NEW RELEASE....2019 Donora, Pennsylvania
Ninety-one-year-old Patryk Rusek hides in his attic, hoping the searchers think he’s escaped. When Lucy finally bursts in, she discovers her beloved grandfather clutching a fat, hand-illustrated, antique book. In it is the story of Donora, the town that shaped America, its people and Patryk himself. Before long, Lucy and her son Owen lose track of their goal to get Grandpa Patryk somewhere “safe” as they’re drawn into the book, back in time, into stories that read like real-life fairytales born of purpose, hard-work, and chance.
1910 Donora, Pennsylvania
In the early dawn of Donora, Pennsylvania, the mills make and shape the steel that builds America. Mary Lancos lives in a home on the hill overlooking town and its mighty Monongahela River. That tiny house bursts with her siblings and boarders. Wind whipping through the walls and windows makes Mary determined to marry well and create a better life.
Shy Pole, Lukasz Musial, arrives in Donora seeking the clear blue skies, green lawns, and better life he’d seen pictured on a postcard. Settled in Donora’s Polish community, Lukasz secures a coveted job in the wire mill. Life is set on course to achieve the American Dream. All he needs is a wife who believes in him, in his mighty, quiet, strength.
After a series of casual, friendly meetings, fate brings Mary and Lukasz to the river under a snowy, pink moonlit sky and everything changes. Their attraction is sudden and consuming, turning the pair onto an unexpected path. With mounting disapproval from Mary’s parents she and Lukasz must decide if love is enough to risk losing everything else that matters.
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"Kathleen Shoop has bejeweled this book with her magnificent imagination and impeccable writing. The Strongman and the Mermaid by Kathleen Shoop is a romance that goes beyond looks and settles deep into the souls of readers. Every so often, a love story comes that your heart can't let go. One of those love stories, for me, has been Mr. Darcy and Lizzy in Pride and Prejudice. Now Mary and Lukasz in The Strongman and the Mermaid will stay with me for a long time to come."
— Ankita Shukla for Readers’ Favorite
"The Strongman and the Mermaid by Kathleen Shoop is a gorgeous story, a gripping romance with a strong setting. The plot structure is unusual and it has beautiful twists. I love stories with great characters and a well-developed conflict and I always want to see characters evolve through the conflict. It is something that this author does impeccably well. The narrative is emotionally rich…The writing is cinematic, punctuated by exciting dialogue. The Strongman and the Mermaid will keep you awake through the night."
— Romuald Dzemo for Readers’ Favorite
— Romuald Dzemo for Readers’ Favorite
"I was hooked from the very start...The Strong Man and the Mermaid is skillfully plotted and written in beautiful prose. The reader is pulled into a fairytale-like world with strong and memorable characters. The love adventure between Mary and Lukasz is one of the key elements that add to the entertaining potential of this narrative. Kathleen Shoop keeps it real and human, succeeding in creating an emotional connection between the reader and the characters."
— Ruffina Oserio for Readers’ Favorite
— Ruffina Oserio for Readers’ Favorite
Book Review
The Strongman and The Mermaid goes way beyond fiction, Kathleen Shoop's words paint a picture of life that comes alive in the readers mind, all senses are experienced and emotions are felt. This is an historical fiction lovers dream! An absolutely outstanding read full of myths, traditions, festivities, historical facts and hardships experienced by a town mixed with different nationalities living and working in 1910 Donora, where existence was created by the mines and steel mills.
I loved how the story begins in 2019, Donora, as Lucy, and her young son Owen try to re-home grandpa Patryk they find a treasured book that was created by his wife and sister. As as they sit down to listen to grandpa, the story of Donora many years ago in 1910, Mary and Lukasz takes us vividly back in time.
Two sad, lonely souls, Lucasz and Mary, in other parts of the world, dream of what life could be, genuine soul mates waiting for their paths to gradually cross.
My heart broke many times following young Czech Mary, her daunting days were filled with sheer hard work, worry and stress of living in poverty with her family. She had moments of joy and feelings of being loved but also had disappointment after disappointment. All her dreams and hopes belonged to the future when her life really would start, she would marry well to a man she loved and have the house she had dreamed about for so long.
Then we have Lukasz, a Polish boy who longed for more in his life. He had the opportunity of a ticket to live the American dream in Donora, he would have a job, live in a lovely home with a lovely wife, all fed by an exaggerated truth of life in Donora, a life full of hardship.
As you read their moving story you will see the darkened skies of Donora, hear the noise from the mills that filled the town with so much thick smoky air and sense and feel how it would stick to your skin and lungs as every breath was taken by the those who lived there. Yet will also feel the sense of pride by the people who lived there to have a self built home and employment, regardless of the conditions. You will enjoy reading about the myths and festivities that took place, my favorite being Midsummers eve and the throwing of the crowns into the river for a potential suitor to be found.
Kathleen Shoop's characters are always so interesting, their back stories always so intriguing, you will find yourself no longer in reality but transported back to a time gone by in any of her books. In this one, you will laugh, you will feel the sense of warmth and joy from kindness, you will feel the sense of crushing from harshness, you will feel yourself rooting for the characters that have taken a hold of you from this beautiful, treasured tale. Now my joint favorite read, alongside The Last Letter, from one of my favorite authors.
