Making Waves by Lorna Seilstad - Reviewed

About the book: (from the publisher)

Sun, summer, and a scrumptious sailing instructor. What more could a girl want?

When spunky Marguerite Westing discovers that her family will spend the summer of 1895 at Lake Manawa, Iowa, she couldn't be more thrilled. It's the perfect way to escape her agonizingly boring suitor, Roger Gordon. It's also where she stumbles upon two new loves: sailing, and sailing instructor Trip Andrews.

But this summer of fun turns to turmoil as her father's secrets threaten to ruin the family forever. Will free-spirited Marguerite marry Roger to save her father's name and fortune? Or will she follow her heart--even if it means hurting the family she loves?

Full of sharp wit and blossoming romance, Making Waves will whisk you away to a breezy lakeside summer holiday.


My thoughts:

“Lord, I can’t live in his mashed potato world. I need my tubers scalloped and diced and baked and fried and different every time. I need excitement and change as much as I need air. I know what I’m planning is deceptive, but you understand. After all, you made me this way. Right?” (p. 49)

Marguerite’s urgent prayer, sent heavenward in utter desperation, is rather telling about her personality. This bright, fun-loving exuberant girl has painted herself into an unbearable situation trying to do what is expected of her by her parents. Up until this point, she’s never felt compelled to willfully deceive others to get what she wants. However, the desire of her heart this time is not something a lady of her social standing is able to obtain in the late 1800’s. Marguerite has never cared very much about the restraints of her social class.

Trip Andrews doesn’t care much for what others think of him either unless that someone is his father. Perhaps he cares too much about pleasing him. Trip is an absolute stickler when it comes to demanding that others tell him the truth, but he can’t be honest with himself about the desires of his own heart when it conflicts with his perception of what his father will think of him.

Making Waves is a story that deals with very realistic dynamics of human relationships, and all of these relationships are set amid the opulent lake-side vacation campground of the Westing family. I found it utterly delightful to learn about the “lifestyles of the rich and famous” in the late 1800’s! I wasn’t surprised that Marguerite’s mother was such a fuss-budget about making sure that her lifestyle would be maintained in the style to which she was accustomed after she married. But I was aggravated that the woman so readily discounted love in her daughter’s marriage relationship. No wonder Marguerite was so headstrong and determined – she had a master teacher! Yet Marguerite possessed something far greater than the comforts provided by her parent’s wealth. She had faith in God – albeit still immature. When she finally learns to trust her circumstances to God, the outcome is more than she ever hoped or dreamed.

All of the characters in this story are a bit manipulative when it comes to getting what they want. The consequences vary by degree, but they have a lot to learn about telling the truth both to themselves and each other. I was totally enamored with Marguerite’s personality as well as Trip! It was a ton of fun to see them mature in their self-respect and their trust in God’s plans for their lives. There is a lot of fun to be had throughout this novel as well as a lot of self-reflective truths about honesty in our relationships – especially the one we have with God!

Lorna Seilstad will make many HUGE waves within the inspirational romance genre! This is a spectacular debut novel and I can’t wait to see what comes next from this author’s pen!

About the author:
Lorna Seilstad is a history buff, antique collector, and freelance graphic designer. A former high school English and journalism teacher, she has won several online writing awards and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. She lives in and draws her setting from Iowa. This is her first novel.