Seneca Lake

By: Emily Heebner

Narrated by: Ann Marie Lee

Length: 4 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's Summary

It's 1944, and high-school senior Meg Michaels has always obeyed her grandparents' wishes, till now. They're urging her to give up her dream of Cornell University and accept a ring from wealthy Hank Wickham before he deploys overseas.

But Meg has studied hard and yearns for something better than life in the rural Finger Lakes. Plus, Meg's suddenly fascinated with her childhood friend, Arthur Young, a handsome Seneca Indian farm worker.

When Meg and Arthur nurse a sick puppy to health, their friendship transforms into love. But locals look down on "injuns" and resent the fact that Arthur's farm job exempts him from military duty.

While the war rages in Europe, Meg and Arthur must fight their own battles at home....

©2019 The Wild Rose Press (P)2019 Emily Heebner

Superb Writing and Narration

Seneca Lake by Emily Heebner is a superbly written coming of age story, targeting both young adults and readers of all ages alike. With characters that feel alive and vivid descriptions that pop with colors in the listener's mind, Seneca Lake is one of those magical novels just perfect to be released as an audiobook.

The action of Seneca Lake takes place in a small town in upstate New York, during the mid-1940's. With World War II raging in Europe, a young girl has to struggle with the preconceptions of that era and must fight for her beliefs. I really don't want to spoil any of the plot points for those reading this review, so all I'll say is that I cared deeply for some of the characters in Seneca Lake and that if you give this book a chance you are in for a treat.

Emily Heebner's flowing, enjoyable and easy to follow writing style perfectly captures the look and feel of the surroundings of Seneca Lake, of those times and the people of that period. Touching on social issues that are still relevant today, such as love, friendship, racism, bullying or the place of a person in society, Seneca Lake delivers a strong and positive message of hope.

All the good things that I mentioned above would have been lost in an audiobook production if that said production was not handled with love and care by a great voice-over artist. Luckily, actor and award-winning narrator Ann Marie Lee is just such a professional, just perfect for Seneca Lake. She brings all the characters to life with credible voices and accents, enriching the narrative experience for the listener and elevating the level of immersion to an entirely new high. Ann Marie Lee fills this already great story with emotion and passion. I was instantly in love with her performance and her voices, although this was the first time I listened to an audiobook performed by Ann Marie Lee.

So, if you are in the mood for a short coming of age story, with a touch of romance and of historical fiction, I highly recommend Seneca Lake.

If you liked this review, please vote Helpful below and find more of them here and on theAudiobookBlog.

I also post honest reviews at the author, narrator, or publisher's request, you can get in touch with me for more details.

Glimpse into a life at these times

This is the first book I’ve read/listened to by this author and I would listen to another. A wonderful tale that could easily be a true story. It touches on many issues during the years surrounding the war- a woman’s place in society, lack of respect for natives, motivations for joining the fighting, realities of war on the soldiers and those left at home.

This is the first book I’ve listened to by this narrator ( Ann Marie Lee ). Her voice is perfect for this sad romance/ historical story. She gives each character a voice. Her voice acting helped me visualize the events/people in the story since she tells the tale, not just reads it.

There are no explicit sex scenes, excessive violence or swearing.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and voluntarily left this unbiased review.
Please feel free to comment on whether you found my review helpful.

sweet, smalltown love

A poignant small town story with a bit of romance. The story is set during 2nd World War. It's a story that brings you into a Wonderful world when life was much simpler, but same concerns about life, shadowed by bigotry, war, bullying, finding your place in life, and wondering about the future. Emily Heebner's descriptive words, paints a picture of the scenery, actions and of days gone by. The characters are wonderfully developed , Meg, finding love, seeing the effects of the war on her family, friends, and loves and wanting to make a change in her life. .I.hope.there is a continuation of this story of Meg. Ann Marie Lee tells the story with a softness, emotion , and love. Her voices and personalities for each character were spot on! Her ability to transition from one character to the other is flawless..🎧 #audiobookobsessionreview.

Well crafted romance dealing with complex issues

This was beautiful. The narration was flawless. The writing was beautiful with details that evoked a wonderful sensory response interesting the reader was in this story. Sweet as the story is, this was not a simple romance. This author tackles social issues including was, birth control, abortion, and depression with no heavy handedness. I will be looking to explore more works from this author.

#AudiobookObsessionReviewer

Bore fest

I came across this book and thought I would give it a try. Sadly, just a subpar bore fest that I wish I had not waisted a credit on.

Girl falls in love with a man of color.... in this case an ‘injun’ - there saved you 5 hours.

Historical Small Town Love

This was a really good well written story. It transports you to the past and touches on many issues that are still relevant today. It's a beautiful coming of age story.

Ann Marie Lee's narration was really good. She has a great voice for the story and characters.
#AudiobookObsession

coming of age meets historical fiction

This was my first book by the author. She did a fabulous job bringing to life WWII-era upstate New York. I enjoyed the story through the eyes of young Meg, who is on the cusp of graduating school, entering college, and delving into womanhood. This story is a blend of historical fiction meets YA meets Women's Fiction. We experience heartache and growth through Meg's journey of breaking free from a dysfunctional family, exploring young love, managing her personal life, and really just surviving during a questionable time. Can she experience life to its fullest? Ms. Heebner explores discrimination, bullying, mental illness, depression and the ravages of war. I'm a sucker for scenery and she does a great job painting the picture of this quiet area of New York. The characters are well-developed and your heart aches for them. A great read -- I highly recommend it!

Beautifully written story.

Emily Heebner does an artful job of transporting you back to the 1940s. She clearly took a lot of time and effort to research not only the tangible items of the era, but the zeitgeist that affected everyone, one way or another. Seneca Lake is a unique coming of age story for a young woman trying to find a path forward in an age when women's roles in society were in flux. The narration was expertly performed, and felt like the right voice to tell this story.

A bit slow

I found this book a bit slow. The storyline is sweet, the characters are likeable but I felt like there was something missing. Great narration.
#audiobookobsessionreviewer