Historical Novel Inspired by Historical Crestmont Inn

Crestmont
by Holly Weiss

Historical Fiction ISBN 978-1-935188-10-0
StarPublish LLC



Plot synopsis

“A dream, after all, needn’t be fueled by particulars, only by desire.”

So notes main character, Gracie Antes, in CRESTMONT, a historical fiction gem set in the 1920s.

Determined to take control of her life, sheltered Gracie Antes leaves her unhappy home in 1925 to pursue her dream of a singing career. On her way to the big city, she accepts a job as a housemaid at the bustling Crestmont Inn. Once there, Gracie finds a life-changing encounter with opera singer Rosa Ponselle, family she never imagined could be hers, and a man with a mysterious past. Relive the 1920s with a colorful cast of characters. Discover with Gracie that sometimes we must trade loss for happiness.

Set in Eagles Mere, Pennsylvania, the story is interwoven with details about the town, the rich history of The Crestmont Inn, and the family who passed ownership from one generation to the next. Many attempts have been made to explain how the mountaintop lake nestled in this tiny town came to be. Crestmont gives a new twist to an old Native American legend, setting the tone of grace around which the story is built.

Let the period of the Roaring Twenties spark your interest with its unique social mores, fashion, jazz, and yes, a little bootlegging thrown in for pizzazz.

Review



Reviewed by Holly Connors for Feathered Quill Book Reviews

“Have you ever wished for a comfy, old-fashioned inn where the staff attends to your every need, there’s a nearby lake where eagles soar, and each night there’s a fabulous home cooked meal waiting for you? That special place is within the pages of Crestmont, the debut novel of Holly Weiss.

In the Author’s Note, Weiss acknowledges that she was inspired to write this book after staying at the real Crestmont Inn in 2006. Many of the characters are based on real people, although their “…characterizations…are wholly the author’s creation.”

With extensive attention to detail, the author creates a beautifully realistic world of the hustle and bustle at a busy inn in the 1920s. There is plenty within the pages of Crestmont to keep the reader interested. Indeed, by the end of the book, Gracie, Mrs. Cunningham, PT and the others are like family members and the reader will want to see what happens to each. Crestmont is a study of relationships...it’s a story of intersecting lives.

Quill says: "Reading Crestmont is like staying at a quaint old inn, curling up next to the fireplace with a cup of hot chocolate and an old friend and catching up on the day’s events.”
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