This was a refreshing historical fiction novel. I really enjoyed learning about a historical period that I didn't know anything about. I lived the Ashville, NC setting. The writing was so beautifully done that it made me feel like I was in the mountains of North Carolina.

Historical fiction somewhat based on some true events.

Bella is swept up in the building of Grove Park Inn. She had to come to terms with her past and how she and her mother have been presented since her father's death, along the way discovering the beauty of her location and what she truly dreams of and truly is as a person.

Well written and full of thoughts and feelings.
Recommended for book clubs - there are discussion questions at the end of the novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book #sponsored

I so enjoyed Joy Callaway's book The Grand Design and fell in love with her descriptions of the Greenbrier Resort, so I was immediately drawn to What the Mountains Remember hoping for another chance to immerse myself in a historic resort, the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina.

I loved so many things about this book, from the descriptions of the famous Henry Ford Vagabonds excursions to the glimpses into the construction of the Grove Park Inn as well as the details about the sanatoriums in Asheville being used to treat tuberculosis. The novel was a true historical fiction lovers delight!

The characters are well developed and the storyline kept me engaged. I look forward to reading more books by Joy Callaway in the near future. I received this book courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

1913, Asheville, North Carolina. The Vagabonds, a group consisting of Henry Ford, Edsel, Firestone & Burroughs came here for a week of fancy camping and invited others along. Belle and her family and they become interested in the building of the nearby Grove Park Inn. The story combines fact and fiction, there are many secrets and much appreciation of the workers building the inn. And a delightful love story that develops between Belle and Worth.

DNF after 5 chapters/50 pages.

I was really excited about this read, after discovering it was partly about the Grove Park Inn; I visited Asheville last November, so had a vested interest in learning more about the area.

Marie Austen turned me off as a character almost immediately; I really didn't like her (or her life choices, heh, and after not one but two compromising situations, I was over it). Callaway's writing style, at least in this particular book, was also on the wordier side for my taste; not much happened even in these few chapters. Little drew me to the MC or made me want to keep reading. So, for now, it's back on the shelf.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I was drawn to this book because I love the Grove Park Inn (and spent my wedding night there). The characters were great. The FMC is a strong woman born poor who’s doing her best to keep her past a secret. The supporting characters include The Vagabonds (Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone, and John Burroughs) and it’s the historical aspects of the story that shine. The romance was sweet, but a strange third act breakup made the story lag a bit. (3.5/5)

That was a lovely book. I found myself thinking of the characters during the day and couldn't wait to pick it back up in the evening. The timing was a little off though. That was a lot to cram into a week. I thoroughly enjoyed the descriptions and the history behind the story. The dresses and cars and buildings set the scenes wonderfully. The on again, off again thing with Worth was a little overdone, but it was part of their story. Stubborn young people!! ;-)
I was rather sad to see it end, but can't wait to return to the Asheville mountains to see Grove Park Inn for myself. I love to google what I'm reading about. Joy does a great job putting you there with her words.

This is a wonderful historical fiction book set in Asheville, NC. Family secrets, romance, intrigue - this book has it all! This author is a dream and I was so glad to learn about her at a book signing for another author. Keep writing, Joy!

What the Mountains Remember is a historical novel set in 1913 Asheville. Belle Newbold has traveled with her mother and stepfather on a trip with the Vagabonds. This is a group of wealthy travelers who camped (or glamped) through the United States, led by Henry Ford and including Thomas Edison, Harvey Firestone, and John Burroughs. Belle meets Worth Delafield, who she has agreed to marry; both Belle and Worth want a marriage of convenience and friendship, and both are wary when real romantic sparks fly. Belle also is fascinated by the Grove Park Inn, which is under construction ... and she ends up chronicling the story with her writing.

I wanted to read this novel because I love historical fiction. Asheville is one of my favorite southern places, and I enjoy books set at vintage resorts.

This was a lovely read! There is so much going on in this book at once. I found myself reading more slowly than usual just to sort out all the different storylines at once. I ended up reading more online about the Vagabonds, and listened to a podcast (Stuff You Missed in History Class) about the building of the Grove Park Inn.

I really liked Belle and Worth but at times felt a bit frustrated with their reluctance to marry because of their genuine romantic feelings. There were also numerous surprises through the book that caused shifts in the story - and their relationship.

All the history of Asheville and the Grove Park Inn was completely fascinating to me. I am sure that other readers who enjoy historical fiction and have an interest in southern settings will enjoy this book as well.

