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Discussion Questions
- Harriet Beecher Stowe’s idea that Niagara Falls possessed the power to lure those who gazed at it too long into throwing themselves from the brink was once quite widely held. And as Tom says in The Day the Falls Stood Still, people once did reference the falls using phrases like “awful grandeur” and “frightful beauty.” In fact, the book’s epigraph from 1885 uses “awful symbol of Infinite Power, in whose dread presence we stand” to invoke Niagara Falls. Whether or not you’ve been, you likely have some idea of Niagara Falls. Has our perception of it changed over time? Will you look at Niagara Falls differently after having read The Day the Falls Stood Still? Does having read it make you want to visit Niagara Falls?
- Bess finds herself angry with Tom after the ice bridge rescue, and then lashes out at him after the scow rescue. Is her anger warranted? Is it a shortcoming of hers that she cannot buy into some notion of Tom being guided on the river?
- Bess loses her faith in God midway through the book, and Tom comes home from the war a broken man. What parallels are there, if any?
- At one point, Bess dreams she is unable to lift the caul that is suffocating Jesse (p. 205) What stirs up such a dream? Is it prescient?
- What does Bess learn from her mother?
- Kit once says to Bess, “You’re getting more and more like Isabel” (p. 274). What does Kit mean? Is she right?
- Why is it that Tom is able to predict the whims of the Niagara River? Intuition? Second sight? Keener perception than most? Fergus whispering in his ear? What would Bess say? Would her explanation change over the course of the book? What would Tom say?
- Just before abandoning the rope tethered to Jesse and plunging into the whirlpool, Tom says, “Believe in me, Bess” (p. 289). What does he mean? Does he know how the events of the day will unfold?
- Bess wonders if she would have blamed Tom had he not gone in after Jesse. She asks herself, “Had Tom imagined what afterward would have been like and seen what I did? Had it edged him closer to the whirlpool?” (p. 295) How valid is Bess’s guilt?
- Was the outcome of the story predestined? Are there steps Bess and/or Tom could have taken to improve the odds of a different ending?
- Do you think Bess will ever again see prayers rising in the mist? What leads you to believe this?
- Do you think Isabel goes to the falls with intent? Or is she seized by a sudden impulse at the brink of the falls?
- How might Isabel have fared had she chosen a different route? What might life have been like for her as a laundress at the Victor Home for Women in Toronto? What character traits might she have tapped into?
- What sort of life do you imagine for Jesse? Will he feel Tom’s guiding hand? Be racked with guilt? Will he be Niagara’s next great riverman?
- What do you think about Fergus’s story being revealed to the reader through newspaper articles? How else could his story have been told? Would it have been as effective?
- Given what we now know about the carbon dioxide emissions and pollution caused by coal-mining and -burning, would Tom feel differently about the diversion of water for hydroelectricity today?
- Hydroelectricity has a reputation as clean energy. How warranted is the reputation?
- In The Day the Falls Stood Still, true to history, Sir Adam Beck’s Hydro-Electric Power Commission uses the Hydro Circus, the Hydro Lamp magazine, Hydro stores, advertisements, and floats in parades to up the demand for electricity. How responsible are the power companies for creating today’s consumer society? How has their role changed?
- In a letter home to Bess, Tom describes the Niagara River on occasions when unusual weather had restricted the river’s flow. He goes on to say, “The Niagara wasn’t all that different from any other river in the world, definitely not something that would cause a man walking by to stop, and maybe fill with wonder for a bit and be lifted up from the drudgery of his day” (p. 169). How valid is the awe that Tom describes as a reason to preserve nature?
- Are you recommending The Day the Falls Stood Still to friends? Why, or why not?
About Cathy Marie Buchanan
CATHY MARIE BUCHANAN’s debut novel, The Day the Falls Stood Still, is a Barnes & Noble Recommends Selection, a Barnes & Noble Best of 2009 book, an American Booksellers Association IndieNext pick, and a New York Times bestseller. Her stories have appeared in many of Canada’s most respected literary journals. She holds a BSc (Honours Biochemistry) and an MBA from the University of Western Ontario and is a founding member of conservation organization Friends of Niagara Falls. Born and raised in Niagara Falls, Ontario, she now resides in Toronto.
