When Minerva Jane Jenkins made a promise to her dying husband 30 years before, she had no idea how that promise would rule her life. Now in her ninth decade and nearing the end of her life, a young reporter comes calling to her Kentucky mountain shack. He’s looking into rumors of stolen gold, bringing with him unexpected trouble and danger but also a good reason for Minerva to reconsider her life.
Minerva—young at heart yet blind to the ramifications of her husband’s secrets—begins to look deep into her dreams, her fears, and the whole of her life from the time she came to the mountain as Stately Jenkins’ wife at age 14 to these final days on her mountain. And Delano Rankin knows more than he’s telling as he gets to know Minerva. These two form a bond that can’t be broken despite the decades between them, despite danger from the outside, and despite the havoc wreaked by a secret that, decades later, doesn’t hold the weight it once did.
Sproles’ talent lies in her storytelling prowess, her ability to recreate the Appalachian Mountain people and dialect, and her skill at portraying the emotions we all feel through her charming and likable characters. She doesn’t tie it all in a bow—Minerva’s struggles become our own, her tears become our own. Readers will come away with new respect for the elderly, a deeper understanding of the power of a secret, and a love for the mountains her characters call home. Sproles is also author of What Momma Left Behind and is cofounder of Christian Devotions Ministry. (Revell)
About the Author
Ann Byle is author of Chicken Scratch: Lessons on Living Creatively from a Flock of Hens. She is a freelance writer and author of several other books, magazine articles, and reviews. She lives in Grand Rapids, Mich.