A tale of time travel, history, danger, romance, and family relationships.
While this is a time travel book, as with all John A. Heldt’s books, it is so much more.
John skilfully combines a good story with a well-researched history. I have all of his books and he has never failed to entertain with his family-based time travel stories.
The Fountain is the first book of his new Second Chance series and after being introduced to the Carpenters, I look forward to the next in the series.
The three main characters are ageing siblings Bill, Paul and Annie. Bill (81) has just been widowed, Paul (75) is dying from lung cancer and Annie (72) is confined to a wheelchair.
All are childless and wonder what there is left in life. When Bill, a retired folklore and mythology professor, hears about a fountain of youth in La Paz, Mexico that could not only give them a second chance it would also mean travelling back in time to a simpler lifestyle. They don’t hesitate in making their decision. They sell their house and possessions and convert the proceeds into gold.
To reach the fountain they must travel to Mexico and enter an almost unknown cave. They enter the fountain and emerge in 1905. But things are different – Bill is now a young man of 23, Paul a cancer free teenager of 17 and Annie a 14 year old with a healthy body.
They must then find a way to get from Mexico to Oakland, California. Once in California they settle in and make friends. Bill finds a job and the two younger ones enrol in school but there is still one thing worrying them – the 1906 San Francisco earthquake especially when none of them can remember exactly when it will occur.
The Carpenters fitted in well to their new age. They had a few slip ups, particularly with jargon or slang terms, but it was fun to see them wriggle out of it.
The Fountain is much more than a time travel book. Heldt combines time travel with family relationships, history, romance, and heartbreak.
As always, he manages to combine all these genres without graphic sex or foul language. His history is well researched giving the reader a definite sense of time and place.
Aged 74 myself, I was able to relate to Bill, Paul and Annie and their wish to go back in time to a younger version of themselves. The difference is I have a son and grandchildren, they have no one but each other.
They are marvellous characters, quiet achievers, and caring souls.
We have a clear impression of Heldt’s main characters from the start and it was interesting to see that influenced who they were in 1905. Nothing was lost in the relationship between them or their attitudes to others and their distinct personalities remained unchanged.
Widower Bill has just buried his beloved wife after 54 years of marriage and is somewhat lost. While she is not strictly a character in the book she was much loved by his siblings and a strong influence on their lives.
Paul’s background is a bit clearer. He is a disgraced soldier, has been married three times and now coming to terms with living with terminal cancer. He had the most to gain from a second chance and was a delightful, caring young man in 1905.
Annie is used to her life confined to a wheelchair but is still frustrated with the limitations especially not having children. The opportunity to be free of it and relive a young life appeals greatly and she embraces life in 1905 with enthusiasm.
My favourite character though was Cassie, a teacher at the school where Bill has a job to assess the teaching staff and where Annie and Paul attend school. She’s smart, feisty and beautiful but she and Bill don’t hit it off in the beginning.
The other characters include Cassie’s family and another student, Pauline Wagner.
But in a John A. Heldt book you never know who you will meet and in this case, we meet Jack London, author of Call of the Wild and White Fang as well as US General Frederick Funston.
Every character has been well cast. They are believable and likeable. In fact, they are the key to the story.
The story is told from several points of view – the three siblings and Cassie. This does not confuse the reader as each chapter is titled with the name of the character.
As with all his books, Heldt’s blending of history and an imaginative story is creative with a gradual build up in tension. It all comes together in a relaxing and absorbing read.
As part of a series The Fountain is a complete story but Heldt leaves you wanting more. I am looking forward to reading the next in the series Annie’s Apple.
My thanks to the author for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.
My rating 5*
