EXPLOSIVE CIVIL WAR FICTION In 1861, the Kanawha Valley of western Virginia is a hotbed of rebellion tensions and mixed loyalties. When hatred sparks tragedy, heartbroken and desperate, Augusta Dabney works to protect all she holds dear. Soon, her farm becomes a crossroads of colliding forces, and Union Surgeon, James Hill, commandeers the barn for a hospital. He is running from his legacy, seeking penance for his past. She is desperate to preserve hers, at any cost. Even as they all must face the horrors of war, James’s battered faith is renewed, and his cynicism crumbles under the Dabneys’ influence and Augusta's attentions. But when James comes face to face with his past, secrets unravel until deception ends in disaster, leaving Augusta with only one option. And it is unthinkable. CHRISTIAN FICTION AT ITS FINEST!
Oh my goodness, what an emotional book. Some parts of When the Mountains Wept were so gutwrenching, the raw history captured with such detail, that I had to put the story down for a bit and come back to it. Not just the gruesome realities of war seen in James’ work as a battle surgeon (and the emotional implications of families changed in the blink of a gunshot) … but how anyone can treat fellow Image-bearers with that much contempt and evil… turns my stomach whether it’s an account from the past or current events. The Civil War is never an easy era to read about, but it’s one of my favorites because of how it impacts my heart. And it’s one I passionately believe we should be talking about more so we don’t repeat the horrible elements of that part of history. Sometimes the power of story reaches us when a lecture or a sermon can’t, and Kendy Pearson’s meticulous research gives When the Mountains Wept that authenticity and emotional reach – without feeling like a textbook.
Yes, I joined the titular mountains in weeping more than once while reading this novel, but I also chuckled & grinned a lot – and swooned a few times, too! James & Augusta’s romance is a slow build (only because other, more somber, things are the focus) but it’s such a sweet falling-in-love and made my heart smile. Amid the war breaking out around them, Pearson sketches a tender portrait of a close-knit family made up of vibrant personalities and lots of love. The Dabney family – those made so by blood and the friends who’ve become part of the family, too – came alive on these pages, and the scenes around their table or doing chores or sitting with their sick father imprinted themselves on my heart quite easily. Adorable little Bertie especially delighted me, and the affection I instantly felt for precious Izzy only deepened the more we got to know this godly man of quiet courage. All of them – Pap, Gus (Augusta), Izzy, Fin, Zander, Will (Wilhemina), Melinda Jane, James and Tiny – became my family over the course of our time together, and I enjoyed that we get most of their individual perspectives at some point in the novel. I grieved with them, rejoiced with them, laughed with them, cried with them… and I’m solidly invested in where their story goes from here.
Bottom Line: When the Mountains Wept by Kendy Pearson is the kind of book that will make you fall in love with its characters and point you to the way of Jesus with gentle – but clear- sincerity. It also takes you through the emotional wringer, causing you to mourn not only deep losses but the heartwrenching destruction of wickedness and hatred, too. Even as I grieved over the history (may I never not be anguished by it), I also found that the setting Pearson chose added intriguing and thought-provoking layers to that history. With folks in the area divided between Union and Confederate sympathizers, it really brought home the fact that this was a war fought against neighbors, friends, and even family, not an unknown enemy. When the Mountains Wept is a powerful, touching, and grace-filled story perfect for fans of Jocelyn Green’s Widow of Gettysburg or Lynn Austin’s Refiner’s Fire series.
