A Daring Adventure by Elizabeth Camden

A Daring Adventure by Elizabeth Camden was such an interesting historical novel.  It is based on the beginnings of the clean water act which was made easier by the chlorination of water which made purifying it cheap enough for cities to be able to supply to all their citizens.  This book takes the reader back to the early 1900s when cholera and typhoid were a quite common cause of death.  Many readers of today believe that the reason that modern people live longer today than the early 1900s was because of antibiotics but the real reason is because of the clean water act.  It is so much easier to keep people well than to cure them of typhoid or cholera.  This novel tells a fictionalized story of Dr. Leal who invented the first chlorine feed system which could cheaply chlorinate water systems of the cities.  Though it is quite common today and we don't really think much about it now, it caused quite a stir in May of 1910 when the courts ordered that it was safe to use. In the four short years from the beginnings of chlorination and 1914 when over half of the cities had adopted the technique the deaths from water contamination plummeted where ever the clean water was available .

But let us go back to 1908 when Dr. Rosalind Werner was working with Dr. Leal on his chlorination technique to bring clean water to the city of Jersey City.  It is a huge secrete because of the talk among the citizens that it will poison their family.  It is difficult to convince the wealthy lawmakers of the area that what is poison in large amounts will purify the water if droplets are used.  Dr. Werner has been asked to speak to a consultant, Nick Drake, who is working against the cause to try to convince him to trade sides.  When the two meet they instantly fall in love even though neither change their mind about which side they are on.  Unbeknownst to Rosalind though Dr. Leal is secretly working to go ahead and chlorinate the water system of Jersey City without telling anyone except those college students working with him on his new system.  Rosalind later finds out about Dr. Leal's work but agrees not to tell anyone including Nick.  Well as any reader can figure out Nick finds out and trouble happens in their relationship and they vow never to see each other again.  How will this story end?  As we know chlorination eventually happens but did Rosalind find love with the opposition namely Nick?  Do they figure out how to live with each others differences?  Read this book to find out.
I received this book from BethanyHouse for this review.