School teacher. Widow. Legend.
It’s 1901 and the mists of change are swirling. Queen Victoria’s reign is about to come to an end, and an obscure widow in Buffalo, New York, is about to attempt the impossible.
Meet the courageous Mrs Annie Edson Taylor. The bravest woman you’ve never heard of and the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel ―over a decade before any man dared to do the same.
Enter a world of lost fortunes and friendship, as Annie, grieving the past and determined to change the lives of the women around her, attempts to alter the course of history.
With a single jump, that is.
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The Woman Who Went Over Niagra Falls in a Barrel by Caroline Cauchi was published on 10 October 2024 by One More Chapter. My thanks to the author who sent my copy for review.
I have read everything that this author has written, in her various writing names; Caroline Smailes, Caroline Wallace and most recently as Caroline Cauchi. Her ability to weave a story is incredible, and no matter which name she is using, her books always delight me.
The Woman Who Went Over Niagra Falls in a Barrel is inspired by the true story of sixty-three year old Annie Edson Taylor, who in 1901, really did climb into a home-made barrel and go over the top of Niagra Falls. Annie was the first person to survive this feat. Many people had attempted it in the past, but Annie was the first to succeed. In this extraordinary story, Cauchi has taken a real life character and fictionalised some of her story. The actual event is true, but the accompanying tale of Annie and her relationships has been created beautifully by the author.
Annie is a complex character. She has been grieving for most of her adult life, her son died before he reached his first birthday, and her husband died a couple of years later. Annie was just twenty years old at the time. She's spent her life doing various different jobs, living in assorted places and the reader discovers her living in a boarding house in Buffalo, New York. This is a house for women who are in desperate need, they may be escaping bad relationships, most of them have no money, but the door is always open and Annie and the boarding house owner, Mrs Lapointe will take these women in and give them a home for as long as they need. Money is tight, food is often scarce, but this is a place of refuge and every woman who enters the house helps out with the running of the place.
Cauchi creates such wonderful themes of female friendship in this novel. She also looks closely at how woman of a certain age become almost invisible as they grow older. Annie is sixty-three, and determined to carry out her plan to go over the Falls, however, she knows that her age, along with her gender will go against her, so takes twenty years off, and presents herself as a widow in her forties.
The amount of research that has gone into this book is amazing, the reader is introduced to a host of colourful characters who will help Annie to achieve her goal. From the dubious manager, to the fabulous barrel builders, we are treated to such an array of people. Some we will love, and trust, whilst there are other who we should be suspicious of.
At its heart, this is a story of strong women defeating the odds to become even stronger. Annie's motives for carrying out the barrel ride are complex and mixed. Not only does she want to prove that an older woman can do exactly what she wants to, she also wants to heal herself, to get rid of the overwhelming sadness and sorrow that have taken over her life, to do something exciting and new. To discover the real Annie.
The friendships formed within the story are heartwarming and so poignant. Annie's influence on the women make a huge difference to their entire lives, giving them hope and allowing them to see that they are worth far more than they ever realised.
This is historical fiction at its very best. Annie is a fascinating character and has sadly been overlooked in history. Caroline Cauchi brings her to life and what a wonderful job she has done. Highly recommended.
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hand to fiction.
With a PhD in Creative Writing, Caroline’s current academic fields of interest are Johanna van Gogh-Bonger, the silencing of women involved in creative pursuits, and the consideration of a novelist’s ethical and moral responsibilities when fictionalising a real life.
With a Maltese mother and a British father, she is also known as bestselling author Caroline Smailes (THE DROWNING OF ARTHUR BRAXON).
Instagram @caroline.cauchi
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