I tried to get into this book several times but I found the historical intrigue couldn't paper over several plot points that made me uncomfortable. ( )

This was a very interesting historical read. I had no idea about the Erie Canal, and what a joke they thought DeWitt Clinton was – the mastermind behind this whole endeavor. Maybe he was a little ahead of his time, but he saw the future, he saw opportunity and he was not going to give up without a battle. Even a war could not stop him form pursuing the dream of opening travel, infrastructure and connection to the West for all to utilize, no matter what it took.

DeWitt Clinton needs a lot of support, funds and man power to accomplish such a heroic task. Miles upon miles of land, swamp, lake, valleys will have to be scouted and reconstructed to create his vision. He knows this will be what it takes to raise New York to a city of riches with having a connection to this canal and being a hub import and export to the West. But he needs backing, and he does not have much. The harder he pushes, the more he seems to lose for backing except for one true friend, Eleanora Van Rensselaer.

Eleanora is a recent widow, she has a vase estate and inherited much wealth with the death of her husband. She believes in Clinton. She is also of a visionary and can see what Clinton is trying to build, trying to secure in the future of America, but when Clinton enlists the help of a surveyor and ship captain, Daniel Hedges, Eleanora might not be able to keep her head straight and her secrets buried.

It is quite amazing that they had been able to eventually build this canal. It took well over a decade but it was worth it in the end. Not even a the War of 1812 was able to end the project. I found this a fascinating read with all of the odd characters that ended up being involved to help Clinton see this through. I really enjoyed reading about the obstacles at the time, they had to overcome as well as how outside of the box Van Rensselaer, Clinton and Hedges really thought to accomplish this great canal.

Thank you to the author, Jack Casey for the free book and Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for the invite. I look forward to reading Jack’s other novels, as this one had lots of history, but it had great storylines as well. ( )

1810, America. Lady Eleanora Van Rensselaer is twenty-two and a widow. She has the connections needed to construct a waterway through the wilderness to Lake Erie. Will political plots lead her to love?

For the sake of honesty, I didn't finish this book. I didn't even get a quarter of the way through this because I was so very uncomfortable. The book begins with our leading lady, Eleanora, listening to her maid confess her love for a groom. From her characterization, the maid is very young and naive. Eleanora called her 'poor lamb' and 'my pet', and constantly touched the girl's cheek. It came across as very inappropriate and I couldn't stand to read it.

So I left the story for a few weeks and then came back. I forged ahead a little more, trying to ignore how uncomfortable Lady Eleanora's treatment of her servant made me. Nothing recommended her as an admirable character and I couldn't find anything that I liked about her.

When I reached the point of Eleanora being relieved to remove her tightly laced whalebone corset (followed by her rubbing her breasts) I had to walk away again. I will not force myself to read something that makes me so uncomfortable and got that small historical detail wrong.

I am clearly not the target audience for this book and I would not recommend it. I received a free copy through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program and all opinions expressed are my own. ( )

This novel is a re-issue for e-book of “A Land Beyond the River”, originally published in 1988. It tells the story of the building of the Erie Canal, as told through the eyes of Eleanora Van Rensselaer, a wealthy widow with restless ambition, and Daniel Hedges, a ship captain, boat builder and man of many practical talents who lives on the “frontier” at what would become Buffalo, NY. It focuses largely on the political intrigues involved in the canal project, pitting DeWitt Clinton against Martin VanBuren.

As a reader, I am in two minds about the story. The political tale was intriguing and well-told. I found myself wishing for more detail on the actual perils of construction. These were strangely glossed over, except for a section involving the plague of malaria among the work crews at one point. The personal story of the relationship between the fictional characters of Eleanora and Daniel was the weak point of the book. Eleanora, as a character, was unsympathetic and often inexplicable. Daniel fared a bit better, when on his own dealing with the canal or with the War of 1812. When he was dealing with Eleanora, he was as unconvincing as she.

Overall, it was an interesting novel, if not a stellar one.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. ( )

This was one of the books I was most looking forward to reading. I enjoy historical fiction and wanted to learn more about the building of the Erie Canal and its effect on the people involved. I did find the book difficult to get into at first. However, it picks up the pace a few chapters in and I enjoyed the relationship between Eleanora and Daniel as it’s set against the political maneuverings and social customs of the time. Part history, part romance, it’s a fascinating look at this particular time in America. ( )