BACK IN TIME: THE MINE
Hi everyone! Let us start
with a question regarding time-travelling. What would you do if you
travel back in time? Not back to a few years but back to a few decades or more
than half century; which means you, or maybe, your parents are not even born
yet. When I was a kid I used to think: that'll be cool! Of course being the 8
year-old kid that I was, it's quite a naïve thought. Perhaps, that is one of
the reason why I was ecstatic when John Heldt approached our blog with a review
request. I've always love a good time-travelling story especially considering
all the funny things that could happen to the main character when he or she
landed in an entirely different era. Add that with a romantic twist and
wonderful historical descriptions, voilá! The perfect book for my reading time.
The Mine consist of all the elements said above. It's the first book in John
Heldt's Northway Passage series, which consist of 3 more books: The Journey,
The Show, and The Fire.
The Mine started with the
main character, Joel Smith, having discovered an abandoned mine in May 2000.
While exploring it, he re-emerged from the mine to an entirely different time.
He was still in the same place, but landed in May 1941. He was penniless
(modern money did not qualify in pre-war era and credit card was not even
invented yet!), have no place to go home to, and perplexed at what he is going
to do next.
Thankfully, after days of
walking around and catching a wagon to Seattle (his hometown back in the 21st
century), he made good friends with Tom Carter and (here's the catch) his
independent, straightforward grandmother, Ginny. Seriously, the young version
of Joel's grandmother is one of my favourite character in The Mine; a
strong-willed woman during the pre-war era was difficult to be found. Then Joel
was introduced to Grace Vanderberg. Sweet and smart, Grace felt immediate
attraction to Joel and vice versa. Unfortunately there's a catch, Grace
was engaged and this proves to be one of the conflict that arises for
Joel. Eventually after spending time in each other's company, Joel's cocky
(and a bit arrogant) attitude is softened up by Grace's compassionate nature.
Their romance evolves for months as in 1940's, holding-hands and afternoon walks
are required for a budding relationship back then. It turns out for both Joel
and Grace that their mutual attraction becomes something much more serious and
they are falling in love with each other. Think of the Notebook and this
tender, beautiful love is just like that. I just can't help but sigh
contentedly as I read this wonderfully written romance.
