Taking a superstition concerning dowsing and building a story during the Depression in America, Ms. Thomas gives us a lesson to ponder: Are the things we are looking for selfish or should they benefit others?
Sully is looking for self-worth, the lazy way. He is a con man and a rascally charmer. “I don’t think he is a bad man so much as he’s a lost one who doesn’t quite know how to get along with people for more than a day or two.”
Gainey Floyd has a secret in her past and although it is not forgotten, she knows God loves her. She has hidden the Word in her heart and brings out verses to fit the occasion.” I’ve memorized a great many verses over the years, and sometimes it’s as if the world calls them out of me.”
Jeremiah is steadfast and wants to do the right thing.
The three become friends in an unusual way and out of necessity.
This is a heartwarming, homey story with much sadness but blooming with the truth that God works in spite of us. The author gives us beauty in the midst of sorrow: “It was a perfect day-the sky that derp, rich blue that only happens in autumn when God needs just the right backdrop for the glory of red, gold and orange leaves.”
A memorable story from a favorite storyteller.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House on behalf of the author. I was not required to give a favorable review. All opinions are my own.*5 Stars and a solid faith thread.
"The record presents a story of a condition that is hardly conceivable in a democratic government in the present century. It would be more representative of the Middle Ages. It is the story of a tragedy . . . the story of men in the darkest days of the Depression . . . "
Three lives intersect against the backdrop of historically tragic circumstances surrounding the construction of the Hawks Nest Tunnel in Gauley Bridge, West Virginia. But we need to back up a bit. Who were they? How did they meet? Did they become friends. Did they find what they were looking for?
Meet Sullivan Harrison. Too good-looking and silver tongued for his own good; a drifter, a douser, and an all round scalawag . . .or so thought Jeremiah Weber, who volunteered to hunt the scoundrel down for hoodwinking his town of Kline, West Virginia out of their money. Following Sully toward Mount Lookout, West Virginia Jeremiah uses the connections provided by local postmistress Gainey Floyd, who has overcome her first impressions of Mr. Harrison, due to the fact that he has lived up to his claims of "finding things". But we're nowhere near the end of this story, and you'll just have to read it for yourself!
What an Appalachian jewel; nestled amongst unknown, perhaps conveniently forgotten history, and cast with characters who just need a gentle nudge (or a swift kick) towards hope, readers will happily herald the merits of the "finder of forgotten things" .
*I received a copy of this book from the author and publisher. I also purchased a copy. The opinions stated above are entirely my own.
SEE WINNIE'S REVIEW
BackCover Blurb:
It's one thing to say you can find what people need--it's another to actually do it.
It's
1932 and Sullivan Harris is on the run. An occasionally successful
dowser, he promised the people of Kline, West Virginia, that he would
find them water. But when wells turned up dry, he disappeared with their
cash just a step or two ahead of Jeremiah Weber, who was elected to run
him down.
Postmistress Gainey Floyd is suspicious of Sulley's
abilities when he appears in her town but reconsiders after new wells
fill with sweet water. Rather, it's Sulley who grows uneasy when his
success makes folks wonder if he can find more than water--like
forgotten items or missing people. He lights out to escape such
expectations and runs smack into something worse.
Hundreds of men
have found jobs digging the Hawks Nest Tunnel--but what they thought
was a blessing is killing them. And no one seems to care. Here, Sulley
finds something new--a desire to help. With it, he becomes an unexpected
catalyst, bringing Jeremiah and Gainey together to find what even he
has forgotten: hope.
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