Meet Cathy Marie Buchanan
Ruth Buchanan
Al Buchanan
She grew up in an area not all that different-looking than most 1960s suburban neighborhoods—though there were continual reminders that she was not living in just any town. The family made the trek to the falls whenever they had visitors—riding the Maid of the Mist, walking through Queen Victoria Park, gazing out over the Niagara Gorge—and regularly swam at Dufferin Islands, picnicked at Queenston Heights, and climbed in and out of the Niagara Glen, all favorite spots along the river. As a local she was, of course, privy to the never-ending stream of quirky Niagara Falls lore, stories like that of a high school boyfriend’s brother surviving the plunge over the falls in a barrel wearing only cowboy boots and a hat.
Cathy at 5
Cathy
Interactive Map
Here’s your chance to learn more about The Day the Falls Stood Still landmarks. Click on a landmark on the map.
Cathy’s Niagara Falls Top 10
Cool stuff to do in Niagara Falls. Most of it is free, and plenty of it’s good for you!
+ Read more
Praise
“What a wordsmith! What a work of depth and breadth! What a world newcomer Cathy Marie Buchanan brings to propulsively glittering and gorgeous life in The Day the Falls Stood Still. Few first novels exhibit the mastery, maturity and majesty of Buchanan’s riveting fictional debut, a heart-wrenching, soul-racking, spell-binding tale interwoven with guts, anguish and glory guaranteed to remain in readers’ minds.”
—The Globe and Mail
“A wonderful love story. . . . Buchanan weaves Niagara Falls’ history and her storytelling together masterfully.”
—Elle
“[The Day the Falls Stood Still] stands on its own elegant prose and the vibrant voice of its narrator.”
—USA Today
“This assured Ontario Gothic story deserves to take its place beside the best novels of the First World War.”
—National Post
“Set against the resounding backdrop of the falls, Cathy Marie Buchanan’s carefully researched, capaciously imagined debut novel entwines the romantic trials of a young couple with the historical drama of the exploitation of the river’s natural resources. . . . a transporting novel that captures both the majesty of nature and the mystery of love.”
—Barnes & Noble Recommends Selection citation
“Buchanan’s debut novel immediately keeps you in its grip until the final page.”
—American Booksellers Association IndieNext citation
“Buchanan combines storytelling with reportage of a legendary riverman creating a story as mesmerizing as staring at the river as it plunges over the falls.”
—Publishers Weekly
“This first novel abounds in romance and charm. Buchanan, a Niagara Falls native, was raised on the region’s lore, and she conveys its beauty and terror with deep understanding. Local legends pervade the story, lending it a nostalgic, other-wordly quality.”
—Quill & Quire
“Historical fiction readers will appreciate the excellent period detail, especially the depiction of the era’s social mores, and the romance between Bess and Tom .”
—Library Journal
“Anyone who cannot read this book in one sitting has a heart colder than Niagara Falls in February.”
—Catherine Gildiner, author of Too Close to the Falls
“Filled with beautifully written passages about love and life, interspersed with historical references to the industrialization of the Niagara River and the people who shaped the town as we now know it.”
—Waterloo Region Record
“An ambitious, sweeping love story. . . . Put on your late-summer To Do List for sure.”
—Buffalo News
“It is a novel to savor.”
—Historical Novel Society
“Buchanan’s prose is elegant.”
—Kirkus Reviews
News
The Day the Falls Stood Still is a Canada Also Reads finalist! Read author Tish Cohen’s gorgeous defence of The Day the Falls Stood Still here.
I’m skyping into book clubs. To arrange for me to skype or call into your book club contact me here.
