Making Waves: A Novel (Lake Manawa Summers)
Marguerite Westing is constantly pushing the boundaries of proper behavior in 1895 with her interest in astronomy, sailing, and other unfeminine pursuits. Her father indulges her, but her mother insists she marry Roger Gordon, a wealthy, socially prominent but boring and self-absorbed businessman. Marguerite’s besetting sins are her flippancy, her impulsiveness, and her tendency to lie in order to get her way, all of which continuously land her in trouble. At Lake Manawa, a popular Iowa summer resort near Council Bluffs, she meets Trip Andrews, a boatmaker who needs to win the regatta and really doesn’t like liars, and by lying she convinces him to teach her and her younger brother to sail. They fall in love, but Roger keeps turning up at the camp to badger her into accepting his suit, and Marguerite learns that unless she does, her entire family will suffer financially. Seilstad’s light Christian historical romance sets the stage for subsequent tales featuring Iowa’s elite at summer camp. --Lynne Welch