Sixteen year old Sylvie leaves home to work to work for the Padgett family. The Padgett own the mine that everyone works in. It is a marble minor. Lonahan wants to get the miners to unionize. Mr. Padgett end up hiring Pinkerton thugs to fight the miners. Padgett’s wife tries to pacify the miners with company owned schools and libraries. Sylvie goes to work at the newspaper to become a reporter to report the injustices at the mine. A death occurs at the mine causing the miners to want to belong to a union.

The echoes of current social problems exhibited through the author’s research. It’s about the coming-of-age of a young woman’s journey in a mining town in Colorado in the early 20th century. There are racial issues, unions, corporate and workplace regulations. It shows a restless time and place in American history.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This one wasn’t my favorite…..

“Hey, Sugar Pie!”

That’s all it takes for Sylvie Pelletier to fall in love, one little pet name.

Sylvie Pelletier is new to Colorado. Her father is working in the marble mine under hazardous conditions. When the summer arrives, Sylvie has an opportunity to work for the owner of the mine company.

Her father would like to unionize the mine workers, negotiating for living wages and safer working conditions. Will Sylvie’s father bring about his dream of unionizing?

There is no easy way to say this, but….the storytelling was off on this. The suspense was missing.

First, Sylvie, Sylvie, Sylvie. She is so boring. And oh…she falls in love with anyone who calls her Angel, Sweetheart. She literally fell for Jasper instantly. For being so smart, she doesn’t ask any important questions before making big decisions.

The author covered too much time in this book, and I didn’t connect with any of the characters. The characters were very one dimensional, not very well developed. When a character died, it wasn’t particularly moving because they were just names on a page. We didn’t know their backstories.

There is a classic saying when it comes to writing about, “Show Don’t Tell.” Unfortunately, this book was a lot of tell. I still don’t understand what Sylvie saw in Jasper/Jace (aside from his little pet names).

Gilded Mountain was okay, but The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah is a better value for your money.

*Thanks, NetGalley, for a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and unbiased opinion.

In the early 1900s. Sylvie Pelletier and her family leave her Vermont home to seek better lives and a livelihood in the mining community of Moonstone, Colorado. Sylvie is a young teen who sees her impoverished family suffer in the marble mine with hunger, rough living conditions, no schooling, poor sanitation and of course, wages that are hard earned but never paid. Contrasting her state is the mansion of the rich land/mine owner with all the comforts that Sylvie cannot even imagine in her dreams. Her heart opens to the young son of the mine owner, while her mind is being opened by the rebellious owner (a woman) of the community’s rabble-rousing newspaper. At issue are the lack of pay, conditions of the miners and their families and the dreams/ hopes of unionization to change all this.

In a constant war of heart vs. mind, Sylvie’s world is expanded by observation, her personal relationships, family, contact with formerly enslaved workers/servants, union organizers (Mother Jones) and writers of the time, W.E B. DuBois. This is a lot of material to cover but the author does a good but lengthy job of setting up all these players. This is historical fiction that is more realistic than romantic. Recommended. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this title.

Kate Manning shares the indelible story of Sylvie, a young girl whose father takes a mining job in Colorado. Her description of the horrific journey to travel to this godforsaken town was so harrowing that it immediately set the stage for life in Moonstone. It is a wonder to me that any of them survived the epic winter months, as well as the harsh surroundings and dangerous jobs of these men mining for marble to build monuments and mansions. I had never thought of the perils those miners faced so the wealthy could have statues. Now, every time I pass a statue the struggle faced by these families will be at the forefront of my thoughts.
The miners and their families were treated worse than animals by the mine owners and leaders. The addition of the owner’s castle and their lavish life style just reinforced the age old dichotomy of those who have and those who have not. Poor Sylvie, whose summer spent at the castle forever changed her ability to accept this. I did enjoy Inge and her thought processes, probably so typical of the times. Sylvie’s tutelage by a local news publisher, KT, sent her on her life’s path, which was briefly intersected by her love for Jace. So loved the addition of the Grady brothers and their storyline.
These characters and the injustices of the early 1900’s will linger in my mind as I ponder how our lives have changed so much but the injustices still remain for so many.
Many thanks to Kate Manning, Scribner, and NetGalley for affording me the thought provoking opportunity to read Gilded Mountain, to be published on November 1st.

