed sleazy, to abort a baby she wanted because she was angry with her husband and to sneak away from her old life without even a note. And how dare Daniel try to beat Nora up when the dam failed!? She was never a member of the Club's inner circle, and her father tried his utmost to keep the dam safe! Daniel was a morose jerk!


Flanking the main historical event, the Johnstown Flood of 1899, with the War Between the States and World War I events involving the characters' families was a very effective plot construction. I'm going to look for The Book Of Mercy because I like Cambor's writing style.

My Johnstown relatives said they'd read this book, but they were more excited about discussing The DaVinci Code!

Mailing to the next person this afternoon.


Journal Entry 14 by Ladybug01 on Friday, August 5, 2005
This came while I was at National Scout Jamboree. Leaving in AM for vacation so will read it when I get back!
>(:::)

Journal Entry 15 by Ladybug01 on Saturday, November 5, 2005
Wow, sorry this took me so long to read, schedule so busy once kids back in school!

It was the title that first caught my interest when I signed up for this bookray! I really enjoyed the characters in this book. The book is based on real people and real events surrounding the flood of Johnstown, PA, in 1889. It was interesting to learn about what life was like for the people in Johnstown and about the people involved in the South Forks Hunting Club. I've always enjoyed historically-based novels.

Sending the book to YeaBooks.

Journal Entry 16 by YeaBooks from Huntingdon, Pennsylvania USA on Wednesday, November 16, 2005
I received this book last week as part of the bookray. The story interests me because the Johnstown setting is familiar to me. However, I just don't think I have the time to read it right now. So, I am passing it on to Adia415 this weekend so I don't stall the bookray. I put it on my list to watch for at book sales, etc.

Journal Entry 17 by Adia415 from Cleves, Ohio USA on Friday, November 25, 2005
The book arrived today safe and sound. I am just about finished with my current read, and then I'll delve right into this one!

Journal Entry 18 by Adia415 from Cleves, Ohio USA on Thursday, December 8, 2005
I finished this today. What a lovely read! This was great historical fiction. Knowing about the event ahead of time though filled me with such a great sense of impending doom. I felt a little nervous every time I turned a page because I knew what was coming. But it was beautifully written, and the characters were deep and interesting.

I've PMed quinnsmom and will send it out to her soon.

UPDATE: Heard from quinnsmom that she's received this book as a RABCK and has asked to be skipeed. So, I've PMed momofap and will send it out when I hear back.

Journal Entry 19 by Adia415 from Cleves, Ohio USA on Wednesday, December 14, 2005
I'm sending this off to momofap. Enjoy!

Journal Entry 20 by momofap from Sheldon, Iowa USA on Wednesday, December 28, 2005
This book arrived in the mail today! I need to finish reading one more bookring book before I can start this one. I hope to start it by Jan.3,2006.

Journal Entry 21 by momofap from Sheldon, Iowa USA on Monday, January 16, 2006
This book moved really slow for me. The storyline was interesting, but it seemed to really drag. I really did not enjoy the ending of this book. This was a case of an OK book, but won't read it again. Will have to really think about it, before trying this author again. Will send this book to the next reader as soon as I have an address.

Journal Entry 22 by Darkangll from Port Saint Lucie, Florida USA on Saturday, January 28, 2006
I received this book in the mail about 2 days ago. Can't wait to start reading it. Thanks for sharing!

Journal Entry 23 by Darkangll from Port Saint Lucie, Florida USA on Thursday, February 23, 2006
PM'd gkkk4 for an address to send this book to. I think I will take a break from reading. I can't seem to get the books finished :(

Mailed 4/3/06.

Journal Entry 24 by gkkk4 from Lake Oswego, Oregon USA on Saturday, April 8, 2006
Just received in this bookray yesterday - already a few pages into it! I'll post my review when I'm done. Thanks!

