elenajohansen's review against another edition
1.0
DNF @ 25 percent because I got bored. The entire first quarter of the book was a lather-rinse-repeat of the protagonist going to a person to buy their land, having basically the same conversation with each one until something weird happened, buying the land, and then going on his merry way while completely failing to be affected by the weird thing.
While I did like some of the weird things--the house that had more stories when you were in it than appeared from the outside, with each one getting smaller, until the top floor only had room for "thimble and thread", that was actually pretty neat--the story as presented felt like an excuse to have a mystical, cool setting more than an actual story. The emphasis was definitely placed on how strange the town and its inhabitants were, rather than any actual plot, which was plodding and dull.
While I did like some of the weird things--the house that had more stories when you were in it than appeared from the outside, with each one getting smaller, until the top floor only had room for "thimble and thread", that was actually pretty neat--the story as presented felt like an excuse to have a mystical, cool setting more than an actual story. The emphasis was definitely placed on how strange the town and its inhabitants were, rather than any actual plot, which was plodding and dull.
timbo001's review against another edition
3.0
A somewhat charming Appalachian fairy tale, but with something of a flat ending.
bickleyhouse's review against another edition
4.0
Auraria, Georgia was a real town. Today it is counted among the many "ghost towns" in the country. It rose to a population of around 1000 during the Georgia Gold Rush of 1832.
Tim Westover takes a real location and turns into a tale of fantasy and imagination. While there might have been gold at Auraria, there probably weren't spirits and moon maidens. There really was a resort hotel, known as "Queen of the Mountain," where people enjoyed bathing in and drinking mineral waters.
In this tale, a man named Holtzclaw travels to Auraria, under direction of his employer, H.E. Shadburn, to buy up all of the land in the town. It seems that Shadburn had some lofty ambitions for the area, which involved creating a lake and building his own "Queen of the Mountain."
The first thing Holtzclaw encounters upon his arrival to the area, is a boy fishing off of a cliff. This would not be unusual, but for the fact that there was no water below him, only mist. What made it even more unusual was that they boy caught a fish. Believing it was a trick, Holtzclaw brushed it off and continued on.
In Auraria, he encountered many strange things. There was a ghostly wife, who appeared to Holtzclaw to be very much alive. There was a springhouse that blew icy winds out of it. There was an invisible piano player named "Mr. Bad Thing" at one of the inns. In that same inn, the proprietor, Abigail Thompson, only served sweet potatoes. The inn was called Old Rock Falls. Then there was Princess Trahlyta. Trahlyta is thought to have been a true Cherokee maiden who lived on a nearby mountain. Her beauty was known around the area. When she refused to wed a Cherokee warrior named Wahsega, he kidnapped her and took her to his home. She begged for release, but he would not hear of it. As she grew weaker, she eventually asked to be buried near her mountain paradise. There is actually a pile of stones in Stonepile Gap, Georgia, that is alleged to be her grave. Legend has it that the highway department has tried to move the grave multiple times, each time resulting in the "accidental death" of a crew member.
Mr. Westover's tale of a real place, mixed in with some fantastical imagination, is quite enjoyable. Weaved into it is, in my opinion, a morality tale of what happens when greed drives your life. You see, to the people who live in this little mining town, gold means nothing. In fact, they, with the help of Princess Trahlyta, are trying to completely wash it away. But when Holtzclaw gets wind of all this gold, even seeing the "moon maidens" washing it off of their bodies, he gets greedy.
Things seem to be going very well, but then tragedy strikes, not entirely unexpected. No spoilers will be shared here, but I can say that the story has a happy ending, with which I was entirely satisfied. In fact, it turned out exactly the way I wanted it to.
Tim Westover takes a real location and turns into a tale of fantasy and imagination. While there might have been gold at Auraria, there probably weren't spirits and moon maidens. There really was a resort hotel, known as "Queen of the Mountain," where people enjoyed bathing in and drinking mineral waters.
In this tale, a man named Holtzclaw travels to Auraria, under direction of his employer, H.E. Shadburn, to buy up all of the land in the town. It seems that Shadburn had some lofty ambitions for the area, which involved creating a lake and building his own "Queen of the Mountain."
The first thing Holtzclaw encounters upon his arrival to the area, is a boy fishing off of a cliff. This would not be unusual, but for the fact that there was no water below him, only mist. What made it even more unusual was that they boy caught a fish. Believing it was a trick, Holtzclaw brushed it off and continued on.
