Released in August, 2016
from Lake Union Publishing
Available now
THE WHISKEY SEA
Running rum, she'll risk her life--and her heart.
Motherless and destitute, Frieda Hope grows up during Prohibition determined to make a better life for herself and her sister, Bea. The girls are taken in by a kindly fisherman named Silver, and Frieda begins to feel at home whenever she is on the water. When Silver sells his fishing boat to WWI veteran Sam Hicks, thinking Sam would be a fine husband for Frieda, she’s outraged. But Frieda manages to talk Sam into teaching her to repair boat engines instead, so she has a trade of her own and won’t have to marry.
Frieda quickly discovers that a mechanic’s wages won’t support Bea and Silver, so she joins a team of rumrunners, speeding into dangerous waters to transport illegal liquor. Frieda becomes swept up in the lucrative, risky work—and swept off her feet by a handsome Ivy Leaguer who’s in it just for fun.
As danger mounts and her own feelings threaten to drown her, can Frieda find her way back to solid ground—and to a love that will sustain her?
An exciting new historical novel set during the 1920s
THE WHISKEY SEA
Running rum, she'll risk her life--and her heart.
Motherless and destitute, Frieda Hope grows up during Prohibition determined to make a better life for herself and her sister, Bea. The girls are taken in by a kindly fisherman named Silver, and Frieda begins to feel at home whenever she is on the water. When Silver sells his fishing boat to WWI veteran Sam Hicks, thinking Sam would be a fine husband for Frieda, she’s outraged. But Frieda manages to talk Sam into teaching her to repair boat engines instead, so she has a trade of her own and won’t have to marry.
Frieda quickly discovers that a mechanic’s wages won’t support Bea and Silver, so she joins a team of rumrunners, speeding into dangerous waters to transport illegal liquor. Frieda becomes swept up in the lucrative, risky work—and swept off her feet by a handsome Ivy Leaguer who’s in it just for fun.
As danger mounts and her own feelings threaten to drown her, can Frieda find her way back to solid ground—and to a love that will sustain her?
An exciting new historical novel set during the 1920s
Questions for Discussion
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In the opening chapter we see two orphaned girls left alone on the docks until Silver comes along. How did he change the girls’ lives? In today’s society, would a man like Silver have been able to take them in?
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Frieda faces an ethical decision when the opportunity arises to join the rumrunners. Did you understand her decision? What do you think you would have done under the same circumstances?
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How would you characterize Frieda’s relationship with Hicks at the beginning of the book? How did it change, and how would you characterize it by the end of the book?
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Is Charles a sympathetic character? Did you care for him and what happened to him?
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What do you think attracted Frieda to Charles? And how was this attraction and her feelings different from what she felt for Hicks? Why did her feelings change?
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Was the relationship with Charles ultimately a help to Frieda? What did she learn from him? Did he learn anything from her?
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Love and money are recurring threads throughout the novel. How are love and money connected in this book? How was this important?
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The nature of sisterhood is also explored in this novel. Describe Bea and Frieda’s relationship. How did they differ? Were you ever angry at either one of them?
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Did you learn anything about Prohibition and rumrunning as a result of reading this novel?
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Forgiveness is another theme in this novel. Would you have been able to forgive yourself if you were Frieda, and if so, why?