A captivating novel that explores themes of love, betrayal, guilt, and forgiveness against the backdrop of North Carolina’s majestic landscape. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Many thanks to HarperCollins Focus and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Belle Newbold is traveling with her mother and stepfather, gasoline magnate Shipley Newbold. They are part of a camping vacation called the Vagabonds Tour to Asheville, North Carolina. Others are wealthy men in society such as Henry Ford, Mr. Forrester, Mr. Edison, and Mr. Burroughs. Belle had grown up in Red Dragon, West Virginia where her father was a miner killed there in an accident. When her mother met Mr. Newbold, he thought she came from a wealthy family so it’s a secret about their background. Mr. Newbold has been very good and generous to Belle and her mother. Mr. Newbold wants Belle to marry Worth Delafield, 24, a man who has made a fortune in buying and selling land across the country. Belle is quite taken with the scenery as it reminds her of her birthplace in West Virginia.

Traveling with them is Marie Austin Kipp, daughter of the wealthy Augustus Kipp. Marie and Belle are friends of sorts. Marie has her eye on a young man she wishes to marry.

They have traveled from Tennessee to Asheville, North Carolina. Here, they will camp and investigate the building site of the proposed Grove Park Inn financed by Mr. Seely. Belle finds herself fascinated with the construction and the views the Inn will provide. When she is given the chance to interview the workers and write about the construction, she is thrilled. So, each day she and Worth head to the site and find out how intricate the building is and the learn about the skills of the workers. Unfortunately, there is a lot of tuberculosis in Asheville and many sanitariums. The head of construction of the Inn is worried that people will learn about the tuberculosis and not want to come to the Inn.

This book is intricately detailed about the construction of the Inn and all of its components. I was somewhat confused about the relationship between Belle and Worth. There is too much angst between them. However, as I love Asheville and have visited there many times, I was eager to read this book. I hope readers will enjoy it and perhaps visit Asheville sometime in the future to see not only the Inn but the Biltmore Castle as well. Enjoy!

Copy provided by NetGalley and Edelweiss in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The area around the historic Grove Park Inn is the setting for this novel, by Joy Callaway, "What the Mountains Remember". It is a story of a young woman, now in a rich society-driven world of the famous and elite who is running from secrets of her past. She is emmersed in writing, but stifled by the morays of the day. Culture, reality, and her past sometimes collide in this world, as she meets a young man who has some issues from his own past. This novel is rich in its plot, setting, and character development and is a must-read for those who enjoy heroines who are able to combine their own quest with love and romance. Thanks to #NetGalley#WhattheMountainsRemember for the opportunity to read and review this book. This book is reviewed online at https://www.facebook.com/thereadingandwritingsentinel/

What The Mountain Remembers is a beautifully and gently told story set in Asheville, North Carolina in 1913. Author Joy Calloway has woven fact into the fiction to bring to life the artisans who constructed the magnificent Grove Park Inn. Using Belle Newbold, who grew up as a coal miner’s daughter but with a passion for writing, Calloway depicts both the unspekble hardship that faced both the coal mining community and the famiies of those men who worked on the Inn. Belle’s father has died before this story opens and she is now living with her mother and wealthy stepfather as a debutante about to become engaged to wealthy land developer Worth Delafield, I loved the way Belle’s questions enabled the craftsmen to detail what it was they did and how, while also bringing those men to life. As this story unfolds, the central theme is Belle’s understanding with Worth, a dascinating story in itself, with each character slowly revealing themselves to the other while also falling in love despite their best intentions. In the background is the Vagabond tour led by the likes of Henry Ford . This is not a quick read, though it is still compelling. I was thoroughly intrigued throughout and fascinated by the author’s notes at the end if the story.

Author Joy Calloway has brought to light another piece of history in this fictional story. She combines her research on the construction of Grove Park Inn near Asheville, NC with a fictional story of those who built this magnificent inn.

Belle has not been back to the Inn since her father died and she, her mother ,and stepfather are returning for a "glamping" trip, or what was then called "Vagabonds", with Henry Ford. She hopes to reunite with Worth, her future fiance. An arranged marriage but she likes it that way. So many challenges face Belle on what she sees is a simple way to a life with money and without worries. So many secrets from the past she discovers. But no one escapes life without problems - in the present and from the past.

The Author's Note is not to be missed!

My thanks to Net Galley and Harper Muse for an advanced copy of this e-book and Harper Collins Focus for an advanced copy of the audiobook. Narration by Brittany Pressley was especially good!