This novel from Kate Manning chronicles the journey of Sylvie from Vermont to the mountains of Colorado, Her father works in a marble mine and Sylvie's fortunes are tied to the back breaking work her father does. Unions are making an appearance and through events, Sylvie's life becomes intertwined with both unions and the mine's owners. Manning's descriptions are rich and Sylvie has a sly sense of humor. A really enjoyable read.

Sylvie Pelletier is a teen in the early 1900 when her family moves to a mining town of Moonstone Colorado. Working for the owners of the mine Sylive is confronted with the stark difference between the working class and the upper crust of the town. Sylvie must navigate the lavish lifestyle she sees around her with the harsh reality of the life of the miners.

This is a coming of age novel, but it felt a little self righteous and preachy to me. I didn't enjoy the main character and overall the story fell flat under the weight of the authors agenda.

I almost passed on this historical fiction book about union organizing in Colorado in the 1900s because I didn't enjoy "Cold Millions" by Jess Walter which is also about union organizing and set in the same time period but in Oregon. I'm glad I decided to read it though because I was much more invested in this storyline - perhaps because it has a female protagonist who we meet when she is a teen. This book also includes some connections to what W.E.B. Du Bois was writing and doing at the time. At times the writing was a bit verbose but overall this was an interesting story.

An awesome book set in the early 1900's in Moonstone, Colorado. Sylvie Pelletier tells the story of her life on Gilded Mountain. Sylvie was the daughter of a coal miner and the family were very poor. The conditions the miners were forced to endure in order to work were harsh. The threat of a union hung over the company's head and they were determined to put it down. Sylvie wrote an essay at school for a contest, which helped her get a job at the local paper. The paper was run by a woman with liberal views and who was trying to draw attention to the plight of the miners. Sylvie gets drawn into the union movement as she reports on accidents that happened at the mine for the paper. Then she was offered an opportunity to work for the wife of the mine owner.

This was an emotional, moving story of a woman with a difficult life, but tries to make a difference. I found Sylvie's story inspirational. I felt the characters were well-developed and really liked Sylvie and the paper owner, Miss Redmond. Time spent with this book was well worth it.

Thanks to Kate Manning and Scribner through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on November 1, 2022.

Gilded Mountain is a historical fiction set in the early 1900's. Taking place in a marble mining camp it tells the story of Sylvie, her family and others that reside in the area. The book follows Sylvie from her arrival in Moonstone Colorado - through her loves and losses.

I enjoyed reading about the scenery - her descriptions could make you envision the mountains, the cold and the fresh air! The descriptions of life in a mining camp were vividly told.

A very good read - a little long - but worth the time.

Historical fiction can be a tough genre to write about credibly. But Gilded Mountain is a compelling read. Set in Colorado during its epic labor struggles in the early 20th century, this story focuses on the small mining community of Moonstone (Marble, Colorado in reality) and the character of Sylvie Pelletier.

This community and mine did exist -- and provided the pristine white marble for some important places, including the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Lincoln Memorial. Mining itself was dangerous work, and the big tension came between the mineworkers' desire for better working and living conditions and the mineowners' concern with profits.

This fictional story does a good job of laying out the problems and battles. Sylvie is still a teenager when the story begins, having just moved with her mother and brothers from back East to re-join their father. He was run out of his last job because of his union organizing. Sylvie wants more out of life than to be a miner's wife and winds up writing for the local radical newspaper. The pitfalls of a company town are well presented. The firebrand editor of the paper takes Sylvie in and is a major influence. But then Sylvie has a chance to work in the home of the mine owner and gets a bit seduced by their comforts and standard of living. And of course, there is a handsome son, a rebel himself, and Sylvie and he have a strong spark.

