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Thursday, September 15, 2016

WHEN MOUNTAINS MOVE by JULIE CANTRELL

The story is set in  the 1940s and the author has done an amazing job of writing a beautiful historical book. I appreciate the descriptions of Colorado in those days and made the story very realistic. It wasn't easy trying to start a new life in the rough terrain  and our main characters will soon find out how much work is involved to start a ranch.

Millie is quite young when she married Bump Anderson. She is ready to begin a new life and doesn't mind the treacherous grounds they will have to travel to reach their destination. Millie has another reason to leave her old home that she hasn't told Bump about. What will happen when he finds out her secret?

Bump is a hard working man and is excited to take on the challenge of getting a deserted ranch back up and running. I loved the details of what chores were done daily to keep the ranch going. It was very hard work and I was impressed with Millie and her dedication to helping  her husband's dream come true. I don't think I would want to go to a land and start from scratch trying to rebuild it. I did find her friend Kat to be most unpleasant. She sure has her eyes on Millie's husband and that really added some friction between the newlyweds.

When Millie's grandmother comes to visit Millie, I really enjoyed how her heritage was a focal point of the story. Her grandmother shared some wonderful stories about the past and described some of the Choctaw traditions. It seemed to really help Millie understand where she came from and how important her ancestors were. I loved the descriptions of their culture and I could picture Millie sitting in awe as Oca shared memories. When Millie has a very hard decision to make , I could feel her despair and pain. The author did a great job of talking about a very hard subject but did it with grace and showed the struggle that women go through when faced with this decision.
What does Millie decide to do ? Dies she make the right choice?

The book is a wonderful journey of newlyweds starting out, their struggles and the lessons they learn as they grow in their faith and learn to trust each other. The secret that Millie has hidden from Bump will be a huge shock and I loved how the author shared the pain and hurt that the secret had caused. If you love historical fiction with a powerful cast of characters and reading about the challenges they face this is the book to get. There are several characters I didn't mention but you will discover how they are intricate to the story about second chances , trust and unconditional love.

I received a copy of this book from The Fiction Guild for an honest review.

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