The River Was Waiting by Cordelia Frances Biddle

“In this age, where violence has become normalized, The River Was Waiting is a must read.” Michael Fryd, author of My Mother’s War

The year is 1963. 

Raped by a supposedly respectable older man, graduate student Mabel Gorne flees New England for Manhattan. She's unaware that the perpetrator died in a murder-suicide. If she reveals the truth, will she be blamed for the crime? 

Mabel carries another dark secret. She's pregnant. Her rapist is the father. With abortion confined to shady doctors, back alleys, and coat-hangers, how will she endure her unwanted pregnancy? 

In this sequel to They Believed They Were Safe, Mabel vacillates between hope and fear, struggling to find equilibrium in the midst of a huge, uncaring city. 

Will Mabel find the courage she desperately wants and needs? Can she accept genuine love and kindness or will her traumatic history engulf her?

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Pub date: 20-Jan-2026

Page count: 244

ISBN: 978-3-98832-232-6