Joy Callaway delivers a delightful story based on historical events and the creation of an iconic hotel in “What the Mountains Remember.”
Belle Newbold has not seen the mountains since her miner father’s death in the mines of West Virginia. But when her family — stepfather and gas magnate Papa Shipley and her mother — are invited to one of Henry Ford’s and Thomas Edison’s Vagabonds Tour in Asheville, N.C., she must face the mountains and what they represent head on.
Some of the activities include viewing the near completion of the Grove Park Inn, a highly unique structure made out of concrete and stones from the mountains. As Belle’s fascination grows with the process and the people who are bringing the structure to life, she is asked to write the story of the people building the hotel. While doing so, she also gets to know better Worth Delafield, the man she plans to marry. Both are searching for a marriage filled with kindness and compassion but not love.
Will Belle be able to overcome several obstacles all while hiding her true past identity as well as her growing feelings for Worth?
Callaway does an incredible job of diving deeply into a real event with real people, all while creating fictionalized characters to further develop her story. Readers will love Belle and Worth, relating to their past struggles and traumas. They will also feel the inspiration the hotel’s workers provide.
She also fills “What the Mountains Remember” with several great themes, like there are no small lives or stories (“It is easy to consider yourself ordinary, worthless even, when you mistakenly think of your contribution as small. No one’s life is small”); guarding one’s heart; dealing with jealousy; finding your purpose; the power of love; and love sets a person free.
Fans of historical fiction and stories about actual historical events and places will love this novel, which is due out April 2.
Five stars out of five.
Harper Muse provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.