When the Waters Came

by Candice Sue Patterson

Often, works of historical fiction focus on a famous character, a war, or a period in history. This book has as its subject the Johnstown, PA, flood of 1889 which resulted in two thousand deaths. Add to that the destruction of most structures, thousands of animals, and deep mud everywhere. Families were torn apart, and basic services of electricity and water disappeared. Transportation came to a standstill. The stench of decomposition was overwhelming, and typhoid fever was a concern resulting from the unclean water. The government sent in resources, and Clara Barton brought medical help along with her organizational aid in arranging temporary housing and providing food.

The early part of the story focuses on Monty, a likable, handsome pastor with a secret in his background. He loses everything in the flood as most people do. Annamae is a Red Cross nurse in Washington, D.C., who travels to Pennsylvania to help in the tragedy. She had a very difficult childhood, and following the death of her father in a factory accident she is left to her own resources. She manages to become a nurse and because of her skills attracts the attention of Clara Barton. Monty and Annamae’s paths cross, and they gradually reveal their interest in each other.

Annamae and Monty both have lessons to learn about forgiveness. Annamae has a deep-felt need for revenge, and has to come to grips with acknowledging a trust in God and His justice in dealing with wrongs. While I felt for the people who lost all in this flood and were terrorized by the powerful waters, I never really connected with the protagonists. I did learn a lot about the devastation of floods and this one in particular. The descriptions of the natural occurrences and their aftermath are powerful.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating: 3/5

Category: Christian, Historical Fiction, Romance

Notes: 1. #1 in the six book series A Day to Remember featuring disasters in American history written by six different authors.
2. The author includes details explaining which parts of her work were taken from actual sources and which are fictionalized.

Publication:  January 1, 2024—Barbour

Memorable Lines:

He looked in the direction the man had come from, and fear pierced his heart. Black mist rolled into the air. Then Monty saw a wall of water as tall as any building, devouring everything in its path. The dam had broken.

This had been no judgment day or act of God. Not in the biblical sense. The truth was that this had happened from the selfishness and indifference of the industrial kings who ran the country and spent summers recreating at the top of the mountain. But proving it would be no easy task.

“Here we are, a hundred and thirteen years after the revolution, ruled by a different tyrant. The tyrant of greed and monopoly, where payment for backbreaking work is given in company scrip that can only be used at the company stores where prices are higher than anywhere else. After years of sacrificing health and family, the reward is death.”

When the Waters Came is the first in a series of six fictional accounts of American disasters - both natural and manmade that transformed the communities they impacted. My issue with the book is that the story becomes much more about the two main characters and romance than the flood and the town. As always, I am glad for the history this historical fiction taught me. I was just not the reader for the fictional part of the story.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2024/12/when-waters-came.html

Reviewed for NetGalley.

This book opens with one of the most shocking, true events I’ve ever read. I was hooked immediately and couldn’t put it down. There are definitely some gruesome scenes so if you are bothered by that, this book is not for you. However, the overarching themes of forgiveness, hope, and love are beautifully done here. I highly recommend!

Pastor Monty Childs is thrown into the rescue and recovery team of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania flood of 1889. The South Fork dam failed due to too much rain and a compromised dam. This story starts at the day of the flood and follows the town through that summer and its rebuilding efforts. Fictional character Monty has family ties to Henry Clay Frick, an industrialist with very questionable ethics. Frick was part of the hunting and fishing club that the locals are convinced were responsible for the dam's failure.

The Red Cross was dispatched to be of service. Clara Barton and her team of well-trained nurses were on the site in about 3 days time to organize and keep order in the health of the community members. The key nurse, Annamae Worthington, is ready to help. She has her own issue with Frick and the industries he represents, due to the suspicious death of her father about 10 years prior.

Other townsfolk are chronicled and key facts about the flood are included. Monty and Annamae are fictional characters. I have put Johnstown on my list of places to visit There is a National Park site there now to remember the history of the town.

I have yet to read a book by Candice Sue Patterson that deserved anything less than 5 stars, and When the Waters Came is no exception! It was riveting from the very first chapter with historically haunting imagery of a town being wiped away by a devastating flood. I couldn't help but compare it to our present reality in 2024 when Hurricane Helene hit a large portion of the Southeast which caused immense damage.

