Song of Springhill - a love story by Cheryl McKay
Purple Pen Works
©2014, 310 pgs
From the back of the book:
Hoping for a fresh start, Hannah Wright moves to Springhill, the
hometown of the father she never knew because he died in their volatile coal
mines before she was born. She tracks down her aunt, Abigail Percy, and is
immediately welcomed to move in with the whole Percy clan. This includes her
Uncle Ray, a coal miner, and their four lively children. Suddenly, she's
surrounded by more family than she's ever had in her life.
The day after she arrives, the mine explodes, trapping many underground, including Uncle Ray. Little did Hannah know when she set off on this new adventure how much her family was going to need her. When the Percys face a sudden lack of provision, Hannah knows she must get a job to help them. But the only industry in town that pays enough is coal mining--and the mine company doesn't hire women.
Hannah secretly masquerades as a man and gets hired as Mel, a distant cousin of her father's. Keeping up her charade is challenging in this tight-knit, 1950s town, where everybody knows one another.
Hannah is placed on the team of Josh Winslow, a handsome bachelor who noticed her the moment she stepped into town. It doesn't take long for Josh to see through Hannah's disguise as Mel, but she convinces him there's no other way for her to help take care of her family. Understanding the pressure she's under, he agrees to not blow Hannah's cover--for now.
Though Hannah seems to keep Josh at arm's length, he's determined to chip away at her defenses and win her heart. She resists, afraid to love someone who could die at any moment in an accident underground.
Long-time miners start to sense that "the big one" is coming. Calling it a "Bump" does little to calm Hannah's fear of the impending underground earthquake, a disaster that could come any day.
Will Josh and Hannah be among the next miners caught in a catastrophic disaster? Does Hannah stand to lose everything she's worked so hard to rebuild?
* * *
Song of Springhill is a love story set against the backdrop of
true-life disasters that plagued the town of Springhill,
Nova Scotia
in the 1950s. It was a town torn by tragedy that also experienced some of the
most astounding, miraculous rescues the world ever watched unfold. The day after she arrives, the mine explodes, trapping many underground, including Uncle Ray. Little did Hannah know when she set off on this new adventure how much her family was going to need her. When the Percys face a sudden lack of provision, Hannah knows she must get a job to help them. But the only industry in town that pays enough is coal mining--and the mine company doesn't hire women.
Hannah secretly masquerades as a man and gets hired as Mel, a distant cousin of her father's. Keeping up her charade is challenging in this tight-knit, 1950s town, where everybody knows one another.
Hannah is placed on the team of Josh Winslow, a handsome bachelor who noticed her the moment she stepped into town. It doesn't take long for Josh to see through Hannah's disguise as Mel, but she convinces him there's no other way for her to help take care of her family. Understanding the pressure she's under, he agrees to not blow Hannah's cover--for now.
Though Hannah seems to keep Josh at arm's length, he's determined to chip away at her defenses and win her heart. She resists, afraid to love someone who could die at any moment in an accident underground.
Long-time miners start to sense that "the big one" is coming. Calling it a "Bump" does little to calm Hannah's fear of the impending underground earthquake, a disaster that could come any day.
Will Josh and Hannah be among the next miners caught in a catastrophic disaster? Does Hannah stand to lose everything she's worked so hard to rebuild?
* * *
####
I have to say that
not only did I relate with the characters of this book, but I laughed, I cried,
I sang along (yes, you read that right, sang along), I cried some more and I
fell in love with a little town in Nova Scotia and the heartache that they
endured. Although many of the characters
in this book are very much a part of the author’s imagination, I long to know
more, to dig deeper and connect with those who are true survivors of the 1956
Explosion, the 1957 Main Street Fire, and the 1958 Bump.
In my opinion,
there is nothing better than a good book that features snippets of real life
events because I absolutely love History.
Where would we be today without it?
We wouldn’t, that is all there is to it, without time, success and
failure, risk and love, we wouldn’t even exist.
Without the God given desire for family, community and love/relationship
with one another, we would never have made it past the ousting of the Garden of
Eden.
So here we are, in
a world full of many “what if” s and it happens that we are at a loss of how to
get beyond what is happening in our lives right this moment. That is where History comes in and shows us
that God is Awesome!, Love is Amazing (especially when it is the Love of our
Savior) and there is Hope for tomorrow.
You may ask me what
does this have to do with McKay’s book Song of Springhill? Everything.
When God gives somebody the ability to bring Hope and Faith into a story
and that story is given to the world to see…Amazing things happen. Everybody needs Hope and Faith in something,
someone, in God who is Greater than all of the things that press down on
us. I believe that the author does a
wonderful job of serving up a meal of Hope, Faith and Love, not just romantic
love but brotherly love and eternal perspective in her book Song of
Springhill. Well done Cheryl and thank
you for sharing your gift.
This Historical
Romance is written for adults but suitable for teens 16 and up.
Sensitive Topics:
There is no foul language;
however, Hannah is running from an abusive relationship which is mentioned a
few times but not in great detail. There
is a lot of loss in this book being that it is based on traumatic events. The
loss tends to be of characters we have not been introduced to but does include
some we have maybe taken a liking to. Some of the loss is described, such as
the mourning of the families, some of the injuries are noted and even though
the men in Springhill continue to work the mines, there is always a lingering
thought in the townsfolk knowing another tragedy could happen at any
moment.
Teenage romance and
adult romance are both present in this book.
Liesel is teased by her siblings when her family hears that she and
Garrett kissed. She and Garret go out on
a double date with Hannah and Josh as their chaperones. The entire time Josh is
trying to pursue Hannah he is always respectable and sensitive to how a
gentleman behaves. The owner of the town’s five &dime continues to try and
woo Josh even though every body knows he is not interested in her and she
pushes herself on him a little by kissing him on the cheek and strutting in
front of Hannah. The relationships in
this book are very admirable, minus the one that Hannah is running from. We see that not everybody we encounter is
worth giving the time of day but it is handled in a respectful way and there is
a lesson learned.
I loved this book. I want more.
Cheryl McKay’s book
Song of Springhill – A Love Story can be purchased on Amazon as well as her
book Spirit of Springhill: Miners, Wives, Widows, Rescuers & Their Children
Tell True Stories of Springhill’s Coal Mining Disasters. If you want to know more about the author
please see her blog purplepenworks.com
