Crestmont is set in the 1920s in Eagles Mere, Pennsylvania and tells the story of Gracie Antes, a budding singer. Gracie leaves her unhappy home in 1925 and on her way to the big city and her singing career, she accepts a job as a housemaid at the bustling Crestmont Inn. At the inn, Gracie encounters the opera singer Rosa Ponselle, a meeting which has a profound impact on her life and she also meets man with a mysterious past.

As I read Crestmont, it was was as if I were there! Holly Weiss's des More...

A charming story set in the northern foothills of the Appalachians in the 1920's. The focus around the Crestmont Inn it's staff and owners. This is a comforting read that brings the walls of the prestigious Crestmont to life with carefully crafted attention to details of the place and time. Eagles Mere lake sounds like a one of a kind place being a mountain top lake surrounded by peace and beauty, a real dreamers paradise. I would love to enjoy it. It well have to go on my list of places to see More...

Crestmont is a harmonious story. It opens with an intense and beautiful tale that introduces the town of Eagle's Mere. There is a sense of nature and oneness in the setting, a sense of slowing down, which gives the book a very enticing start. And then the story of Crestmont begins, with its soft, somewhat slow melody.
The main storyline takes off in 1925 when Gracie, an aspiring singer, begins to work at Crestmont Inn. Gracie is an endearing character. Her emotional depth makes the story really More...

I've read many historical fiction novels. Weiss's Crestmont is a delightful respite in the '20's. Her protagonist, Gracie, is a girl growing into a woman, even though Gracie enters this novel in her early 20's. One thing I liked about the book is that the author didn't spell everything out for me - I had to think and use my imagination.
All of Weiss's characters are very credible and authentic. You know all those people you wish you'd met and develop a friendship with? They are the characters i More...

I thoroughly enjoyed this delightful creation of characters combined with an actual location that seemed to come alive as I read. I loved the blending of the real people who lived and worked in this quaint and historic Inn, and the author's development of characters who might have been much like those who were on staff in the 1920's. This is a book about the development of relationships, friendships and mentoring. I loved the multiple yet subtle mentoring that went on throughout the story. There More...

Crestmont is the story of the eponymous inn, which is located in Eagles Mere, Pennsylvania and which had its heyday in the 1920s, the time period featured in the novel. We’re introduced to the Crestmont Inn through the eyes of Gracie, a young lady who leaves home to become a singer and stops for a few seasons to work as a housekeeper at the Crestmont and save some money.

Meanwhile, the inn itself does a thriving summer business, but needs updates and improvements. Its owner-operators, William and More...

The CRESTMONT by Holly Weiss, though a good read, left me a bit puzzled. It wasn’t until the end of the book that I realized the story was really about the hotel and an era gone by, and the characters only served as a back drop for Ms. Weiss to tell her story.

The main character other than the Inn itself was Gracie Antes. Gracie decides to leave her family home behind because of the rising feelings she has for her brother-in-law to be. Striking out on her own with a music career in mind, she deci More...

Crestmont
Author Holly Weiss
Reviewed by Fran Lewis

Come along with me and take a journey back in time to the roaring twenties when life was much different than today when families valued their time together and prohibition was in full force and meet the Woods family and visit one of the most elegant and magnificent Victorian Inn’s in the world, Crestmont. Meet William, Margaret, Peg and Eleanor and let’s not forget the staff and Gracie, their special addition to the Crestmont staff see how William More...

I live in the UK and have never heard of The Crestmont Inn or Eagles Mere, nor have I been to Pennsylvania. But this did not stop me knowing exactly what it might be like in the mid 1920's - lovingly re-created from Holly Weiss's descriptions. Gracie Antes is an innocent despite being on the run from involvement with her sister's fiance, and her story is one which is a slow simmer rather than a scorcher. At times I wished there was more plot, but then the sheer old-fashioned cosiness of the tale More...

Holly Weiss’s debut novel is a nostalgic take on the goings-on at a fashionable 1920s inn, where the heroine, Grace, takes refuge as a housekeeper to escape a forbidden love. A likeable all-American girl, Grace bobs her hair and changes her name to Gracie, acknowledging the transformation ahead of her.

We meet other staff members and visitors to the resort, and more heartache awaits Gracie—but when, over halfway through the book, a famed opera singer arrives, Gracie’s natural talent is allowed it More...

