More often than not, the books that I really enjoy are the ones that I can relate to in one way or another. Sometimes it is the events, while at other times it is the location that endears me to the protagonists and their tale. In this case it was a little of both. Sheila Myers' book 'Imaginary Brightness' is set in both the past and present Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. I say past and present because though the real meat of the store is the events in the lives of the Durant Family in the late 1800s, the author ties them to the present in the form of a discovered hidden diary. In my opinion, she achieved this quite well as lose ends were tied up, but not in the hurried fashion of some who appeared rushed to meet a word count quota or a deadline.
The story starts out with the family being told that they are leaving the comfort and high society of London to travel to that god-forsaken outback in America, where they will be far from friends and creature comforts. Dr. Durant has big plans, not only for another railroad, but to acquire as much land as possible, and then develop it to be sold for profit. You have the usual cast of characters, and I found no fault with the story line or character development. As a matter of fact, being fascinated with this period of history, I was actually thrilled to read about such mundane things as taking tea in high society.
While my personal experiences were not in the locations stated, it was easy for me to relate nonetheless. While they spoke of the great forests and wildlife in the mountains, my wife and I discovered that similar things could actually exist in the state of Illinois! Leaving the crowded subdivisions with McMansions springing up like mushrooms after summer rains, we found forests and farmlands as far as the eye could see. And if you looked hard enough, you could discover an abundant wildlife far different from that of a Chicago suburb. So, in a way, we too were off for a great adventure.
In the story the family has cabins built in the wilderness. On our first trip here we stayed in state park log cabins built by the CCC in the 1930s. While we didn't have a mountain, we did have several large canyons to explore. As I read the book I kept relating it to our own experiences. In the story William sees what his father is doing with the logging and mining as raping the land. In a sense this was something else I could relate to with some of the present day factory farms, mines and quarries.
The story had some unexpected developments which added just the right touch of spice to liven up the stew. This was no bland hospital food. The one part I really liked was when Elle, who seemed self-centered at times, found out a poor girl had high hopes of getting a real job. Elle asked what she was going to wear for her interview. In embarrassment, the girl's non-verbal response was that she had nothing but the threadbare item she was wearing. Elle said that would never do and not only did she insist on the girl wearing one of her outfits, but she also wrote a fine letter of recommendation being as her father was a close business associate.
I not only enjoyed the story but all the effort that went into the research for this work. Some are gifted enough to compose a story that doesn't need to rely on facts. They blind you with imaginary brightness. I think Sheila's work was really her term paper, but don't tell anybody.
OR
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From the Publisher
Based on historical figures and true events - a family rebuilds their fortune in the Adirondack Wilderness
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Reviews with images
Couldn't Put The Book Down
I love reading books based in the Adirondack region. I found this three volumn series at Hoss' Country Store. I had never heard of the author until that day. I couldn't put Imaginary Brightness:,,,down during my vacation. The story line kept me wanting more. I liked how I was brought from the past into the present and into Minnie's diary. I really enjoyed reading this book and hope others take the chance of reading it and enjoying it just as much.
Top reviews from other countries
Alex
Well-told, well-researched and entertaining historical fiction.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 28, 2015