Journal Entry 25 by gkkk4 from Lake Oswego, Oregon USA on Sunday, April 23, 2006
I am so glad to have had a chance to read this book. It brings to very real life a small chunk of time and culture in a specific place in post-Civil War America.

I had skimmed the prior journal entries before starting the book and one caught my eye, in which the reader said the book dragged for her. That comment stuck in the back of my mind as I read, but what I found was that the pace of the read very well fit the time of the book. Life moved at a slower pace in those days, and time was more filled for many people with their family interactions, with reading, with contemplation (read: without TV or even radio yet at that time to pull our attentions away from those things). Leisure was more ... leisurely. So I enjoyed that about the book.

Another aspect that was of great interest was the attitude of the members of the South Fork Club: because they were captains of industry and wealth, they personified the attitudes of their time that their lives were important; the lives of others who lived without their grandiose levels of money and materialism just were not (in their eyes). Those lives were "little" and "meaningless" - in fact we find out those lives were every bit as rich and fulfilling, if not as full of money, as those of the Carnegies, Mellons, Fricks. They were every bit as valuable.

And thus the tragedy is all the more wrenching and terrible when the dam bursts, because we've gained an insight into the lives of the citizens of Johnstown; we've become friends with some of them; we've lived through their joys and pains as well. And at the same time seen the sense of entitlement that allowed the members of the South Fork Club (those same Carnegies, Mellons, and others) to turn a blind eye and deaf ear to the fact that the dam that held back their lovely lake from the city below, twenty million tons of water, was unstable and unsafe, and finally, unable to hold.

Well. As I said, I'm very glad to have read this book. Thank you LyekkaMarengo, for making it available. I've PM'd Apolonia, the next reader, and will send it on as soon as I have an address.

Journal Entry 26 by Apolonia from Lynn, Massachusetts USA on Friday, May 5, 2006
Received today, will get to it asap. Thanks for sharing!

Journal Entry 27 by Apolonia from Lynn, Massachusetts USA on Tuesday, June 6, 2006
Sorry LyekkaMarengo, I kind of spaced on this one and combination have been busy/forgot about it. I will try to get to it asap.

Journal Entry 28 by Apolonia from Lynn, Massachusetts USA on Wednesday, July 5, 2006
Even though this is a wishlist book for me I just can't get into it. Rtaher than hold on to it any longer I am going to send it home to LyekkaMarengo. Sorry again for the delay.

Journal Entry 29 by LyekkaMarengo from Warriors Mark, Pennsylvania USA on Thursday, July 13, 2006
Woo-Hoo!! This ring was my second attempt at a ring and after a year and four months it's come back. I'm lending it to my sister (70cuda) who was sort of put out when she found out I had sent it on a ring before she had a chance at it and then??? Not sure. I may see if anyone else is interested.

Journal Entry 30 by LyekkaMarengo from Warriors Mark, Pennsylvania USA on Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Sent out yesterday to YeaBooks in Huntingdon, PA since she didn't get a chance to finish it. Feel free to do with it as you like.

Journal Entry 31 by wingAnonymousFinderwing on Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Left the book at the OBCZ at Webster's in State College, W. Aaron Drive. Sorry it took me so long to be done with it!

Journal Entry 32 by SecondSCOBCZ at Webster's Cafe On Aaron in State College, Pennsylvania USA on Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Released 15 yrs ago (6/3/2008 UTC) at Webster's Cafe On Aaron in State College, Pennsylvania USA

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

Back in the "Zone".

Journal Entry 33 by bhsnurse at Nurses Office in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania USA on Saturday, July 19, 2008

Released 15 yrs ago (7/19/2008 UTC) at Nurses Office in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania USA

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

will release this week to bookcrossing bookshelf

Journal Entry 34 by SecondSCOBCZ from State College, Pennsylvania USA on Tuesday, July 29, 2008
as of 7/25/2008 book was taken from the Zone but has not yet been journaled by it's reader.

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