In Auraria, he encountered many strange things. There was a ghostly wife, who appeared to Holtzclaw to be very much alive. There was a springhouse that blew icy winds out of it. There was an invisible piano player named "Mr. Bad Thing" at one of the inns. In that same inn, the proprietor, Abigail Thompson, only served sweet potatoes. The inn was called Old Rock Falls. Then there was Princess Trahlyta. Trahlyta is thought to have been a true Cherokee maiden who lived on a nearby mountain. Her beauty was known around the area. When she refused to wed a Cherokee warrior named Wahsega, he kidnapped her and took her to his home. She begged for release, but he would not hear of it. As she grew weaker, she eventually asked to be buried near her mountain paradise. There is actually a pile of stones in Stonepile Gap, Georgia, that is alleged to be her grave. Legend has it that the highway department has tried to move the grave multiple times, each time resulting in the "accidental death" of a crew member.
Mr. Westover's tale of a real place, mixed in with some fantastical imagination, is quite enjoyable. Weaved into it is, in my opinion, a morality tale of what happens when greed drives your life. You see, to the people who live in this little mining town, gold means nothing. In fact, they, with the help of Princess Trahlyta, are trying to completely wash it away. But when Holtzclaw gets wind of all this gold, even seeing the "moon maidens" washing it off of their bodies, he gets greedy.
Things seem to be going very well, but then tragedy strikes, not entirely unexpected. No spoilers will be shared here, but I can say that the story has a happy ending, with which I was entirely satisfied. In fact, it turned out exactly the way I wanted it to.
craftybooknerd's review against another edition
4.0
I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
This historical story about Auraria was a delight to read. The story pulls you in right away and doesn't let go until the end. I found the story line interesting, which includes some ghosts and fantasy, but not overly so. It has just the perfect touch of wonder and imagination. I found myself wishing there really was such a place because it would be so fun to see with my own two eyes.
There were just a few areas that could have used a little something more. It just seemed dull compared to the rest of the story. But overall, it was definitely a fun, entertaining read.
This historical story about Auraria was a delight to read. The story pulls you in right away and doesn't let go until the end. I found the story line interesting, which includes some ghosts and fantasy, but not overly so. It has just the perfect touch of wonder and imagination. I found myself wishing there really was such a place because it would be so fun to see with my own two eyes.
There were just a few areas that could have used a little something more. It just seemed dull compared to the rest of the story. But overall, it was definitely a fun, entertaining read.
tarynwanderer's review against another edition
3.0
I’m a Northeastern girl through and through. I was born in Manhattan, raised on Long Island, and lived in Queens post-undergrad; I went to college and grad school in Rhode Island; the majority of my friends and family are spread between Boston, Providence, and New York City. The furthest south I’ve been in the U.S is South Carolina. So it was with slight trepidation that I approached Tim Westover’s Auraria, a novel centered on a small Southern gold mining town and steeped in rural Georgian history, culture, and myth. With very little background knowledge of the area, I was still able to understand and connect with Westover’s cast of mysterious, quirky, and downright magical characters.
Those characters were one of Auraria‘s biggest strengths. The residents of the town range from a piano-playing ghost to a Great and Invincible Tortoise to fish spirits to the assorted humans who happen to be just as odd as the non-humans. Out of our large cast, I liked Princess Tralyhta and Abigail the best. Both were presented as strong, fearless, and competent, and both were able to take Holtzclaw under their protection from some of the more dangerous elements of the town. The Princess managed to be mysterious, childlike, and threatening by turns, and I enjoyed her random interactions with Holtzclaw, as well as her explanation of how gold forms and why Auraria needs to be rid of it. Abigail, a tough young lady who sees visions of gold, was just excellent, and I would have gladly read an entire novel from her perspective. These unusual small-town folks helped to give Auraria the charming, dusty feel of a sepia-toned photograph–the story of a time that has come and gone.
For me, the weak link was actually our main character, Holtzclaw. As an outsider to Auraria, sent on behalf of his employer Shadburn to buy up property, Holtzclaw is a logical choice to serve as our point-of-view character; we can meet the rest of the cast through his eyes. It’s one of the oldest tricks in the book, and for good reason (hello, Great Gatsby!). However: Holtzclaw is presented as competent from the start–there is no real arc for him to go from surprised and frightened of the living local legends to deftly negotiating with them. Even when he fails in some of his early business deals, it’s not because he is freaked out by the ghost or the moon maiden or whoever–it’s just because his arguments fail to sway them. He is rarely surprised or impressed by any of the bizarre sights he is confronted with, which was honestly difficult to believe. Despite following him around for most of the novel, he remained a cipher to me (albeit a cipher who liked squirrel brains and a good claret).