A delightful book that looks at the development of the Crestmont Inn, a summer resort hotel in Pennsylvania, from the point of view of a young girl who worked there. Gracie answers an ad for a housekeeper at the Inn as the first step in her plan to run away from home, go to New York, and become a singer in vaudeville. It is the first time she has ever been away from home and her religiously strict family. It was interesting to see her develop her self-confidence as she learned to work with and c More...

Holly Weiss has done what I find highly unlikely: She got me immersed in a small-vacation-town-America historical fiction, which is usually not my cup of tea. Her eye for the telling detail is superb, but even better is her handle on character – just when I figured I knew what somebody would do, predictably, they'd take off in a new direction. Real people doing real stuff.

I know the area, living about 20 miles for Eagles Mere, PA, which does not, on the whole, associate much with the rest of the More...

Crestmont is a delightful read! Holly Weiss demonstrates her refined artistic skill, capably translated from song to pen, when she layers emotion, history, and dialogue to produce a colorful story about real people in real time. I enjoyed the Native American lore appearing at the start and occasionally throughout, which helps underscore a unique foundation for the Crestmont's setting and the charm the lake cast over summertime visitors for so many years.

Holly casts her characters' experiences i More...

I have just ended a wonderful journey to Eagles Mere, Pennsylvania during the 1920's. The story takes place at the Crestmont Inn. Gracie is the main character who leaves home with the dream of becoming a Vaudeville singer. The book ends in the 1970's. So we start with Gracie as a young, single woman with a strong dream making her way through life with only the new friends she meets at Crestmont Inn. Reading the book is like taking a step by step walk through any ordinary woman's life. The book i More...

Oh how I hate these kinds of reviews! Oy! What do you say about a book,while centered around a place that I've heard of many times because my family is from Pennsylvania, that just couldn't capture me?! I will be honest. That is all I can do for this book. Honest opinion.

While I won't discourage anyone from giving Ms. Weiss' book a try, I will tell you that this book wasn't for me. Why? Well, her writing style for me, was not what I am used to and just couldn't get into it. The characters are w More...

I won this book on a Goodreads Giveaway.

Crestmont started off a little slow, but by the third chapter things picked up and I was able to get into the story of Gracie, a young woman with dreams of a life on stage who ends up working at the beautiful Cresmont Inn to save some money.

While I liked the book, I didn't love it and there were a few things that detracted from the story for me. The first was Mrs. Woods (the owner of the Crestmont along with her husband) seemed to be a wild card of a char More...

Crestmont. The Summer Resort was built on an ancient sacred site. It was the dream and inspiration of the man that built it in 1899 as well as his daughter who carried it on.

There were characters in this book that I came to know and love, but ultimately, I really felt like this book was about Crestmont and all the other stories hinged on Crestmont.

The underlying theme of Crestmont really pulled together the other characters/stories that were interwoven through this novel.

It appeared to be wel More...

Step into the lives of Gracie Antes and the Woods family of Eagles Mere Pennsylvania. Gracie, who decided to take control and live her life, left her sheltered family in 1925 to pursue her dreams. Crestmont was a summer job, a way to start earning money in order to follow her dream and sing. Little did she know she would find herself, friends, and a family of her own by taking a job at the Crestmont Inn. The woods own the Crestmont and spend their time keeping the dream of Mrs. Woods’s father al More...

The year is 1925 and Gracie is leaving home at twenty one ? years old. She fancies herself a singer and plans to join the vaudeville circuit. The problem is in order to get to the big city and establish herself, she needs money. She answers an ad in the paper for a housekeeping job at the Crestmont Inn in Pennsylvania. What is supposed to be just one summer turns into three summers and the book follows Gracie's life as she works at the Crestmont for three years.. possibly more? Will Gracie ever More...

I won this novel in a Goodreads Giveaway, and I am very happy I did.

This novel focuses on a remote inn, and the staff who help keep it running, notably a young aspiring singer named Gracie.

The novel follows Gracie during many summers and winters with the woods family, the owners of the inn. When the novel opens, Gracie is a scared and timid young woman, constantly trying to better herself and not upset those around her. By the completion of the story, Gracie is a self assured individual, well o More...

