Kate’s 2¢: “One last stand, Alaska Air One Rescue (04)” by Susan May Warren  

“One last stand, Alaska Air One Rescue (04)” by Susan May Warren  

NOTE: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ shares her thoughts about what she’s read. In her opinion…

   This book was one of seven on a cartridge sent to me by NLS.

   Cynthia Farrell and Adam Gold did a good job of alternating the narration of this action packed adventure. Many of the daring deeds were probably humanly possible, which made them all the more thrilling. I like the warmth and camaraderie of the SAR teammates.

AI Overview

About this result

Susan May Warren

 is a USA Today bestselling, Christy, and RITA award-winning author of over 90 inspirational romantic suspense, contemporary, and historical novels. Known for her, often Minnesota-based, adrenaline-laced stories, she has sold nearly 2 million books worldwide. Warren is also a writing coach, founder of My Book Therapy, and author of The Story Equation.Amazon UK (+2) – View

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

One last stand DB127479

Series: Alaska Air One Rescue

Order in Series: 04

Author: Warren, Susan May

Reading Time: 11 hours, 2 minutes

Production: National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, Library of Congress

Read by: Farrell, Cynthia, Gold, Adam

Subjects: Religious Fiction, Romance, Adventure, Suspense Fiction

“As a member of the Air One Rescue team, pilot London Brooks has built a new life–one far away from her clandestine past as an operative tasked to take down a branch of Russian terrorists. She has no desire to reenter that world or endure the grief of losing everyone she loved, including her fiancé. But the past won’t stay past. When she finds herself falsely accused, her reputation tarnished, and her life in danger, she has no choice but to plunge back into the treacherous world she left behind. Even if she must surrender everything–and everyone–she loves in her new life. Shep Watson will never forget the day he saved London Brooks from the avalanche that nearly killed her. He knew there was more to her story, but he’s intent on keeping her secrets. Just when it seems she’s finally ready to let him into her heart, her past comes knocking. But he can’t bear to lose her again. Which means, somehow, he’ll have to enter her world, keep up with her, and figure out a way to bring her home. But when the danger comes home to Alaska, what will it cost the Air One Rescue team?”– From publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

Solon, OH : SDG Publishing, 2024.

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Kate’s 2¢: “Drowning Ruth” by Christina Schwarz

“Drowning Ruth” by Christina Schwarz

NOTE: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ shares her thoughts about what she’s read. In her opinion…

   Annie Wauters did a good job of narrating this complicated narrative arc. It was like opening a box of jig-saw pieces with all those little nooks and crannies that are difficult to fit together.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Drowning Ruth is a 2000 bestselling novel by Christina Schwarz, author of five novels (as of 2021).[1][2] Drowning Ruth was chosen as a selection for Oprah’s Book Club in September 2000.

Development and release[edit]

It’s scary looking back, because I see how it might not have worked out at all. I just hoped I’d have enough money from the book to justify starting another one. It’s done more than that.

Schwarz, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly[3]

Christina Schwarz began working on the characters for Drowning Ruth in 1989,[3] drawing inspiration from what she called a “Boo Radleyish” neighbor from her childhood, who was largely a recluse and was rumored to have shot at children who trespassed onto her property.[4]

Having received her Master’s degree from Yale University, Schwarz began teaching at a private high school.[4] Her husband encouraged her to quit teaching and dedicate herself to her novel.[4] Schwarz spent almost five years writing the book while working odd jobs; her husband, Benjamin Schwarz (who eventually became an Atlantic Monthly editor) financially supported them.[3]

In 1999 she sent the first few pages of the novel accompanied by a cover letter to the Virginia Barber Agency.[5] Jennifer Rudolph Walsh, the agent who received it, found the submission “irresistible” and asked that the rest be sent urgently.[5] Schwarz, however, explained that she could not afford to send the entire manuscript to New York by FedEx.[6] Deb Futter, of Doubleday also loved the book, ultimately winning the publishing rights at auction and releasing it as “hard-soft” title with Ballantine Books.[5] At the time, Futter said the exciting thing about the book was its “utter obsessiveness.”[5] Random House Audible, a joint effort between Random House and Audible Inc., announced that Drowning Ruth would be its launch title.[7] The foreign rights were also sold to publishers in the U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, and Denmark.[8][5] The book reportedly found support among independent booksellers, particularly in Wisconsin, where the story is set.[6] However, the digital-only audiobook release drew complaints from these sellers, as they spoke of being left out of the market.[9]