The Grove Park Inn, known in 1913 as the “eighth wonder of the world,” draws readers to Asheville, North Carolina, in the glorious Blue Ridge Mountains. Asheville’s mountain setting and fresh air have become known as the perfect place for sanatoriums for tuberculosis patients. Edwin Grove and his son-in-law, Fred Seely, are investing in an amazing hotel hoping to secure Asheville’s future by recentering the economy on tourism.
At the core of Callaway’s story is the actual building of Grove Park Inn, the plight of hundreds of laborers, and a tuberculosis pandemic. Callaway lays a solid foundation of the area’s rich history filled with well researched details walled in by Belle and Worth’s intriguing social conundrums. Belle realizes her dream of following in her father’s footsteps and accepts the task of writing the story of Grove Park Inn. With this self-discovery she is immediately transfixed by the craftsmanship that this “marvel upon marvel” will require. Joy Callaway intricately dovetails details of stone masons fitting boulders into the walls of the Great Hall and descriptions of rebar and scaffolding involved in tiled roofing, with the comedic contests of the Vagabonds and the outlandish “camping” scenes of the elite socialites and the waitstaff.
A theme of unconditional love is deeply forged into the relationship of Belle and her mother, Grace. They live in fear of their past being discovered by Grace’s new husband and Belle’s betrothed, Worth Delafield. Callaway’s development of the mother/daughter relationship of secrecy and deceit is layered on top of Belle’s skewed perspective of how she views marriage and family, neither involving love. This view creates a lot of angst, frustration, and tense social scenes. Worth Delafield, dealing with the tragic loss of his family, is also operating out of fear. This plot line winds up and down the mountain roads and into the hills. Belle’s faux life also involves the villain, Marie Austen, her self-centered, irritating, deceiving “best friend.” In the midst of the marriage matches and mismatches, the Grove Park Inn is getting closer and closer to completion! Callaway creates anticipation as exhilarating as the mountain air!
Finding purpose and truth is at the heart of What the Mountains Remember.

Do you prefer to read indoors or outdoors? I love both!

What the Mountains Remember by Joy Callaway is the story of a young woman named Belle Newbold set in 1913. Belle was a miner’s daughter, but after her father’s death, her mother remarried a titan of industry, Shipley Newbold. Both Belle and her mother are afraid that their past will be found out and they will be thrown out of their life of luxury. Belle is determined to marry for convenience to make sure she has a good life where she never will have to worry about hunger. Worth Delafield seems like the perfect match who can give her all that she asks for. When Henry Ford invites the Newbold family on one of the Vagabond camping trips, Belle gets to know Worth better and determine what is important to her in life.

I just discussed how I want to visit North Carolina and visit the Biltmore estate as part of a review last week. This novel gave me another North Carolina point to visit, Grove Park Inn, which is called the eighth wonder of the world. This Inn is in Ashville, North Carolina and it was a major construction project in the early 20th century.

My thoughts on this novel:
• I loved that this novel focused on how buildings are usually remembered by the person who financed them, but the architect and construction workers who made it possible are often overlooked. I will also put engineer in this category as I have spent my life designing large projects that dignitaries get gold shovels at while I stood in the background. I loved how Belle loved to talk and learn about all the people who worked on this construction project.

• This book was a love story to Asheville and the Appalachian mountains and the people who lived, worked, and died there.

• I really disliked Belle’s “friend” Marie Austen. Marie Austen had a lot of cringe worthy behavior in this book both to Belle and to men. She might win the award for worst fictional friend ever.

• It was interesting learning about the TB crisis in North Caroline during this time period. It’s interesting and sad that there was a real fear that TB hospitals would overtake the community.

• I loved the characters of Belle and Worth. I loved learning more about them and how they learned more about each other and came to an understanding. I also loved how Belle was able to work on an article about the Grove Park Inn and highlight the workers. I enjoyed that she had a coming of age herself and discovered what she really wanted out of life.

• This novel has a marriage of convenience and friends to lovers’ tropes. The romance was beautiful in this novel.

• The camping trip with the Vagabonds was very interesting, but the Vagabonds were very much minor background characters. It left me wanting to know more about their adventures.

• There was a great author’s note at the end of the novel that discusses how the author has visited and been fascinated with Grove Park Inn since she was a child. It discussed her research and changes that she made to make her story work.

• This was my first Joy Callaway novel, but it won’t be my last.

Overall, What the Mountains Remember by Joy Callaway was an excellent historical fiction novel with a great unique setting, interesting characters, and wonderful romance.

What The Mountains Remember by Joy Calloway is a lovely historical romance set against the backdrop of the mountains of Ashville, North Carolina and the building of Grove Park Inn. Belle Newbold has not been in the mountains for a long time. She travels to meet her arranged fiancé, Worth Delafield. Bella and Worth hold many secrets and while camping with Henry Ford’s Vagabonds, facing the past, and watching the Inn built they see their secrets unravel and their lives change.