First reviewed here with author interview: overweight-bookshelf.blogspot.com

If you are a history buff (like me) and appreciate in-depth and impeccable research, then this book should be on your "to-read" list. Holly Weiss clearly has the Crestmont Inn and its history as the jewel of her eye and dedicates herself to capturing the true essence of this lakeside resort in the 1920s. After reading this book, I felt intimately connected to this quaint resort that I have never visited. I didn't find th More...

Gee…..a G-Rated romancey-ish coming of age story of a young adult (21 at the start of the book) with serious confidence issues.
The characters of this story have no depth, no history, no future. They just are, at the moment, and they are only if/when needed. They disappear when not needed….even if their story is incomplete.
Not a complete “romance” because….seriously….romance entails more than singing together at talent shows, a few conversations and one kiss.
The story at times seemed disjointed More...

Two women—separated by class, bound by duty— CRESTMONT delivers a multi-layered, appealing read.

In Holly Weiss’ debut novel, 22-year-old aspiring singer Gracie Antes discovers the meaning and the rewards of hard work. She applies for a position as housemaid at the lakeside Crestmont Inn in Eagles Mere, Pennsylvania in 1925. Her employer Margaret Woods, daughter of the creator and designer of the inn, sees something special in the young, naïve Gracie. During the next two years, these vastly diff More...

I send a big thank you to the author for sending me a copy of her book. It is a first novel and written with great skill and love for her subject. It made me want to go visit Crestmont Inn immediately. She was clearly inspired by her visit to the Inn and has created some wonderful characters who enable the reader to have a lovely visit, also. The real Crestmont Inn is in Eagles Mere, Pennsylvania and was built in 1899 by William Warner. We join it's history in 1925 with Gracie, a young woman run More...

Holly Weiss provides a melodious look at a time and place long past. Since I was born in the thirties, I can envision my parents and grandparents living this life, certainly not as guests of the Crestmont Inn, but conceivably as staff members. The author’s love of music and the importance of music in her life are apparent in the finely drawn main character of this calm, insightful story. Ms. Weiss transports the reader to the beautiful setting of this summer resort and the lives of the staff, ow More...

I'm having a difficult time putting my thoughts to paper, or rather to virtual paper. I enjoyed Crestmont, but reading the book, I kept wondering what the point/purpose/reason was for telling the story. Oh, it is Gracie's story and how she finds herself and what is important in her life, but there is no true conflict, no real villains, and nothing dastardly or tragic happens. It reads almost as if it's a memoir of the Crestmont Inn itself and the narration is just what happens to Gracie and thos More...

I just won a copy through GoodRead's First Reads program and I can't wait to read Crestmont! Thank you so much for hosting the giveaway, Holly!

Crestmont arrived today (10/23/2010) and I'm about to dive on in now! :)

Where do I begin? Crestmont strikes me as the sort of book that you want to devote some time to. Not because it's slow or because you won't want to read it, but because there's a lot of details to take in. The author, Holly Weiss, certainly did her research and yes, the book is based More...

Charming is the first word that comes to mind when I think about “Crestmont.” The second is faithfulness. Holly Weiss skillfully brings to life an era gone by, carving out endearing characters who stretch, grow, and become family in the picturesque Crestmont Inn. When we are introduced to Gracie, an aspiring singer, she is an insecure, frightened, lost girl. Through the love and acceptance of her employers, The Woods, who strive to practice what they preach, we witness her blossom into a graciou More...

The Crestmont reminded me of the stories my mom used to tell us about her summers working up the The Yellowstone Lodge. She loved these summers and would share her stories of her many adventures with us every time we would go to visit Yellowstone park. (Although her experience was well after the 1920's it was still very similar.)

I guess I loved the history but the book left me feeling like this story was unfinished. It just seemed really jumpy and confusing at times.

It was an easy read but I wa More...

I'm a citizen of the Keystone state so anytime I have the chance to read a novel set in Pennsylvania I jump on it. I was pleasantly surprised by this debut from author Holly Weiss and hope that she has plans to write another historical set in the 1920s. While at times I was a little distracted by some of the errors as far as editing went I enjoyed life in Eagles Mere and the Crestmont Inn.

There were so many central themes to this story including family, faith, and growing up. Throughout the stor More...