Panama

This novel begins in Ohio. A young girl lives next door to the Wright brothers as they are experimenting with airplanes. She watches the world go by, content, yet longing inside for more. The announcement of a canal being built in Panama comes around her ninth birthday. Her father starts to get letters trying to persuade him to join as an engineer. He dismisses it as life goes on. Finally, when she is fifteen, they decide to join the canal project and commit to living in Panama for three years. She's disappointed at first when the Zone is filled with families just like hers. Where is the excitement that was promised to her? Harry, a friend of her father's, allows her to tag along as he visits the workers for the census. It beats going to school and gives her a glimpse into the Panama that's bound of offer more. She knows Federico is different from the moment that she lays eyes on him. He's well-educated, orderly, smooth, and handsome. He's a pick-and-shovel man on the canal, which surprises her. He seems to be cut out for so much more than dirt-digging. They become secret lovers from different worlds yet are united as one. What will become of them once the canal is finished? I adored this novel for both the love story and the history of the Panama Canal. The author intertwined the two stories together smoothly and created a great piece of work. Reviewed by: hoopsielv