I love historical fiction that takes place in real locations, especially if I’ve been to that location. While I’ve never been to Yellowstone National Park where Ever Faithful takes place, author Karen Barnett brought it to life in such a way that it definitely made me want to visit.
Ever Faithful is # 3 in the Vintage National Parks series. I’d read book #2, Where the Fire Falls, and enjoyed it, so I was eager to jump on the opportunity to review Karen Barnett’s latest book. It didn’t disappoint.
Ever Faithful takes place during the Depression. It focuses on a handful of employees at the state park. The girls are “pillow punchers”, a fancy term for maids, and the boys are rangers and members of the Civilian Conservation Corps. I’d never heard of the Civilian Conservation Corps before, and found it a most interesting history topic.
The characters are each far from perfect, often making foolish decisions in a way that makes them authentic and human. The story has just enough twists and turns to keep you reading until the end, although, I did feel like the ending had a little less impact than I would have liked. It wasn’t that the ending wasn’t right, but it seemed to fall short, leaving me hanging a bit.
Although Ever Faithful is part of a series, each book is independent with unique characters, so you don’t have to read the others to appreciate each book. The common theme is that each takes place in a National Park. Hopefully, Karen Barnett will continue the series to include parks on the Eastern side of the U.S. so I can read about parks I’ve visited. If you’ve visited Yellowstone, you definitely need to read this so you can fully appreciate the story.
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Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher.