In May 2000, Joel Smith is a cocky, adventurous young man who sees the world as his playground. But when the college senior, days from graduation, enters an abandoned Montana mine, he discovers the price of reckless curiosity. He emerges in May 1941 with a cell phone he can’t use, money he can’t spend, and little but his wits to guide his way.
Stuck in the age of Whirlaway, swing dancing, and a peacetime draft, Joel begins a new life as the nation drifts toward war. With the help of his 21-year-old trailblazing grandmother and her friends, he finds his place in a world he knew only from movies and books.
But when an opportunity comes to return to the present, Joel must decide whether to leave his new love in the past or choose a course that will alter their lives forever.
The Mine follows a humbled man through a critical time in history as he adjusts to new surroundings and wrestles with the knowledge of things to come.
Good read! Nice nostaglic trip into the 1940s. Note: I received a free copy of this ebook for review purposes (see Booksquawk.com). I am not acquainted with the author in any way.The pitch for this novel intrigued me: In the year 2000, a college senior enters a mine and comes out in the year 1941. “Stuck in the age of Whirlaway, swing dancing, and a peacetime draft, Joel begins a new life as the nation drifts toward war.”Lots of potential there–will Joel ever find his way back to the present? Will he ever see his…
A Well Told Story Finding a new favorite book is one of life’s greatest pleasures. I just finished THE MINE by John Heldt and have that bittersweet feeling you have when you reach the last page of a great story.The year is 2000 and Joel Smith is a couple weeks away from graduating college in Seattle. On a road trip to Montana with a friend, Smith enters a mine for a little spelunking. But when he reappears, it’s the year 1941, six months before Pearl Harbor. Unable to find his friend, he makes…