The Gold in These Hills
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4.6 • 23 Ratings
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
When mail-order bride Juniper’s husband vanishes, she writes to him—but fears she's waiting for a ghost in a ghost town. A century later, Johnny Sutherland discovers her letters while restoring her abandoned farmhouse. Can her loving words from the distant past change his present?
1902: Upon arriving in Kenworthy, California, mail-order bride Juniper Cohen is met by the pounding of the gold mine, an untamable landscape, and her greatest surprise of all: the kind and charming man who awaits her. But when the mine proves empty of profit, and when Juniper’s husband, John, vanishes, Juniper is left to fend for herself and her young daughter in the dying town that is now her home.
Juniper pens letters to her husband but fears she is waiting on a ghost. Perhaps worse, rumors abound claiming the man she loves could be an outlaw. Fighting for survival, she befriends the few people left in Kenworthy and refuses to leave, resolving to be exactly where her husband left her in case he comes home. Surviving in a ghost town requires trusting the kindness of a few remaining souls, including the one who can unlock the mystery of her husband’s disappearance.
Present day: Trying to escape the heartache of his failed marriage, Johnny Sutherland throws himself into raising his children and restoring a hundred-year-old abandoned farmhouse in what was once known as Kenworthy in the San Jacinto Mountains. While exploring its secrets he uncovers Juniper’s letters and is moved by the handwritten accounts that bear his name—and as a love story from the past touches his own world, Johnny might discover yet that hope and resilience go hand in hand.
With The Gold in These Hills, acclaimed and beloved author Joanne Bischof returns with an absorbing masterpiece of faith, perseverance, and love that changes the course of history.
Sweeping, Inspirational fiction with historical and contemporary timelinesStand-alone novelBook length: 93,000 wordsIncludes discussion questions for book clubs and a note from the author
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this impressive historical romance, Bischof (Sons of Blackbird Mountain) connects people a century apart in a former gold rush town. In 1902, Juniper Cohen is a young mother trying to survive in the ghost town of Kenworthy, Calif., following the collapse of the gold mining industry. Her husband, John, has been missing for months after having left to search for gold. Though some presume John is dead, Juniper continues to write him letters, recounting the desolation of her life and the struggles of those who remain. Months later, she's shocked to learn John is awaiting trial for "salting" gold mines—exploding a gold nugget in a mine shaft to create a shower of gold flecks and the illusion of profitability. Meanwhile, in present-day Kenworthy, Johnny, a young father going through a divorce, buys a dilapidated house and discovers in it a box containing John's diaries. With the help of a genealogical researcher, Johnny learns more about the history of the town alongside John's story, notably his shame for his misdeeds and desire to create a better life for Juniper. Faith elements are subtle, with the narrative being driven by the circumstances leading to the town's downfall. Inspirational readers who enjoy time-slip historicals will love this.
Customer Reviews
Beautiful Story
The Gold in These Hills by Joanne Bischof is a beautifully written, historical saga set in two timelines, one in the early 1900s and the other in the present day. This is a story about grief, patience, and forgiveness.
Juniper Cohen and her daughter Bethany, are alone in the town of Kenworthy, California after her husband, John disappeared. The mining town is dying after the discovery the mine had been salted and is not a viable gold mine after all. Juniper’s life is hard and she takes in laundry from the remaining townsfolks as she awaits word from her husband, who suddenly disappeared after the discovery of the salted mine. She has a friend, Edie, who runs the mercantile and eventually takes on a border, Mrs. Parsons, who was the schoolteacher until the school shut down due to lack of students.
In the present-day timeline, Johnny Sutherland is still reeling from his separation from his wife and their impending divorce. In order to provide a home for their two children and hope for shared custody, Johnny buys an old farmhouse. He discovers historical treasures in the old barn and works to discover the history of the farmhouse.
I sure enjoyed this historical saga. The use of the alternating timelines helped the book’s pacing, however, it did get a bit bogged down in historical details in the middle. But, the ending is very worth it to get to. The characters in both timelines have to deal with grief and learn patience and understanding. This deeply emotional tale will tug at your heart and the characters feel like they are living with you through their journey.
The historical details in the book brought me an understanding of the history of the gold mines in California and the Cahuilla tribe that I never knew before reading this book.
I highly recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.