A Dream of Steam by James W. Barry

Summary

As the autumn shipping season draws to a close, Captain Thomas McGrath steps ashore to help his ambitious brother William rebuild the family sawmill. Despite Thomas’s aversion to debt, William convinces him to borrow heavily so they might convert their ailing, water-powered mill to steam. While adapting to the new technology, Thomas finds himself navigating between ax-wielding log pirates, hostile longshoremen, and his brother’s obsession with finding his estranged wife.

The newly retooled mill is ramping up lumber production when the winds of fortune turn. Thomas has set sail again when a financial crisis hits, running the brothers afoul of John Fitzpatrick, a crooked bank officer employed by their lender. Fitzpatrick’s crimes push the McGrath Brothers Lumber Company to the edge of ruin, forcing Thomas to consider a high risk proposal if he wants to save their livelihood and get out of debt.

Set in 1890s Michigan, A Dream of Steam is a story of sailing ships and lumberjacks, hope and disappointment, love and heartbreak, peopled by men and women who take control of their destinies in an era of rapid change. 

My Thoughts

I'm going to be completely real with you.  I had a bit of a struggle with this book.  Not that it was bad, it just wasn't my kind of story.

I'm not a sailor, I know nothing about boats or ships or anything like that.  So, all the talk about such had me confused and, honestly, a little bored.

However, the plot of the story was pretty good.  I can definitely say that the author does very well.  This book can be extremely enjoyable to those that would be more interested in this type of story.

*Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.