Eel River Rising

Eel River Rising is a touching and compelling story of love, friendship and choices from Laura Reasoner Jones, author of The All-Wise Being. 


In the 1870s, young Flora Meranda is determined to become a doctor like her father, even though she knows her path will be challenging and strewn with obstacles. Flora's story is told through the eyes of her Midwestern friends and family members, women whose lives touch or are touched by Flora and her dream: her cousin Catharine, a Kansas pioneer whose difficult choices of her own lead her little sister Libbet to self-destruct under the weight of her genius; her older sister Macy, whose Civil War romance colors her days into the 20th century; Flora's mother Anna, who strikes out for the wilderness of northern Indiana to make a place for her and her family; Rosa, a young German immigrant who, with Flora, experiences the Midwest's worst natural disaster ever; Kate, mother to a world-famous composer and songwriter, who carefully guards one of the many secrets of Flora's life; Gem, the "college girl" who captures the heart of Flora's son; Luella, the hateful sister-law; Nona, Flora's best friend who steers Flora through town society; Dorothy, Flora's granddaughter who sees Flora for the heroine she is, and Ida, renowned writer and suffragist who uses Flora's story to inspire other women to fight for their rights.


Flora holds secrets from her family and from herself. In doing so, she destroys what she holds most dear. Losing her dream as a young girl makes her finds other ways to serve, but in doing so, defies convention and forces her to work in secret. 


Eel River Rising spans the 19th and 20th centuries, addressing issues facing women both then and today: access to education, marriage and family roles, and equal rights. Disappointments and new directions for each of the women challenge perceptions of the struggle for equal rights and opportunities.


Eel River Rising is a companion to Jones' earlier book The All-Wise Being: A Tale of God and Republicans. The story of Flora's husband Ethan, a Hoosier politician and attorney, the two books complement each other, telling the same story through different eyes.


About the Author: Hoosier born and bred, Laura Reasoner Jones grew up in Irvington and graduated from Purdue University. She lives in Pennsylvania with her wonderful husband and over 1000 pictures of dead relatives. She is the author of The All-Wise Being and Herndon Then and Now.