These Healing Hills

These Healing Hills by Ann H. Gabhart takes readers back to 1945 in Hyden, Kentucky. Francine Howard needs to get away from Cincinatti, Ohio before her former fiancé, Seth Miller returns home from the war with his English bride. Fran has a nursing degree, can ride a horse, and looking for an adventure so she signed up for the Frontier Nursing Service Midwifery School in the Appalachian Mountains. It will be a life style change for Fran, but she feels she will be something worthwhile. Ben Locke is returning home from the war. He cannot wait to return home to the mountains, but he has not thought of what he will do with his future. Ben is on his way home when he encounters a very lost Fran. They are immediately comfortable around each other, but they come from very different backgrounds. But Fran feels at home in the mountains and has fallen in love with the people. Is there a chance for a future between Ben and Fran? These Healing Hills is well crafted novel that has a unique plot. It was interesting reading about the Frontier Nursing Service Midwifery School in Hyden, Kentucky (it still exists) and the services their nurse midwives offer. I liked the characters and the beautiful setting. Woody Locke was my favorite character. He was refreshing and entertaining. Ann H. Gabhart is a descriptive writer which brings scenes to life (especially the mountains and the people who live there), but it also makes for a slower pace novel. I sometimes felt the author was a too verbose. The Christian element is prominent throughout the story and I liked the Christian attitude of the mountain people. I appreciated the spiritual wisdom that Fran’s grandmother (Grandma Howard) imparted on Fran. I am giving These Healing Hills 4 out of 5 stars. My favorite phrase was “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart”. The romance was sweet, but it was predictable. Some of the themes in the story are prayer, friendship, trust, listening to God, believing in God, and a person finding their path or place in life. I did feel that the ending was abrupt and felt incomplete. It would have been nice if the author had included an epilogue. Readers who enjoy rich, historical novels will appreciate These Healing Hills.

It was so interesting seeing how people in the mountains used to live. Not only did they rely on the land to feed them, but they had their own way of talking. I never thought about how difficult it would be to get medical help and how it would be to not have a car to take you to a hospital. Being a Frontier nurse would have been a very difficult and uncomfortable job. I loved seeing how Francine was determined to help those in need. The mountains sounded beautiful and dangerous at the same time. These Healing Hills follows Francine while she makes a big move from the life she used to know. War has a way of changing people. For Francine she thought her life was planned out. Once the war ended she would marry her soldier and have a family all her own. Before any of that could happen, she received a letter informing her that he had fallen for someone else. Deciding to make a difference along with a change of scenery, she joins the Frontier Nursing Service. One of the families Francine is in charge of helping are the Lockes. Ben Locke is ready to be home. War changes a man, and he looks forward to getting back to those he loves the most. With the beautiful mountains of home, also comes danger. Can Ben and Francine wait to find out what God has planned for their lives? I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Historical Fiction. It's always fun being taken to another place and time. Gabhart made me appreciate how far medicine has come, and also how there were those who lived to help the helpless. I received a copy of this book and was in no way forced to post a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

5 stars, No one comes here by accident THESE HEALING HILLS by Ann H. Gabhart No one comes here by accident, Frontier Nurse Saying 1945 Francine Howard needs a change in her life, so she goes to the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky, to further her studies and eventually receive her license as a Nurse-Midwife. As everyone knows, 1945 in Appalachia is nearly the same as in 1925 Appalachia. Women are having babies at home, poverty reigns, higher education isn't even a consideration for most of the population. Nurse Howard wants to be of help to these poor people, she believes she can offer a kind word or smile, in addition to "baby catching." Ben Locke is a veteran of WWII, where he served overseas as a medic. He desperately wants to return home to his mountain. His father passed away while he was overseas and he knows that his ma and siblings need his help. This is a novel of the human condition. I selected this because I like the author, time period in Appalachia-which is similar to the Pack Horse Librarian stories since all of the nurses travel by horseback to reach the patient's homes. The nurses are specifically there to deliver babies, but they also are able to diagnose and treat the medical needs of the mountain residents. Ben is my favorite character in this book. He sounds like a great guy, that I'd like to meet and count as a friend. Highly recommend. #historicalfiction #thesehealinghills #favoritebooks #nursemidwives #nurse #midwife #horses #ohio #kentucky #wwii #coverlove #inspyfiction #inspirationalfiction #christianfiction #annhgabhart #frontiernurse #poverty