An Appalachian Summer

 

Back Cover

In 1933 Louisville, Kentucky, even the ongoing economic depression cannot keep Pier 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.

Review

Through the eyes of Piper Danson, a young debutante from a wealthy family determined to do something adventurous the year of her debut (and hopefully escape the matchmaking schemes of her parents) the reader is taking on a journey nothing short of extraordinary.  As Piper descends from the train in the Appalachian Mountains, it reminded me of scenes of Christy Huddleson arriving at Cutter Gap, where rugged hills were seen as friends and neighbours sometimes as enemies.  A place where men fiercely loved their wives and family, and for some, their moonshine as well. It is in this setting, where medical help was scarce, that the idea of Frontier Nursing is born to help the hurting citizens of the community, and in particular, the birthing mothers.  

I loved every word of An Appalachian Summer, each page brimming with a moving storyline, likeable characters, and a beautiful setting.   I think the character of Piper Danson can appeal to everyone as a young adult striving to find your own path in the world, not based on what society wants or the family expects, but on your own desires, undergirded by God's loving direction. Piper's summer in the Mountains inspires her to seek life's adventures, never settling for the ordinary or expected, and to embrace each new challenge with excitement for the journey ahead.

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.