The Donora Story Collection Book 1 - After the Fog
The Strongman and The Mermaid goes way beyond fiction, Kathleen Shoop's words paint a picture of life that comes alive in the readers mind, all senses are experienced and emotions are felt. This is an historical fiction lovers dream! An absolutely outstanding read full of myths, traditions, festivities, historical facts and hardships experienced by a town mixed with different nationalities living and working in 1910 Donora, where existence was created by the mines and steel mills.
I loved how the story begins in 2019, Donora, as Lucy, and her young son Owen try to re-home grandpa Patryk they find a treasured book that was created by his wife and sister. As as they sit down to listen to grandpa, the story of Donora many years ago in 1910, Mary and Lukasz takes us vividly back in time.
Two sad, lonely souls, Lucasz and Mary, in other parts of the world, dream of what life could be, genuine soul mates waiting for their paths to gradually cross.
My heart broke many times following young Czech Mary, her daunting days were filled with sheer hard work, worry and stress of living in poverty with her family. She had moments of joy and feelings of being loved but also had disappointment after disappointment. All her dreams and hopes belonged to the future when her life really would start, she would marry well to a man she loved and have the house she had dreamed about for so long.
Then we have Lukasz, a Polish boy who longed for more in his life. He had the opportunity of a ticket to live the American dream in Donora, he would have a job, live in a lovely home with a lovely wife, all fed by an exaggerated truth of life in Donora, a life full of hardship.
As you read their moving story you will see the darkened skies of Donora, hear the noise from the mills that filled the town with so much thick smoky air and sense and feel how it would stick to your skin and lungs as every breath was taken by the those who lived there. Yet will also feel the sense of pride by the people who lived there to have a self built home and employment, regardless of the conditions. You will enjoy reading about the myths and festivities that took place, my favorite being Midsummers eve and the throwing of the crowns into the river for a potential suitor to be found.
Kathleen Shoop's characters are always so interesting, their back stories always so intriguing, you will find yourself no longer in reality but transported back to a time gone by in any of her books. In this one, you will laugh, you will feel the sense of warmth and joy from kindness, you will feel the sense of crushing from harshness, you will feel yourself rooting for the characters that have taken a hold of you from this beautiful, treasured tale. Now my joint favorite read, alongside The Last Letter, from one of my favorite authors.
Our rating
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The Donora Story Collection Book 1 - After the Fog
Historic, environmental drama wrapped in a love story...
It's 1948 in the steel town of Donora, Pennsylvania, site of the infamous “killing smog.” Public health nurse, Rose Pavlesic, has risen above her orphaned upbringing and created a life that reflects everything she missed as a child. She’s even managed to keep her painful secrets hidden from her doting husband, loving children, and large extended family.
When a stagnant weather pattern traps poisonous mill gasses in the valley, neighbors grow sicker and Rose’s nursing obligations thrust her into conflict she never could have fathomed. Consequences from her past collide with her present life, making her once clear decisions as gray as the suffocating smog. As pressure mounts, Rose finds she’s not the only one harboring lies. When the deadly fog finally clears, the loss of trust and faith leaves the Pavlesic family—and the whole town—splintered and shocked. With her new perspective, can Rose finally forgive herself and let her family’s healing begin?
***2013 Eric Hoffer Award Finalist***
***Independent Publisher Awards: 2012 Silver, Best Regional Fiction–Mid-Atlantic***
***National Indie Excellence Awards: 2012 WINNER-- Literary Fiction***
“Shoop masterfully details familial struggles, secrets, and consequences that keep the reader riveted til the end.” - Melissa Foster
“A great and satisfying read. Rose’s triumph over adversity touched me deeply. Ms. Shoop truly knows how to tug the heartstrings. S. K. McClafferty, author of The Ghost and Devlin Muir.” - S. K. McClafferty, author of The Ghost and Devlin Muir
“This is a well-written story set authentically in a historic place and time, around an intricate plot which includes most of the elements that provide for a good “soap opera,” or a book that would be accepted by Oprah Winfrey.” - Historical Novel Society
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“Shoop masterfully details familial struggles, secrets, and consequences that keep the reader riveted til the end.” - Melissa Foster
“A great and satisfying read. Rose’s triumph over adversity touched me deeply. Ms. Shoop truly knows how to tug the heartstrings. S. K. McClafferty, author of The Ghost and Devlin Muir.” - S. K. McClafferty, author of The Ghost and Devlin Muir
“This is a well-written story set authentically in a historic place and time, around an intricate plot which includes most of the elements that provide for a good “soap opera,” or a book that would be accepted by Oprah Winfrey.” - Historical Novel Society
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About Kathleen Shoop
Bestselling author, Kathleen Shoop, holds a PhD in reading education and has more than 20 years of experience in the classroom. She writes historical fiction, women’s fiction and romance. Shoop’s novels have garnered various awards in the Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY), Eric Hoffer Book Awards, Indie Excellence Awards, Next Generation Indie Book Awards, Readers’ Favorite and the San Francisco Book Festival. Kathleen has been featured in USA Today and the Writer’s Guide to 2013. Her work has appeared in The Tribune-Review, four Chicken Soup for the Soul books and Pittsburgh Parent magazine. Kathleen coordinates Mindful Writing Retreats and is a regular presenter at conferences for writers.
I adore writing historical fiction (The Letter series, After the Fog and Donora Stories) but am having a blast writing romance like Home Again, Return to Love and Tending Her Heart (Endless Love series). Thank you so much for the time you take to read.
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