The personal story and the historical background are well braided (Labor activist and icon Mother Jones even makes an appearance - which did happen) and we follow Sylvie's road with interest. This was a powerful read. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

“Bravery is not just for the battlefields of war. Every day, ordinary people climb out of bed and carry on extraordinary, in a fight for their families, carrying sorrow, working for the betterment of us all.”

The year is 1900 - Sylvie Pelletier is a child when her young family travels across the country to meet her father who has been mining marble for a prominent and powerful family business in the Colorado mountains. There she finds her voice (and her pen), and learns lessons about love, integrity and philanthropy at great person risk. A slow methodical character study of the prominent players gives way to more unencumbered plot-driven storytelling at about the halfway mark.

Just as the mining tram barrels down its track, this novel picks up speed as it exposes the violence alongside the beauty of life in a mining town, as residents fight for fairness and truth. Readers willing to hang on will be rewarded with a satisfying acceleration of overlapping themes and plot lines, and an ending I didn’t see coming. Inspired by Ms. Manning’s own great grandfather with cameo appearances of W.E.B. DuBois and Mary Harris “Mother” Jones, this will surely be a hit among historical fiction readers.

Sylvie's father is the master mechanic at the marble quarry in Moonstone Colorado but his family, like all the other families who work in the quarry, lives in miserable conditions in a shack without running water or reliable heat. It's 1907 and Jacques is trying the organize for a union even as Sylvie, her mother, and her brothers are trying to keep fed and from freezing. And then Sylvie gets the chance to work for KT Redmond, who owns the local newspaper, a job which leads to a life changing summer working for the "Countess," Mrs. Padgett, wife of the owner of the mine. Inge is young, not much older than Jaspar, the scion who turns Sylvie's head, until...This is more than a coming of age novel or romance, it's very much a look at race, class, and working conditions and unionism during the period. Easter Grady, the cook, is a former slave who schools Sylvie in more than kitchen work. There's much that's best discovered without spoilers here but know that many of the twists are as distressing as they are unexpected. It's not a pretty story and there's a fair amount of justifiable social criticism which is smoothly incorporated into the plot. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. It's a great read.

Thank you so much to Scrbner for the chance to read and review this book prior to release.

It is a historical fiction story based in Colorado in the early 1900s.

The writing was a little hard for me to get into as there was so much written in French. On every page there were probably 2-3 French sentences with no interpretations and it was very hard for me to understand what they meant and would have been very time-consuming to look up every time it happened- I don't think this added to the story at all, but just worked as a distraction.

I like that this was based on true stories and it really sadly showed the horrible treatment of the early miners in CO.

I think a lot of people will resonate with this coming-of-age historical fiction novel!

It will be available on Nov 1 for purchase.

"Gilded Mountain", is the story of the fight for labor unions, and workers' rights. It's about the danger that mine workers and quarry men put themselves in to earn money for their families. And it's about the disregard for the working man by the owners of the mines and the quarries. It is also about the bitterness towards the African Americans post Civil War and their mistreatment. We see all of this through the eyes of a young girl whose family is reduced to poverty as her father works below ground in the stone quarry of the gilded mountain.

Kate Manning tells this story with beautiful prose that is quite lyrical in its description. This is definitely a story worth reading and I do recommend it.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ ½
Genre: Historical Fiction

The story is set in the early 1900s in Colorado. Sylvie Pelletier, a seventeen-year-old girl, and her family move to Moonstone, Colorado to join her father, who works there in the mining field. But upon arrival, and to the family’s surprise, the atmosphere is agitated and the living conditions are just horrible. Obviously, the mining company has not been taking care of its miners and their families. When Sylvie gets a job in one of the newspapers, there will be a conflict of interest, especially when the newspaper publishes about the miners’ living conditions.