I enjoyed this historical romance and my time in the mountains. It was fascinating to learn about the building of Grove Park Inn, early automobiles, and the Vagabonds. I connected with Belle and Worth as characters and enjoyed walking with both of them as they transformed and fell in love. The themes of loving and grieving deeply resonated with me. The author did an amazing job honoring those who built Grove Park Inn.

This was a beautiful and deeply moving historical story. The characters touched my heart and will stay with me. I highly recommend What the Mountains Remember by Joy Calloway.

I was given a copy by the publisher and not required to write a positive review.

Refreshing and transportive! Joy Callaway’s What the Mountains Remember is a delightful story and a beautiful portrayal of the breathtaking Blue Ridge mountains, together with the history of Asheville, North Carolina in the early 20th Century. Callaway’s lush descriptive prose and pacing combine to whisk the reader to that part of the world, and evoke a sense of the mountain breezes. The descriptions of the development of the Grove Park Inn, the hardships of the coal mining industry, the earliest days of the automobile and natural gas industries, and Asheville’s time as a hub for tuberculosis sanatoriums, are also all fascinating and well researched. I found the plot to be entertaining, especially as it centered on coal miner’s daughter/gas magnate’s step-daughter Belle.

This would be an especially good read for anyone dreaming of a mountain escape or likewise fascinated by early 20th century history.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Muse for the privilege of a complimentary ARC. Opinions are my own.

4.5 stars

I love the Edwardian era. I love the hats, the dresses, and the history! There aren’t that many books set during that time period so when I see one come up for review, I usually jump on it! This particular author is a new to me author and while I have heard of some of her books, I haven’t read any of them yet! So when I saw this book up for review, I was eager for the time period/setting and because I love discovering new to me authors!

To be honest though, this setting didn’t really appeal to me—a new hotel, the Grove Park Inn in the North Carolina mountains, seemed a little basic and uninspiring. However when I started reading about the hotel, the setting grew on me. The Blue Ridge Mountains feel more rugged and robust to me so when I started reading this book I was thinking it would be more like roughing it camping rather than ‘glamping’. Ultimately I ended up really enjoying the setting which was surprising! I thought it added an interesting change for readers!

If you are a historical fiction fan, I hope this one is on your radar! It’s a lovely novel and I think readers will find something refreshing in the pages! I know I did! I am now eager to read more books by this author! I know she has written a number of other historical fiction books set during similar time periods with promising stories that offer new and untold narratives! I cannot wait to check out some of her other books as this one was wonderful!

Summary


At this wondrous resort, secrets can easily be hidden in plain sight when the eye is trained on beauty. April 1913 —Belle Newbold hasn’t seen mountains for seven years—since her father died in a mining accident and her mother married Indiana gas magnate, Shipley Newbold. But when her stepfather’s friend, Henry Ford, invites the family on one of his famous Vagabonds camping tours, she is forced to face the hills once again—primarily in order to reunite with her future fiancé, owner of the land the Vagabonds are using for their campsite, a man she’s only met once before. It is a veritable arranged marriage, but she prefers it that way. Belle isn’t interested in love.

She only wants a simple life—a family of her own and the stability of a wealthy man’s pockets. That’s what Worth Delafield has promised to give her and it’s worth facing the mountains again, the reminder of the past, and her poverty, to secure her future. But when the Vagabonds group is invited to tour the unfinished Grove Park Inn and Belle is unexpectedly thrust into a role researching and writing about the building of the inn—a construction the locals are calling The Eighth Wonder of the World—she quickly realizes that these mountains are no different from the ones she once called home. As Belle peels back the facade of Grove Park Inn, of Worth, of the society she’s come to claim as her own, and the truth of her heart, she begins to see that perhaps her part in Grove Park’s story isn’t a coincidence after all.

Perhaps it is only by watching a wonder rise from ordinary hands and mountain stone that she can finally find the strength to piece together the long-destroyed path toward who she was meant to be. International bestselling author Joy Callaway returns with a story of the ordinary people behind extraordinary beauty—and the question of who gets to tell their stories. (summary from Goodreads)


Review

One of the things that really stands out to me with this novel is the meticulous historical research! I didn’t really know much about the Grove Park Inn, in fact I thought it was a fictional place until I read this book and went down a rabbit hole of research. If you live on the east coast you will likely know this resort but I didn’t know anything about it so discovering the Inn was a big treat for me! I don’t know if I was living under a rock or what but I just didn’t know anything about this place! It was really interesting to learn more about the whole process of building the hotel and how that impacted the town. It is very clear that the author takes time to tell the story not only of the characters but of that time in history. It was very interesting and I loved going down a rabbit hole to find out more about the Inn and how it came to be. That to me was one of the stand out things about this book. Historical fiction fans will surly fall in love with the time and attention to detail this book has!