I want to call this Red Power Ranger syndrome. When there is one character that is designated as the leader, it tends to obliterate his flaws, making him technically perfect, but also boring. His one defining character trait becomes “leader.” Like the original Red Power Ranger. While you maybe liked him, he was never your favorite–it was the bad-boy White Ranger or the awesome Yellow Ranger. Holtzclaw is Auraria‘s Red Power Ranger, and I don’t think he necessarily had to fill that role.
Please read the rest of my review over at Bookwanderer!
Those characters were one of Auraria‘s biggest strengths. The residents of the town range from a piano-playing ghost to a Great and Invincible Tortoise to fish spirits to the assorted humans who happen to be just as odd as the non-humans. Out of our large cast, I liked Princess Tralyhta and Abigail the best. Both were presented as strong, fearless, and competent, and both were able to take Holtzclaw under their protection from some of the more dangerous elements of the town. The Princess managed to be mysterious, childlike, and threatening by turns, and I enjoyed her random interactions with Holtzclaw, as well as her explanation of how gold forms and why Auraria needs to be rid of it. Abigail, a tough young lady who sees visions of gold, was just excellent, and I would have gladly read an entire novel from her perspective. These unusual small-town folks helped to give Auraria the charming, dusty feel of a sepia-toned photograph–the story of a time that has come and gone.
For me, the weak link was actually our main character, Holtzclaw. As an outsider to Auraria, sent on behalf of his employer Shadburn to buy up property, Holtzclaw is a logical choice to serve as our point-of-view character; we can meet the rest of the cast through his eyes. It’s one of the oldest tricks in the book, and for good reason (hello, Great Gatsby!). However: Holtzclaw is presented as competent from the start–there is no real arc for him to go from surprised and frightened of the living local legends to deftly negotiating with them. Even when he fails in some of his early business deals, it’s not because he is freaked out by the ghost or the moon maiden or whoever–it’s just because his arguments fail to sway them. He is rarely surprised or impressed by any of the bizarre sights he is confronted with, which was honestly difficult to believe. Despite following him around for most of the novel, he remained a cipher to me (albeit a cipher who liked squirrel brains and a good claret).
I want to call this Red Power Ranger syndrome. When there is one character that is designated as the leader, it tends to obliterate his flaws, making him technically perfect, but also boring. His one defining character trait becomes “leader.” Like the original Red Power Ranger. While you maybe liked him, he was never your favorite–it was the bad-boy White Ranger or the awesome Yellow Ranger. Holtzclaw is Auraria‘s Red Power Ranger, and I don’t think he necessarily had to fill that role.
Please read the rest of my review over at Bookwanderer!
reinadelhelado's review against another edition
3.0
I completely forgot to update my currently reading, but I am here to do it now.
This book was pretty good. It most definitely held mystery, but I just couldn't focus. Could be me; I can't read some books right now unless they completely captivate my attention.
This book was pretty good. It most definitely held mystery, but I just couldn't focus. Could be me; I can't read some books right now unless they completely captivate my attention.
curiousneuron's review against another edition
4.0
Intriguing characters and fascinating sense of imagination
I highly enjoyed this novel. The conflicting goals that each of the characters had within themselves kept me guessing at alliances and motives to the end. Prose sometimes gets tedious, but the excitement of what curiosities Auraria will produce next guides you safely through these parts.
I highly enjoyed this novel. The conflicting goals that each of the characters had within themselves kept me guessing at alliances and motives to the end. Prose sometimes gets tedious, but the excitement of what curiosities Auraria will produce next guides you safely through these parts.
angielisle's review
5.0
The story begins with Holtsclaw leaving behind the civilized city to travel to Auraria, a once-booming gold mining town turned ghost town, located in Georgia's rural mountains. His boss, Shadwell, has assigned him the task of purchasing all the land in town - by whatever means necessary.
Holtsclaw cares only for money; he dreams of being a big business tycoon like his boss Shadwell. But the business in Auraria doesn't go as Holtsclaw planned, namely because the local folklore is still alive and magic doesn't respond as mortals do. With help from a quirky cast of characters, Holtsclaw realizes that life offers something much more magical than money or gold.
