West Virginia Crude

by Valerie Banfield, Sue Copeland

1879, Walker, West Virginia Sidney Crenshaw wants no part of the frenzy that overwhelms the hills and hollers that he calls home. He savors the simple things in life and has no need to don a wildcatter’s hat or to spoil his farmland looking for a black-gold reservoir that may—or may not—rest beneath the soil. The one thing he can’t abide is the cheerless shadow that haunts his disheartened wife. Bess Crenshaw craves one thing, and it’s become apparent that she can’t have it. Sidney wants his old wife back, but Bess can’t find her. She disappeared along with her wishes. A change of scenery might help her mend, might help her realign her leftover life. It wasn’t running away if it was temporary. She and Sidney would pick up where they’d left off before . . . It’s 1949 and when trouble arrives at the Crenshaw’s homestead, six-year-old Billie Jean sets out to save her family from ruin. She’s motivated and determined, but after depleting her arsenal of clever little-girl antics, she starts to wonder if she can outsmart her greedy kin.

336 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 22, 2018

About the author

Valerie Banfield is a talespinner to the lost, the loved, and the found. She is the author of eighteen novels, including While I Count the Stars, winner of the Cascade Award. She loves to take little known tidbits from eras gone by and use them as the backdrop for imperfect but endearing characters who dangle between loss and hope as they wend their way through troubled times and circumstances. When she’s not writing, reading, or rummaging through newspaper archives, she’s probably walking the dog, weaving a basket, counting the stars, or savoring the majesty of an Indiana sunrise.

Reviews

[Melissa Matheny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the writing style. Beautiful book.