Not only is the historical part well researched and interesting, but the characters are well developed and likable. I especially loved getting to know Belle. She was a developed character with likable qualities that readers will instantly connect with. I especially loved watching her romance evolve and grow throughout the story. It had an epic feel to it without feeling like it took too long to evolve. Worth, Belle’s fiancé, was a caring and complex character which matched with Belle really well! They both complimented each other so well and I fully bought into their romance. It came full circle in the end and I was satisfied with how things played out. If you love character driven books this is a very good options for you!

This book was such a delight for me to read and I am so glad I said ‘yes’ to this one. I downloaded two of Joy Callaway’s books and I cannot wait to check them out this summer. I loved her historical research and attention to detail as well as he commitment to writing interesting characters and a ‘will they or won’t they’ romance. I was fully invested early on in the book and loved researching more about the Inn which was sort of like its own character in the book! If you want a historical fiction book that is well written with substance that you can sink your teeth into, then I think you definitely need to get this one! I can’t wait for my next Joy Callaway book!


AUTHOR BIO

Joy Callaway is the author of All the Pretty Places, The Grand Design, The Fifth Avenue Artists Society, and Secret Sisters. She holds a BA in journalism and public relations from Marshall University and an MMC from the University of South Carolina. She resides in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her husband, John, and her children, Alevia and John. Visit her online at joycallaway.com.

Book Info and Rating

Format 368 pages, Paperback

Expected publication April 2, 2024 by Harper Muse

ISBN 9781400244317 (ISBN10: 1400244315)

Free review copy provided by publisher, Harper Muse in partnership with Austen Prose Book Tours, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Genre: Historical fiction

“People are all the same deep down, aren’t they? Industrialist or inventor, miner or mason, they’re all looking for something to make them happy and to know they’re worthy enough to be invited to dance.”

What the Mountains Remember is a beautiful tribute to the magnificent Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina when it was under construction in 1913. Joy Callaway paints a gorgeous picture of the hardworking people who built the Inn as well as the wealthy elite who’ve come to watch the construction process. It’s the story of love, redemption, and the acknowledgement that every person’s story is important. I was fascinated by the meticulously researched historical details carefully woven into the story along with the heartfelt, reluctant to fall in love romance.

Belle Newbold, her mother, and wealthy stepfather have all been invited to return to the mountains she used to adore by her stepfather’s friend Henry Ford. He’s part of the Vagabonds, a group of some of America’s most wealthy elite including Harvey Firestone, Thomas Edison, and John Burroughs who’ve decide to go “camping” along with several other prominent families in the forest near the Grove Park Inn to check on its construction progress.

After the death of her beloved father, Belle has vowed never to marry for love. Though she loves her stepfather, she resents that her mother never talks about her father and Belle feels trapped in her grief and memories. When her stepfather arranges a marriage to Worth Delafield, she heartily agrees knowing it won’t be for love. She hasn’t seen Worth in five years, but it’s his land they’ll be camping on and she’s excited at the prospect of seeing him again. Unfortunately, her jealous “cousin” Marie Austen Kipp will be there as well.

Belle is fascinated by the building of the Inn and agrees to write an article about its construction and the men risking their lives to build it. She’s also finding it hard not to fall for Worth who’s haunted by his own sorrows. As they navigate a careful courtship determined not to fall in love, they find it harder and harder to maintain that commitment especially when they share their deepest feelings with each other. When their pasts come back to haunt them, and jealousy and illness threaten to tear them apart, they have to decide if they will risk it all for love.

I loved Worth & Belle. Their sizzling romance was filled with an underlying attraction made all the more potent by their trying to suppress it. Both had sad tragedies in their pasts making it easy to see why they were so reluctant to fall in love. I enjoyed seeing their growth as the story progressed, the realizations they come to, and the way they support and care for each other. Marie Austen Kipp is one of the love-to-hate villains in the story. Just when you think she can’t get more despicable, she does.

I thoroughly enjoyed the historical figures and details included. I’d never heard of the Grove Park Inn and couldn’t wait to look up the stunning resort. I was also fascinated by the rampant tuberculosis plaguing the workers and the need for so many sanatoriums during that time.

Definitely recommend this fascinating, romantic, well written historical romance. I received an advanced complimentary copy from the author and publisher through AustenProse PR. All opinions are my own and voluntarily provided.

CW: Infrequent, mild swearing, two mild sexually suggestive scenes, one interrupted, closed door love scene between a married couple, mild descriptions of deaths including death by fire.