Review: Good for a short light read.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 10 19, 2012
About the Book:Joel and his college buddy are enjoying a few days of fun prior to buckling down for senior year finals. Avoiding a road construction delay puts them on a different road where Joel, a geology student, glimpses a sign for an old mine. Unable to resist, he explores the boarded up mine, after breaking through several boards. But a chance meeting with a rattle snake leading to a sharp rap with his head on a low beam leaves him unconscious. When he comes to and stumbles out of the mine he finds himself in 1941.  Joel travels from Montana back to his home city of Seattle by hopping trains.  Being in the right place at the right time and doing the right thing by saving a young man from a beating, gets Joel set up in his new found life of work, parties, riches, and love. Struck by the beauty of an engaged young woman, Joel sets his mind to winning her love, though in the end he may have to make the ultimate sacrifice.My Take:Time travel in this story is a short jump back, though far enough that Joel doesn't fit yet not so far back that he doesn't have knowledge of the time. In this respect, Heldt chose the time and place of his novel quite well. To have Joel travel from Montana, where his accidental departure from the present took place, back to his home town of Seattle, was inspired. Those of us who have lived decades in the same place know how things change so much yet the bones of the town stay the same.  This helps ground the main character in something familiar as he makes his way through the unfamiliar.  Having Joel rescue a young man of rather high station was an interesting plot point which felt rather contrived but Joel himself was of similar station and this avoids having the main character out of place in too many ways.Ginny was a good, solid character but the rest of the cast was slightly weak. Joel tended to be overly selfish and Grace, his love interest, understandable though weak. Heldt tells, rather than shows, Joel's witty, funny nature.The beginning of the novel seems a little choppy, though it smooths out quickly. It is a comfortable read, one which could accompany you to the beach or on a short drive. The novel could use a few more challenge / resolution plot points but this is a pleasant enough read, one that many will find quite enjoyable.Heldt's over use of descriptive phrases instead of names (instead of Bill fell, Heldt might say, 'the two left footed clown fell') was slightly off putting. Used sparingly, it would add interest to the novel. Also, when a patron left $2 for a meal at a diner in 1941, it set me on edge. We paid $1.50 for a steak meal in the sixties!The gift Joel left was also inspired. It shows an understanding of our past history.This is a light romance with some drinking, some mentions of sex without graphic scenes and very little improper language.