What will happen when one intrepid young woman steps away from the past?
Description
In 1933 Louisville, Kentucky, even the ongoing economic depression cannot keep Piper Danson’s parents from insisting on a debut party. After all, their fortune came through the market crash intact, and they’ve picked out the perfect suitor for their daughter. Braxton Crandall can give her the kind of life she’s used to. The only problem? This is not the man–or the life–she really wants.
When Piper gets the opportunity to volunteer as a horseback Frontier Nursing courier in the Appalachian Mountains for the summer, she jumps at the chance to be something other than a dutiful daughter or a kept wife in a loveless marriage. The work is taxing, the scenery is jaw-droppingly gorgeous, and the people she meets along the way open a whole new world to her. The longer she stays, the more an advantageous marriage slips from her grasp. But something much more precious–true love–is drawing ever closer.
Details
- Title: An Appalachian Summer
- Author: Ann H. Gabhart
- Publisher: Revell
- Publication Date: June 30, 2020
- Page Count: 360
- Excerpt
My Thoughts
The characters in this charming story drew me in and surrounded me quickly with the feel of a different time and location. Even without much description, I could easily imagine each person as they spoke. And I’m sure these endearing Appalachian characters will win you over too.
In 1933, like most of the country Louisville, Kentucky is experiencing the Great Depression. Piper Danson and her family are lucky enough to come through the economic crises unscathed. So her parents plan her elaborate debut complete with a suitable match that her father has chosen for her to marry.
But shortly after the debut Piper hears about the Frontier Nurse/Midwives in the Appalachian Mountains, She chooses to distance herself from dating and feeling obligated to make her parents happy. So she hurriedly heads off to the Appalachian Mountains for a summer adventure.
As I mentioned, it’s not just the story that interested me, but the characters. One of the first to catch my interest was Maxine, a lady that Piper met on the train. I had to smile as I read what Maxine said to Piper.
“I suspect you’re fixing to have some eye-opening times down there with those nurse midwives. They go right to the houses to help those mamas have babies, you know. Best way, if you ask me. My daughter, she went to a hospital. Waste of money. I had her right in the same bed where my man and me did what has to be done to make her. Worked fine.” The woman reached over and touched Piper’s arm. “Now I’ve gone and made your cheeks bloom again. You’ll see plenty down there in Leslie County to make you blush, but it’ll all be good. As long as you step where the Lord wants you to step.”
Piper meets other interesting characters when she reaches Wendover and The Garden House. When she is instructed that it would be best to make noise, such as singing when on the trail, so as to alert the mountain people, the conversation makes it easy to visualize the women.
“They wouldn’t shoot me, would they?” Piper remembered her mother telling Truda that all mountaineers had guns.
“No.” Suze sounded very sure of that, and Piper breathed a little easier. At least until Suze went on. “Definitely not on purpose. But shot on purpose or by accident can lead to the same unfortunate outcome.”
Though the people are quite different from the more financially secure that Piper is familiar with, it takes no time for her to begin enjoying them, the surroundings, and even the miracle of birth.
The story comes to life with history, romance, surroundings, and of course, unique characters.
What Concerned Me
Nothing
What I Liked
This is such a relaxing, warm story. It’s interesting and even uplifting. And who doesn’t love a bit of romance?
It is the perfect book to grab a cup of coffee and curl up with. You won’t be sorry.
“I received this book courtesy of Baker Publishing Group/Revell through Interviews & Reviews, for my honest opinion.”
Rating
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About the Author
Ann H. Gabhart is the bestselling author of several Shaker novels–The Refuge, The Outsider, The Believer, The Seeker, The Blessed, and The Gifted–as well as other historical novels, including Angel Sister, These Healing Hills, and River to Redemption. She and her husband live on a farm a mile from where she was born in rural Kentucky. Ann enjoys discovering the everyday wonders of nature while hiking in her farm’s fields and woods with her grandchildren and her dog, Frankie.
Lovely review. Debbie
Thanks! 🙂