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Welcome to Moonstone, Colorado, year 1907.

Sylvie Pelletier, a teen, moves from Vermont, her parents from Quebec, to be reunited with her father who had moved there a year before. Throughout the book, Sylvie recounts her life, including working in the house of the Padgett’s in Moonstone, who own the company of the town, mining moonstone marble, where her father works. There the fires of revolution are awoken within her, as she learns about the world around her (unfair labor conditions in the quarry), and finds her own voice. She befriends the Padgett son, Jace, who has a mind for revolution as well, and later a union man, George, both who continue to shape her.

Guys, this book was beautiful. The author artistically embedded Colorado history into this historical fiction novel about a heroine, and throws in a dash of romance as Sylvie grows older (but that does not take away from her being a badass heroine).

This book wrestles with coming of age, belonging, justice, equality, family — all wrapped up in beautiful prose that takes you back in time over a century.

It’s a ☺️ (4/5) for me, only because there were bits that seemed to drag on a bit longer than I wished.

A bit of a slower read, but this one took me by surprise and I ended up enjoying it much more than I expected. Sylvie was a strong, interesting character to follow, and I appeeciated the focus and care given to depiction of labor unions at the time. It feels like I came away from this book a little bit wiser.

1907. Sylvie Pelletier is almost seventeen when her family moves to Moonstone in Colorado. Her father works at the Quarrytown where they mine marble.

Sylvie is ambitious in writing essays at school, which leads her to getting a job at the local newspaper led by Miss Redmond. Miss Redmond wasn’t welcomed as a journalist anywhere since she was a woman, thus, she started her own newspaper and she is not afraid to confront the Padgett Company. She is bold and tells Sylvie to keep asking questions as she needs a real go-getter. As Sylvie reports on all those accidents in the mountains, she wonders why nothing is being done about it.

But money talks, and Sylvie takes a better paid position as a secretary to Mrs. Padgett. They take a field trip to the worker’s camp to write a report and recommendations for improvements for the Padgett Company, where Sylvie’s father works. Mrs. Padgett has a good heart and honestly thinks that her husband cares about her work. But Mr. Padgett just plays along and keeps his wife busy.
The Padgett family is to host King Leopold II of Belgium, who is called a monster for his mistreatment of enslaved Africans in Congo. This invitation doesn’t sit well with the son, Jasper, who also takes the liking to Sylvie, and a relationship develops.

Over the summer, Sylvie gets a taste of a different world, which sets her on a path questioning many things, which path would she pick if she had the choice, the one with the money or the one that was fighting for justice. Money seems to be very tempting.

The story has a good punch when Mother Jones makes an appearance. She is certainly a force to reckon with. She makes some faint with her force of talk. She knows how to rally the people into action. It seems as her talk is contagious and Sylvie catches it.

The character of Sylvie comes more alive when Mother Jones makes the appearance. Sylvie starts feeling more confident reporting on unjust treatment of workers. Her father fought for the union and after his death, she carries the torch.

The story brings a vivid transformation that Sylvie goes through as well as the workers, who, at first, are scared to go on a strike, but with such fire as Mother Jones, they get courage to start making those steps.

Written with wit, the novel explores the fight for equality. It brings the harsh times of the mining industry, and the enrichment and ruthlessness of one through the cost of another who just wanted a descent life.

Source: ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review originally posted at mysteryandsuspense.com

Sylvie Pelletier is a Young woman whose father works in the marble mines of the gilded mountain--mines whose owners care nothing of the workers who toil in unimaginable unsafe conditions. Sylvie's father had to leave his last job because he became involved with the union and has promised his family that he will refrain from organizing, but the worker conditions become so bad that he once again becomes involved in organizing. Meanwhile, Sylvie takes a job as a newspaper assistant in a paper that publishes the plight of the mineworkers. However, Sylvie becomes involved with the mine owners, the Padgetts, and especially with the son Jasper.
The author tells a very broad and sweeping story from the mining towns of Colorado to the effects of slavery on the Grady family and the work of Mother Jones and the unionizers.
Sylvie's character development was very rambling and at times if was difficult to believe her naivete and justifications for actions.
Recommended for readers of historical fiction.

4.5 stars!

This was a beautifully written historical fiction set in Colorado in the early 1900s. The novel is long, but the author does a wonderful job capturing the reader’s attention throughout the 400 plus pages. She has beautiful prose to describe the mountains and landscape of Colorado.

The main character is Sylvie - a young woman struggling with doing what is right and following her heart. The author did an amazing job developing this character and I loved how realistic she was to me as a young girl at the beginning of the book to an adult by the end. She was a hero with flaws - a true authentic character. She, like many, struggle with the goal “to do one right thing.”

“Did You Know the Liberty Bell is Cracked?” The novel reveals so many cracks in the bell - race, women’s suffrage, labor and unions, free press and so much more. All of these issues still remain today. I loved that the novel focused on the woman’s role in the fair labor movement in the 1900s. I was unaware of the activist, Mary Harris Jones and will make sure my daughters won’t miss out on that heroine in American history.

Gilded Mountain is my historical novel 2022 pick this far. I look forward to reading other books by Kate Manning.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4765620966

Gilded Mountain offers the reader an extraordinary lens through which to tread into the lives of both rich and poor in early 20th century Colorado. Specifically the setting is mining country where the exquisite marble, the
"Eighth Wonder of the World" is extracted at a horrific price.
Mine owners are interested only in profit, and the lives of the miners and their families mean nothing to them. The bosses squash every attempt for the miners to organize and strike.
Sylvie Pelletier, daughter of well-liked miner Jacques Pelletier, is employed by a female newspaper owner, offering Sylvie opportunities to witness first-hand the cycle of despair as miner families struggle with extreme weather conditions, sickness, and late or non-existent paychecks.
She will realize her own kind of vengeance when she secretly marries the son of the mine owner, quickly becomes his widow due to an accident, and uses funds from her husband to better the lives of the workers.
Real-life Mother Jones (Mary Harris Jones) plays a prominent role in tirelessly working toward organizing the mine workers.
There are no happy endings here, but there is hope. Gilded Mountain delivers a deeply-felt journey into a compelling piece of Americana.