Lorna Seilstad's A Great Catch ~ Reviewed

A GREAT CATCH
By Lorna Seilstad
Published by Revell
ISBN#978-0-807-3446-6
380 Pages

Back Cover:

She wants to change the world. He wants to change her mind.

Review:

I’ve seen Making Waves and A Great Catch book covers and they both have made me stop in my tracks and pick them up to look inside. When the opportunity came to receive a review copy of this book I jumped at the chance to read A Great Catch.

Life on Lake Manawa, Iowa in 1901 was amusing and humorous to read about. This novel was not all fluff, but showed what Emily Graham went thru in her fight to get women the right to vote. Not everyone wanted change including the women.

Emily is twenty two years old. Her Aunt’s Millie and Ethel and her Grandma Kate all are on a mission to get Emily married. The most important thing for a woman was to be married. Didn’t Emily understand it was more important than helping women to get the right to vote? After all Emily was twenty two now and some men did not want a woman that advanced in age!

Emily was determined to fight the good fight for the right to vote. She wanted to make her own decisions, think for herself, and not have to answer to anyone! She didn’t need someone to tell her what to do!

Grandma Kate tells Emily, “We all answer to someone. I answer to God, and so do you…Men and women are equal…But equal doesn’t mean identical. Men aren’t unnecessary; dear…your grandpa was a part of me. We faced the world together. That’s how God planned It.!”

Emily wasn’t going to let a man run her life, but what about God? Had she even asked Him about his plans for her life? Would He make her stop fighting for women’s rights? She was afraid to ask!

Then she literally bumps into Carter Stockton, recent college graduate, and a pitcher for the Manawa Owls baseball team; at the roller skating rink. Carter asks Emily out to the theatre along with her Aunts to see a play about women’s rights. She realizes Carter may not be the one for her – was he making fun of her passion for women’s rights by taking her to this play? Carter thinks she may not be the one for him as he realizes Emily is much too obsessed with the women’s rights movement by being the chapter president, writing articles about the subject and holding rally’s. She was willing to give up time with God to do this too!. God was his passion. That and baseball!

Sparks start to fly when Emily gets the idea to write the Bloomers Girls Team to play against a men’s baseball team in her hometown. She asks Carter if his team would and he agrees under one condition…Emily plays short stop on his team! Emily’s insecurities about being physically uncoordinated rise to the forefront and she hesitates. But then takes on the challenge to help in the women’s right to vote. She would do almost anything for the cause.

I enjoyed the historical aspect to the story very much. The author says, “The Bloomer Girls team was real and existed form 1890-1934. Not only was this team providing a form of entertainment but it’s main reason to exist was to show the world they could hit, field, slide and catch as well as any man!”

This author made me want to live on Lake Manawa, where life was simple, street cars, horses and walking were the main ways to get around. The town marveled at electricity and was thankful they had lights at night. The characters were believable, and made you want to hang around them. This author showed change wasn’t easy or welcome by men and women. Each were concerned about what would this change mean to their way of life, love and the future? I enjoyed Carters and Emily’s spiritual struggle. Even though times were very different their spiritual struggle is universal and reminded me of what’s really important in the scheme of life.

A Great Catch is a historical romance novel that gives an intriguing look at love, romance and marriage. I highly recommend this as a great summer read or any time! I’ll definitely be reading more from this author!

Reviewed by: Nora St.Laurent
The Book Club Network
Finding Hope Through Fiction