Harriet Beamer Strikes Gold by Joyce Magnin

This story of a senior citizen daring to stand up for herself will resonate with Christian fiction readers everywhere.

In Harriet Beamer Strikes Gold by Joyce Magnin, Harriet settles into a new life in Grass Valley, California, and gets caught up in another adventure when she decides to lease a gold mine. After listening to the pleas of a desperate teen whose daddy needs money right away—and happens to have a gold mine to lease—Harriet falls hook, line, and sinker into the venture. Although she is nervous about her investment, Harriet chooses to keep it a secret from her son, Henry, and his wife who have just learned they are expecting a baby. And besides, this just may be the ticket to a golden windfall.

But when Harriet’s friend Martha comes for a visit, she convinces Harriet to come clean because she is suspicious and just doesn’t buy that the operation is legit.

Harriet may never see an ounce of gold, but it is the fate of the young teen that really begins to matter. And it takes an emergency with her daughter-in-law, Prudence, for Harriet to learn where her true treasure lies.

My Review:
Harriet, a delightful seventy-two year-old lady lives with her son, his wife, their cat, and Humphrey, a basset hound. I easily connected with her. I found myself chuckling at various passages. The novel is written in a light-hearted style that's easy to follow.

Food is one theme of this story. In one day, three people consume a dozen glazed doughnuts, a blueberry pie, and a peach cobbler! (I wonder at the size of these characters.) I love sweets, but this seems to be way too much. I wonder if the author is using meals and food as padding for the storyline.

Some mistakes in editing are hard to ignore. At the bottom of page174, Harriet is talking to Harriet. (She should have been talking to Martha.) On page 258, Pru and Henry park; however, on page 259, they get "ready to leave the house." (Sections are misplaced.) A reader is easily distracted with errors like these.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson Publisher for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book through BookSneeze®.

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