Review: A Beautiful Story
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 20, 2012
Review 6 out of 5Joel Smith is a cocky young man who, along with his best friend, decides to travel to Montana days before his graduation from college. When they come across an abandoned mine, Joel's curiosity gets the better of him and he decides to do a bit of exploring. After a freak occurrence, Joel finds himself in 1941.With no way of getting back home any time soon, and with the help of his grandmother and her friends, he begins to make a new life for himself. When an opportunity to return to 2000 occurs, will he go? Or will he stay with the woman he has come to love?This is a fantastic tale that will probably stay with me for a while. The Mine is more than a time travel story, it is a reminder to not only my generation, but to the generations to come about the brutality of impending war, and how it affects every single person on the planet.Joel Smith is a child of the Twentieth Century, but loves history and geology, so going to explore an abandoned mine is like catnip to him. Joel is a man's man. He is very charismatic and everyone loves him. After an accident in the mine, he wakes up and finds out that he's now in 1941. Germany and Britain are at war. Going back to Seattle from Montana is a surreal experience for him. If I found myself in the past, I would be panicking! Joel, however, seems almost too calm. His calm head stands him in good stead, as he begins to see opportunities to improve his lot. When he reaches Seattle, he makes friends with Tom after rescuing him from a beating. Through Tom, Joel meets his grandmother-to-be and her friends. One of those friends, Grace, becomes very important to Joel. However, when the time comes, will he be able to leave?This book took me on an emotional journey filled with love and loss, and made me feel proud of all the men and women who were/are called to war. However, this was also a love story that tugged at my heartstrings. I shed a fair share of tears over a few of the pages.I loved the way that John Heldt has written this story, and would highly recommend it if you love a great time travel romance. I will definitely be on the look out for more of his books in the future.