A charming and engrossing novel for fans of Southern fiction and the recent hit memoir Hillbilly Elegy about a lush and storied coal-mining town–and the good people who live there–in danger of being destroyed for the sake of profit. Will the truth about the town’s past be its final undoing or its saving grace?1933. In the mining town of Beulah Mountain, West Virginia, two young girls form an … two young girls form an unbreakable bond against the lush Appalachian landscape, coal dust and old hymns filling their lungs and hearts. Despite the polarizing forces of their fathers–one a mine owner, one a disgruntled miner –Ruby and Bean thrive under the tender care of Bean’s mama, blissfully unaware of the rising conflict in town and the coming tragedy that will tear them apart forever.
2004. Hollis Beasley is taking his last stand. Neighbors up and down the hollow have sold their land to Coleman Coal and Energy, but Hollis is determined to hold on to his family legacy on Beulah Mountain. Standing in his way is Buddy Coleman, an upstart mining executive who hopes to revitalize the dying town by increasing coal production and opening the Company Store Museum. He’ll pay homage to the past–even the massacre of 1933–while positioning the company for growth at all costs.
What surprises them all is how their stories will intersect with a feisty octogenarian living hundreds of miles away. When Ruby Handley Freeman’s grown children threaten her independence, she takes a stand of her own and disappears, propelling her on a journey to face a decades-old secret that will change everything for her and those she meets.
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I loved the book,I didn’t want to put the book down.
Fantastic book!
It kept me reading to see how situations and characters were resolved.
Loved it. Very realistic
The setting hops between 1933 and 2004. Though the Beulah Mountain coal mining camp massacre portrayed is fictional, the story effectively captures the plight of coal miners, the conditions of mining camps, and the disparity between the lives of miners’ and the men who employed them. The friendship of two girls thrives despite their father’s occupations: a miner and an owner.
The story immediately swept me away to West Virginia 1933, with Ruby Handley and Beatrice Dingess–better known as Bean–running over the grass to church. Ruby is a coal heiress. Bean and her parents live in a hovel.
The issues between the haves and the have-nots unfold through conflicts between Ruby’s father (Mr. Handley) and Bean’s father (Judson Dingess), a man given to drink and threats. But the real enemy is ruthless co-owner Mr. Coleman.
Fast forward to 2004. Ruby Handley Freeman is 84 in Biding, Kentucky. She’s rich but doesn’t live like it. She kept only one link to her past–a pair of old shoes from the mining camp–telltale evidence and far from a pleasant memory. She still drives, proud to be independent and known for her culinary contributions of carrot cakes, German chocolate cakes, and brownies to the community.
But she’s plagued by reporter Charlotte Beasley who keeps showing up, wanting to know if Ruby got the invitation to the grand opening of the Company Store Museum in Beulah Mountain–and wanting to ask questions about the massacre and Esau scrip. The new Company Store Museum will showcase the history of the area.
But that’s none of Ruby’s concern. At least not yet. She has left that piece of her far behind in her childhood. So she thinks.
Meanwhile, back in Beulah Mountain, Charlotte’s Grandpa Hollis Beasley is holding out. He won’t sell his property to the coal company even when Buddy Coleman (heir of Mr. Coleman in 1933) offers him good money.
Only Ruby remains the common thread between the 1933 massacre and the threat of the encroaching coal company in 2004. She knows something nobody else does. And it matters.
This split-time novel moves seamlessly back and forth between two decades as the drama rises, culminating in surprising revelations–one which I predicted and one that blew my mind–yet in retrospect made perfect sense.
It was definitely a somber read. But such an interesting story. I loved Ruby. Once I started, I read it in a few days. I had to see how it ended.
Not my favorite Chris Fabry book, but I mostly enjoyed it.
Dual time periods have become quite popular, and since I’ve gotten used to this style of writing I really enjoy it. Author Chris Fabry takes us from 1933 to 2004 and back very skillfully.
I will say it took me a couple of chapters to get into this story, but once I did I couldn’t put it down. Expertly written, with interesting history woven throughout, Fabry’s storyline is quite remarkable. His characters are well developed and intriguing.
The thread throughout this book reminds that us that, according to the Bible, truth sets us free. Secrets will always affect our lives adversely. It also addresses the need to forgive so you can move on in life.
Full of twists, turns, and winding roads, this book climaxes to a surprise ending that I truly didn’t see coming. I highly recommend it!
I received a complimentary copy of this book but was not required to leave a review.