Plot summary[edit]

Amanda and Mathilda are two sisters who live in rural Wisconsin. While Mathilda is petite, well-liked, pretty, and adventurous, Amanda is tall, clumsy, awkward, and serious. When Mathilda marries Carl, Amanda feels betrayed and leaves to go to nursing school. Meanwhile, Mathilda and Carl are married and living together on a small island near the family farm. They are happy there, and welcome their child, Ruth, into the world. A short time later, however, Carl begins to feel trapped, enlists in the army and is sent away to France. Mathilda is devastated and angry at his departure and decides to move back to the mainland and into the old house of her late parents.

Amanda begins to feel agitated and upset. She’s also frequently ill and has become a nervous wreck. Amanda is persuaded to take a rest from her nursing job, and travels back to the family farm to stay with her sister and niece. The three grow close, and Amanda begins to see Ruth as their child, becoming very protective of her. After living in the farm house for a while, Amanda persuades Mathilda to move back to the island. Hesitant at first, Mathilda soon agrees, and the three of them go to the island.

During the summer, it becomes apparent that Amanda is pregnant and desperate to hide the pregnancy. Mathilda agrees to adopt the child as her own and make up a story about the baby being an orphan from a “hired girl.” While Amanda is pleased with this arrangement, she has to hide her pregnancy, so she cannot leave the island until after the baby is born.

Mathilda delivers Amanda’s baby girl in the house while Ruth is under the bed. Sometime in the night, Amanda changes her mind about Mathilda raising the baby and tries to leave the island by walking across the ice with the child. Ruth, who is roughly four at the time, follows Amanda out onto the ice. Mathilda runs out after them. Out on the ice, they walk over a thin patch and the ice starts to break. Ruth and Mathilda go under, while Amanda desperately tries to save them. Mathilda pushes Ruth to the surface to save her, but falls back in herself. Amanda tries desperately to pull her out, but can’t do it without falling in, so Mathilda bites her sister’s finger to force her to let go and leave her to drown in the freezing water. Ruth is half dead and frozen on the ice with the baby, but she is revived.

Amanda takes the baby to a woman in town who has recently had a stillborn child. She tells the woman that a hired girl had the baby and then died during childbirth. She also tells her that the baby’s name is Imogene. The woman is so taken with the child, and so amazed at the situation that she doesn’t notice that both Ruth and Amanda are frozen and wearing nightgowns. She also doesn’t notice the blood on Amanda.

Soon after Mathilda’s death, Carl returns home from the war with serious injuries, and is nursed back to health by Amanda. Ruth, traumatized, is behaving oddly and very leery of her father, whom she barely knows. The three of them live together without incident, but after a while, Carl starts to suspect that there might be more to the story of his wife’s death than he has been told. As far as he knows, his wife wandered out into the night all alone and disappeared, later to be found under the ice.

Amanda begins to experience severe anxiety again. She is institutionalized in a mental hospital, and Carl is left to take care of Ruth on his own. Worried that he doesn’t know enough about children, he asks his cousin Hilda to come to the farm and care for Ruth. Ruth dislikes the strict and humorless Hilda almost instantly. Hilda sees Ruth as a problem child, and seems almost to enjoy punishing her.

Later on, when they are young adults, Ruth and Imogene become friends.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Drowning Ruth DB50849

Author: Schwarz, Christina

Reading Time: 11 hours, 29 minutes

Production: National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, Library of Congress

Read by: Annie Wauters

Subjects: Suspense Fiction, Psychological Fiction

In March 1919, nurse Amanda Starkey, seeking refuge, returns to her family home to live with her younger sister Mathilda and Mathilda’s three-year-old child, Ruth. Within a year, Mathilda is dead and Amanda is raising Ruth as her own. But both Amanda and Ruth are hiding memories of the night Mathilda died. Bestseller. 2000.

New York : Doubleday, c2000.

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