Heather’s Bookshelf: The Fountain
Author: John A. Heldt
Released: 08/14/22
Genre: Historical Fiction/Time Travel
“Please think this through before you act. Consider the drawbacks and consequences of your actions. If you bathe in the fountain, you will do more than cleanse your ills. You will test the patience of God.”
“The Fountain” introduces the Carpenter siblings: Bill, Paul, and Annie. The youngest of the trio is in their early 70’s and have encountered their fair share of hardships along the way. Annie’s paraplegic from a childhood accident and Paul has recently been diagnosed with lung cancer. Bill’s beloved wife, Alice, was the glue keeping them all together. With her recent passing and without having any children or other family of their own, the trio flounders with discontent about their future.
Bill, a retired folklore professor, learns from a previous co-worker the truth about the Fountain of Youth. He and his siblings decide to pursue the possibility, entering a cave in Mexico and finding themselves in 1905, California as young adults. Their health issues have resolved and they’re eager to take full advantage of their newfound status.
A chance encounter at the World’s Fair introduces Bill to a principal at a school in San Francisco. The siblings relocate and quickly find themselves at home in their new surroundings with friends and people they love. But history and the world have other ideas. Will their knowledge of the past be able to save themselves and those they love?
Trigger Warning: death, grieving, sexual situations
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The siblings each have their own personalities, motivations, and back stories. I can’t really say I had a favorite between Paul, Bill, and Annie. I enjoyed each of them and their evolutions equally. When it came to complementary and ancillary characters, I especially liked Cassie and her strong-willed, intelligent approach to life in a time that was not exactly supportive of such traits in women. It feels natural to divide this story into three parts: before the fountain, after the disaster and the in-between. Each section had different pacing and subgenres. Before the fountain, the author leans into character development of each of the siblings, establishment of motivations and backgrounds, and introduces elements of scifi and adventure. The in-between re-establishes the characters in their new circumstances, introduces complementary characters, and fully develops relationships between them. After the disaster adds suspense, emotional impact, and really builds on everything from the previous two sections. I enjoyed all three parts, but I loved how they built off each other. When I got to the third part, I felt every emotional moment and really cared about what happened to the characters. This was accomplished by the author’s attention in the first two sections. Having said that, I took my time reading the first section, picked up my pace in the second, and flew through the third. The historical aspects of the book seemed well-researched and felt authentic to the tragedy. The ending felt perfect, wrapping up the main story for the main characters while also bringing it back to the original third of the tale. The author just let me know the sequel, Annie’s Apple, is now out and I will definitely be reviewing in the future.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A lovely tale about family, love, loss, and second chances wrapped in a time travel novel with layers of historical fiction and romance
Want to learn more about the author?
Check out my interview with John A. Heldt
Interested in checking out the book for yourself?
Find it for purchase here or on Kindle Unlimited
Interested in submitting your book for review? Visit my review page for guidelines and submission requirements.