This is a coming-of-age story for this girl. The story is beautifully written and told from Sylvie’s perspective. And I am glad it was written in a linear timeline. I am honestly very tired of picking historical books to see the author going for two timelines or more just to add a little mystery to the plot. It is not worth it at all to do that. I prefer historical fiction to be straightforward, and this is where Gilded Mountain wins.

This book, in my opinion, discusses several significant problems that the mining industry used to face and still faces today. Corporate greed and abuse is a problem that persists in all professions. The historical era has been well captured by the author. The one thing that does a big disservice to the story is the protagonist. She is a teenager, and sometimes we cannot blame her for being so naive or taking a certain kind of action. If you can overlook that aspect of her, I think you are going to like the book a lot.

Many thanks to the publisher Scribner and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book.

Gilded Mountain tells the story of 17 year old Sylvie Pelletier, a girl from a working class family in Colorado. With her knowledge of French, she is sent to be secretary to the Countess, the young wife of the town's benefactor. While there she is awed by the splendor surrounding her and the attentions of the heir, Jasper. But things are coming to a boiling point in town, where the discontent runs rampant. Sylvie is stuck between two worlds - one where she sees and knows the unfairness the lower class workers face and one in which she has intimate knowledge of life's luxuries.

This was definitely a slow start for me and I found myself struggling to get into it. But I was drawn to Sophie and how difficult it was for her to choose between what is right and what feels good. Descriptions of the town and the struggles of the miners were on point and ultimately, I was able to get into the story and Sylvie.

The opening of the book really drew me in. I could see the snow storm as Sylvie, her mother and brothers were being driven by horse and cart along the side of the mountain. I could feel their fear that they would end up off the side and fall down the mountain. I could feel the cold and the eagerness to see their father/husband again after he moved away to get a job in a stone/marble quarry. I could also feel the disappointment they felt as they got to the town where the shack that they would live in. The author was very good at making me feel the setting. It was a coming of age story set among union sympathizers and those who made a living off the sweat of others. It moved slowly and I was never able to form a connection with Sylvie herself. I stayed annoyed with her naiveté throughout the novel and this dampened my enjoyment of a very well written novel. I received a complimentary copy of this e-book from Scribner and NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Gilded Mountain is a stark reminder of the harsh life of the working classes in the early 20th Century. Sylvie’s father goes west from Vermont to work in the marble quarry of Moonstone, Colorado. It’s dangerous work and management constantly worries about the workers attempting to unionize. Once Sylvie graduates high school, she finds a job first with the town newspaper and then as the summer secretary to the quarry owner’s wife.
The story works in a straightforward fashion, told solely from Sylvie’s POV. She tells the story looking back on her life, which allows her to comment on what she learned later. Mrs. Padgett has a plan for “sociology” to cure the problems, but many of her ideas are ill conceived when the main issue is lack of decent pay and safety benefits. As the story goes on, the Financial Panic of 1907 hits and things become even harder. As has been said, “when the aristocracy catches a cold, the working classes die of pneumonia.” Sylvie becomes more strident in her views concerning the rights of the working class.
As the Padgetts were originally slaveholders in the South, we also see the issues that confront their black household help, formerly slaves. At the heart of the story is the lack of concern over the value of human life by the rich.
The characters were all richly drawn. Sylvie’s youth, Inge’s obliviousness, Jace’s desire to separate himself from his father while living off his father’s wealth, K.T.’s proto-feminism. Real life characters, like Mother Jones and among Leopoldo of Belgium , make an appearance. It worked well to have Sylvie be young and impressionable, with feelings that seesaw back and forth.
Manning has meticulously researched the story and it was easy to envision the events taking place.
My thanks to Netgalley and Scribner for an advance copy of this book.

"An unforgettable saga of a bygone American West seized by robber barons and settled by immigrants; a novel about resilience in the midst of hardship, and a story infused with longing—for family and equality, beauty and joy."

There was a lot going on in this book! I enjoyed reading about Mother Jones and the struggles of unionization. But the life of poor, little, naive Slyvie was underwhelming. Overall, a very readable story but it did drag on too long.

3.75☆