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

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.

1 person found this 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.

1 person found this helpful

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

1 person found this helpful

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