In her lifetime, Catherine Marshall wrote nineteen books, two of the novels. Julie, her second novel and final book, may easily surpass them all. The foreword, written by Catherine’s husband, Leonard LeSourd, indicates she spent seven years developing the storyline, characters, and researching details of Julie. Within the pages of Julie’s story, Catherine’s dedication to her craft becomes obvious.
Set in depression era Pennsylvania, Julie is a coming of age story, mingled with a bit of romance, scheming, heartache, and a lot of David vs. Goliath. Life changes dramatically for the Wallace family when Julie’s father gives up his full time pastorate in Alabama and moves almost one thousand miles away to become a newspaper editor.
When her father uses money set aside for Julie’s college education to buy a fledgling newspaper, Julie must come to terms with the possibility of seeing both her dreams of attending college die, while settling for the mundane job of “proof-reader” instead of “writer.”
Julie’s character possesses incredible depth, much more than one would expect of a typical eighteen-year old. Readers will appreciate her willingness to stand up for what she believes to be right, even in the face of incredible opposition.
Cover to cover, this captivating story is sure to sustain any reader’s interest.
***The publisher provided a free book. However, all opinions included in this review are entirely my own.