Three Rivers Rising-Inspired Outfit

Well, the New Year brought the flu into our house.  It's been a rough couple of days for Luke and I, but we're hopefully at the end of the flu bug...fingers crossed!

Earlier this week I reviewed Three Rivers Rising by Jame Richards, a historical novel in verse based off the Johnstown, PA flooding of the late 1800s.  So that's the basis for today's outfit!  I decided to go a little rich and a little poor (since there were a variety of socioeconomic characters) and a little past and present.  And here's what I created:

I think it's super-cute!  Here's the breakdown:

• The dress is a denim shirt dress (from Target for $20).  This is such a classic piece for women because it can be dressed up or down.  It was a perfect choice for this book because it fits the low-end in terms of budget and the color obviously matches the flooding in the book.
• I love the hat--this is probably my favorite part of the look.  I wanted muted colors (lots of browns) and something that targeted the past, and this hat does just that!  I found this hat on Amazon for $37.
• The tan wedge heels keep the outfit contemporary and fit for summer.  These are Jimmy Choo and retail for $575 (wow!).
• A wrap watch keeps my brown color going throughout the outfit and adds a nice touch since the dress has 3/4-length sleeves.  This watch is $13 from Body Central.
• And finally, these Kendra Scott white pearl earrings ($52) keep the outfit super-classy and maintain the high-end budget look.

So what do you think?  Do you see the inspiration from the book?

I'll be back next week with a super fun week of outfits...you Divergent fans are going to love it!  See you then!

*I am not associated with any companies/products mentioned.

REVIEW--Three Rivers Rising

Yep, that just happened.  I just took over a week off from blogging.  Completely unintentional! But a busy Christmas week allowed me to focus completely on my boys and our holiday.  I hope you had a relaxing, celebratory week as well!

But I'm back with a review!  Today's review is over the book Three Rivers Rising by Jame Richards.  I noticed this book in my library because it is a novel-in-verse, and those always spark my interest.  And this one is based off a true event, a dam breaking in Johnstown, PA in 1889, which resulted in a very tragic flooding of the city.  So let's get started!

• Standalone novel
• Historical fiction

The Gist:

Three young women have very separate lives in Johnstown, PA.  

Celestia is 16-years-old and from a wealthy family.  But she thinks she is willing to be disowned from her family when she finds love with Peter, a hired boy at her country club.

Maura is a train conductor's wife and is dedicated to making their house (with its ever-growing family) a home.

Kate lost her love in a tragic accident and now works nonstop as a nurse to block out her emotions.

All three women will find their lives completely changed--and connected--when the dam in Johnstown, PA, breaks and drops millions of tons of water down on the city.

What I Loved:

• A really interesting part of history that honestly isn't well-known.  I liked getting a new perspective of this event.
• There were some sweet love stories in this book, especially between Celestia and Peter and Maura and her husband.  Sweetness in the midst of sadness.  
• The variety of voices was great; I loved getting the different perspectives, like Celestia's father's point of view.

What I Didn't Love:

• I would actually prefer regular prose for this book instead of the novel-in-verse.  The verse just didn't develop the characters enough for me.  I wanted so much more from these characters, especially Maura and Kate.
• A kind of forgettable book...sorry, it just was.  Nothing to get me super-excited about the book, and I can tell when I booktalk it that my students find it a bit forgettable, too.

My favorite quote:

"I would rather have no husband than the wrong husband."

So...an ok book that was interesting, but definitely not a re-read for me.  Three high heels!

And yes, I'll be back with an outfit inspired by the outfit!