While the storyline itself was no mystery, decisions made by influential people directly involved with the Johnstown community had sinister connections. I appreciated that Candice did not shy away from mentioning those directly responsible for the dam breaking and what the consequences were for their actions. She also included a very helpful author's note at the end describing which people were real vs. fictitious, how Clara Barton and the Red Cross were directly involved with medical assistance, and how politics and standing influenced the flooding.

This author does a masterful job with historical fiction, and if you enjoy authors like Elizabeth Camden, Allison Pittman, or Tara Johnson, Candice Sue Patterson is definitely an author you should have on your radar!

I enjoyed learning more about this historical event with picking up this book! I wasn't sure what to expect, since I didn't know much about the historical aspect. It was interesting to read a combination of history and fiction, learning more about a tragic event.

Stunning and rich in historical detail. This is definitely a writer to watch.
Many thanks to Barbour Publishing and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

A very well written book about an important time in history I had never heard of. Great read for those who love Christian historical fiction. Faith building!

A person can not live in the Johnstown PA area without knowing about the great flood of 1889. When I read the book title, just knew that it was about this disaster. The author did a through research study, weaving actual events and people intertwined with fictional ones. The result was history coming alive but seen from a very human perspective. The flood itself encompasses only the first several chapters, the rest is a tale of people, people searching for family and friends, often not finding any, searching to survive when everything is gone. It is also a story of resilience, rebuilding, and the generosity of the outside world.
One of the main (fictional) characters is the young pastor of the church on the corner of Locust Street, which just happens to be the church that I attend. This stone building was only one of five left standing after the waters hit Johnstown. Reading of the disaster and rebuilding/repairing of the church has me looking around at the structure and thinking of the people who may have taken refuge in its rafters. One of the first to arrive to help the remaining survivors was the Red Cross and Clara Barton. This group worked tirelessly to assist the population to manage in spiite of great loss. Within the Historical tale there is the tale of two people, one the young pastor, the other a young Red Cross nurse. Their story is more than a romance, bot of two people finding forgiveness in the midst of surviving the world falling apart around them. This story is also personal to me. I drive by the old stone bridge several times a week, as well as Grandview Cemetery. As I pass the cemetery, I gaze over at the perfect square set headstones which mark the resting places of the unknowns. At the stone church on the corner of Locust and Franklin Streets, the high water mark from the 1889 flood is still prominently noted in the back of the sanctuary.

What a wonderful historical fiction book that takes you through the flooding of Johnstown, Pennsylvania and the aftermath. With a Christian faith focus, the difficult moments and personal catastrophes people experience are balanced by faith. This is an emotional read that will have you wrapped in grief, cheering on the downtrodden, encouraging those who have lost so much, and praying for love and compassion to rule. The story has two primary points of view ... Annamae Worthington, a nurse with the Red Cross, and Monty Childs, a pastor in the town of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. As you journey through the rough waters of devastation, you will experience forgiveness and hope ... discovering that God is the only one who can heal them in emotional, physically, and spiritually.

This is a great beginning to the new series based on American disasters that changed history. I am looking forward to reading future books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Barbour Fiction for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

I had never heard of the Johnstown flood of 1889. It was interesting to learn more about that tragic event. It was also interesting to learn more about the early days of the Red Cross and the role they played in helping the people recover. The history of this event and the affect it had on the town and the people is well researched.

As a native Pennsylvanian I have always heard of the Johnstown flood but never knew the details. I felt the narrative was quite compelling and the characters well developed.

When the waters came is a good but sad book about the historical Johnstown Floods in Johnstown Pennsylvania in 1889. I have never read or heard anything about it until I read this book. It is interesting and sad because a lot of lives were lost and people lost their possessions that they had worked for their entire lives. It is a good story about keeping your faith in God after a disaster, being and staying positive, helping each other get back on their feet, Coming together to help rebuild a town after a disastrous event, and forgiveness. It is the first of 6 historical disasters books published by Barbour publishing. I am going to read the other books after reading this book. The two main characters Monty and Annamae meet and become friends and they begin to fall in love. Monty is a Pastor and Annamae works for the Red Cross that came to Johnstown to provide medical care and help to the people. This was my first book that I have read by Candice Sue Patterson. I am planning to read more of her books too. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and Netgalley and was under no obligation to post a review.

