By Ann Howard Creel

I’m not bragging, but I can’t think of a better time to read this book than the week I chose to pick it up. The week after hurricane Harvey hit Texas. The story takes place in Galveston, Texas, and it begins on the day of the terrifying hurricane of 1900 which hit Galveston and nearly flattened it. The main part of the story took place during the building of Galveston’s famous seawall, so it’s been a fascinating read for many reasons.

Now, let’s look at the actual story. For one thing, I’m not sure I can separate the story from the setting – but that’s a great thing. Galveston became a character of sorts, and I really enjoyed it, especially since that character is still around and in the news. But the other characters were fascinating too. The “not wealthy” woman who gets inserted into a wealthy, very privileged society is a common trope. But I loved how this character was conflicted, and never quite fit in. I also enjoyed the girl who had lived her whole life in that highly privileged society only to realize how much she had failed to learn because of it.

There is love and manipulation and betrayal and an old family secret that come together to create a lovely tipping point. And the ending is perfect for the story, but not as tidy as we usually see. And that’s one of the BEST things about the book!

I loved my first read from this author much better, so I’d recommend The Whiskey Sea first (see my review here), but this was a good story and the timeliness with which I picked it up, made it a great experience for me. 3.9 stars.

You can find your copy of The Uncertain Season here.