Much of the folklore is based on early Colonial interpretations of Cherokee myths, showing how the Cherokee left their marks on the land, even after the Trail of Tears. This theme is reinforced by Westover's use of the actual historical events that followed the Trail of Tears: the gold rushes of colonial NC and GA, the tourist trade in Appalachia, and a new era of industrialization. The reader can continue this theme by comparing and contrasting the Industrial Era and today's computer era. In a unique way, the story shows how time, and people, continue to leave marks on a place. The well of local legends is never depleted, but continuously renewed.
I received a free uncorrected proof copy of this book from goodreads first reads. There were a few typos/grammatical errors but Tim Westover assures me that the these have been fixed in the final version. This is the author's first novel written in English; this book feels like it was written by someone born and raised in Appalachia.
Holtsclaw cares only for money; he dreams of being a big business tycoon like his boss Shadwell. But the business in Auraria doesn't go as Holtsclaw planned, namely because the local folklore is still alive and magic doesn't respond as mortals do. With help from a quirky cast of characters, Holtsclaw realizes that life offers something much more magical than money or gold.
Much of the folklore is based on early Colonial interpretations of Cherokee myths, showing how the Cherokee left their marks on the land, even after the Trail of Tears. This theme is reinforced by Westover's use of the actual historical events that followed the Trail of Tears: the gold rushes of colonial NC and GA, the tourist trade in Appalachia, and a new era of industrialization. The reader can continue this theme by comparing and contrasting the Industrial Era and today's computer era. In a unique way, the story shows how time, and people, continue to leave marks on a place. The well of local legends is never depleted, but continuously renewed.
I received a free uncorrected proof copy of this book from goodreads first reads. There were a few typos/grammatical errors but Tim Westover assures me that the these have been fixed in the final version. This is the author's first novel written in English; this book feels like it was written by someone born and raised in Appalachia.
abookishaffair's review
4.0
This book was definitely different than I expected. It's sort of hard to categorize it. The story is definitely unique. I could see this story appealing to a wide variety of readers. As a historical fiction lover, I really liked the historical elements. The story takes place in the late 1800s. It was interesting to see what things were like then. There is also a really interesting fantasy element to it, mostly having to do with the characters, which I will get into later.
Auraria is in the middle of nowhere Georgia. It's not all that notable except for the people or rather beings that make their home there. I loved all of the different beings in this book. Westover does a great job with making them feel really real. That's definitely a talent! I love when authors are able to turn the fantastic into something familiar. It's sort of magical realism in a way. My favorite character was the Princess of the lake. She is just a really cool and very well written character.
The downside of this book to me really had to do with the main character, Holtzclaw. There is all of this fantastic stuff going on around him and he's just not that exciting on his own. He's definitely a good guy and is trying to do right by his employer, Shadburn, and by the people of the town but he struck me as a little bit flat. On the upside, he did help to make the more unique characters stand out a little bit more.
Bottom line: This book is great for those who like a little fantastic with their literary.
Auraria is in the middle of nowhere Georgia. It's not all that notable except for the people or rather beings that make their home there. I loved all of the different beings in this book. Westover does a great job with making them feel really real. That's definitely a talent! I love when authors are able to turn the fantastic into something familiar. It's sort of magical realism in a way. My favorite character was the Princess of the lake. She is just a really cool and very well written character.
The downside of this book to me really had to do with the main character, Holtzclaw. There is all of this fantastic stuff going on around him and he's just not that exciting on his own. He's definitely a good guy and is trying to do right by his employer, Shadburn, and by the people of the town but he struck me as a little bit flat. On the upside, he did help to make the more unique characters stand out a little bit more.
Bottom line: This book is great for those who like a little fantastic with their literary.
bract4813mypacksnet's review
4.0
Auraria is a marvelous book. Though it is apparently based on a real Georgian ghost town, in the book, natural, supernatural, real and fake cause tension. With its water spirits, sheep fruit, moon maidens, haunted pianos, ghosts (including a headless one and one who plays the piano), and a story-telling invincible terrapin that lives under the mountains, it is comparable to reading an extended fairy tale or folk tale. Wondrous things keep Holtzclaw, the protagonist, busy, but he eventually takes them in stride. The book is filled with playful absurdities, with the qualities of folk tales and legends.