Best of 2009 Lists
Barnes & Noble ~ Best Book Club Selection as per the bloggers ~ Dallas Literature Examiner ~ Back to Books ~ Book Gazing ~ Dewey Divas and the Dudes ~ Historical Novels ~ Historical Tapestry ~ The Indextrious Reader ~ Jo-Jo Loves to Read ~ Lavender Lines ~ Reading, Writing and Retirement ~ Savvy Wit and Verse ~ Serendipitous Readings ~ The Written World
I’ve become a founding member of Friends of Niagara Falls, a non-profit organization working to preserve the environment and natural beauty of Niagara Falls. Just now we are focused on stopping the high-rise development planned for the green space of Loretto Academy, located atop the bluff adjacent to the Horseshoe Falls. Sign our petition here.
USA Today says The Day the Falls Stood Still captures the spirit of Niagara.
Big News! The Day the Falls Stood Still is a Barnes & Noble Recommends selection.
The Day the Falls Stood Still debuts at #31 on The New York Times best sellers list.
National Post calls The Day the Falls Stood Still an extraordinarily assurred first novel.
Elle includes The Day the Falls Stood Still in its September Readers’ Picks.
The Day the Fall Stood Still is an Indie Next pick.
Zoomer! selects The Day the Falls Stood Still as “Required Reading.” October issue, page 127.v
Elle Canada includes The Day the Falls Stood Still in its “Top 3 Books.” September issue, page 84.v
Buffalo’s Talking Leaves Books gives The Day the Falls Stood Still a nod in Publishers’ Weekly.
The Day the Falls Stood Still is a Historical Novels Society Editors’ Choice Title.
Have a listen to audio version of The Day the Falls Stood Still. Available from Amazon or Barnes & Noble or Tantor Audio.
Thumbs up for The Day the Falls Stood Still from the Library Journal.
Cathy interviews Edith Hill Powell, William “Red” Hill’s only surviving child.
My Powell’s Books essay on the Vulnerability of Niagara Falls.
A story about The Day the Falls Stood Still in my hometown newspaper, The Niagara Falls Review.
Pondering the Title
My Savvy Reader post on the significance of The Day the Falls Stood Still’s title.
How to be a Writer
My Globe and Mail essay on getting to the writing life via poor spelling, the science lab, and a stint at IBM.
Events Through Summer and Fall 2010
| July 12th – July 25th | Any computer | Cathy Marie Buchanan hosts a Q&A on Goodreads. Join the chat. |
| July 12th – July 25th | Any computer | Cathy Marie Buchanan hosts an Author Chat on Library Thing. Join the chat. |
| September 8th, 6:30 pm | Welland, ON | Book Talk and Q&A with Food for Thought Book and Dinner Club, Sparrow Lakes Golf Course, 105 South Plelham Rd. All are welcome. $30 including dinner. Contact Wendy at 905-788-2624 or wwgconsult@sympatico.ca for tickets. |
| September 12th, 2:00-4:00 pm | Creemore, ON | Book talk in support of Georgian Bay Reads. Curiosity House Books, 134-A Mill Street. |
| September 15th, 7:30 pm | Toronto, ON | Book talk and reading, Balzac’s Cafe, Distillery District, 55 Mill St., Building #60 |
| September 25th, time TBD | Kitchener, ON | Book talk and reading as part of the Word on the Street Kitchener, Victoria Park. For more information visit the The Word on the Street Kitchener. |
| October 1, time TBD | Caledon, ON | Book talk and reading at Headwaters Arts Festival Literary Evening, SGI Centre, 20490 Porterfield Road. For ticket information see Headwaters Arts Festival. |
| October 19th, 7 pm | Lockport, NY | Book talk and reading as part of Lockport’s One Book One Community Program, Lockport Library, 23 East Avenue. |
| November 4th, 11:00 pm | Buffalo, NY | Book talk and reading for Thursday Book Club of 20th Century Club, 595 Delaware Avenue. |
| November 5th, time TBD | Windsor, ON | Book talk and reading as part of Bookfest Windsor. For ticket information see Bookfest Windsor. |