When the Waters Came by Candice Sue Patterson. ☕️☕️☕️☕️/5. The flooding of Johnstown is something I became familiar with after reading Julie by Catherine Marshall. Although this book deals with an earlier flood, it’s no less devastating. Pastor Monty moved to Johnstown hiding his former life of privilege. After surviving the flood not only is his home destroyed, so is part of his church, and almost the entire town. Five days later Annamae arrives with famed nurse Clara Barton and other members of the Red Cross. She finds herself dealing with death and tragedy on a level she has never seen. She also is there to get answers for the death of her father several years prior. When Typhoid fever hits as a result of the flooding aftermath, Annamae befriends Pastor Monty and the secrets they are carrying threaten to stop a budding romance. This book was both inspiring and tragic all at once. As a person who has survived my own life-changing event, I can relate to what the character went through. I think this work of fiction was well researched and shines a light on a part of US history that is not well known. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review. I also received a copy via NetGalley. #barbourpublishing #netgalleyreads #netgalley @barbourbooks #bookworm #bookwyrm #booknerd #booknerdigan #booksofinstagram #igbooks #bookish #bibliophile #instabooks #booknerdigans #lovebooks #booklover

A step back into one of America’s greatest tragedy’s that is often overlooked, When the Waters Came by Candice Sue Patterson is a heartbreaking and hope-filled story to honor the lives of those touched by the flood.

The historical elements of this story were so vivid and filled with fascinating details. The true story of the Johnstown flood is written beautifully alongside a fictional narrative of loss, hope, and forgiveness. The characters of Monty and Annamae give the reader two varying viewpoints of how the flood impacted the lives of so many. Forgiveness is at the heart of this novel and the Gospel is so perfectly illustrated in the lives of the characters and the town as a whole.


Thank you Barbour Publishing and Netgalley for an advanced reader copy in return for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

A great story that also tells the factual account of this historic flood and the attempts to find and punish those who might have been at fault. Monty is a pastor in the small town, but he's got a secret past he'd just as soon no one discovered. Annamae is a kindhearted nurse who follows Clara Barton and the Red Cross to the flood ravaged town now facing an outbreak of typhoid. As Monty and Annamae forge a friendship in the midst of the hardship around them, his desire for anonymity conflicts with her need for those responsible for her father's death to be brought to justice. Little does either of them realize how their secrets will affect each other. When Annamae learns the truth of Monty's past and Monty gets a glimpse inside her vengeful desires, will conflict tear them apart or serve to push them closer together?
The fictional story line is intriguing, characters have real-life flaws, and the historical facts surrounding them in this dreadful flood aftermath are fascinating.
You will be so glad you picked up this book, but don't plan on putting it down into that final page is turned.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review

I read the second book in Barbour Publishing's A Day to Remember series, and was so touched by it that I had to go back and read the first book in the series, When the Waters Came. Like the second book, When the Waters Came had me searching online for the details of the disaster, this one a flood that struck Johnstown, Pennsylvania on May 31, 1889. The story includes several historical characters including Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross and Doctor Hamilton, Surgeon General of the United States along with Henry Clay Frick and Andrew Carnegie, members of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club. Many blamed the club and its members for the collapse of its dam that caused the flood. The two central fictional characters are Annamae Worthington, A Red Cross nurse, and Pastor Monty Childs. The themes of struggling with why God allows such devastation, the harm in holding grudges and seeking vengeance, and forgiveness of those deemed responsible are key to this disaster story as well as to current disasters and the daily misfortunes of life.

I highly recommend When the Waters Came, and am grateful to have received a complimentary copy from Barbour Publishing via NetGalley without obligation. This is a well-researched novel with authentic sounding dialogue, and writing that evokes vivid mental images.

Here's an interesting new series by Barbour publishing based on historic disasters in America. This first novel surrounds the Johnstown flood as the Red Cross comes in to provide support. Anamae is one of the nurses who arrives to care for the sick. Pastor Montgomery was rescued from the attic of his house as the floodwaters decimated the land, his congregation in shock and torn apart with the loss of lives and homes.

Together they care for the hurting and broken, while both curious about and seeking justice against those negligent causing the dam to collapse. If you appreciate a story about justice and belonging, you might be interested in this one.

*A big thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC snd for the opportunity to post an honest review.

When the Waters Came is a well written historical novel based on an actual flood that happened in the 1800s. If you enjoy historical fiction I recommend this book. I received an advance copy of the book from the publisher and Netgalley. This is my unbiased review .

I have read this author before and this book definitely was one i wanted to read as soon as I saw the description. It did not disappoint. So glad I picked it up and loved it so much I'm still thinking about it after turning the last page. Great author and will definitely be telling my friends about it.