in Hurricane Helene, What I'm reading 785 Words

The Weight of Snow and Regret, by Elizabeth Gauffreau

I planned to write one of my #OnThisDay history blog posts today about the Treaty of 1818, which established the 49th parallel as the Canada-United States border from the Great Lakes, west. However, I couldn’t get very excited about that topic.

I’m sure it was a big deal in 1818, during President James Monroe’s first term in office, and I’m sure it meant a lot to the people in the border states and provinces in the two countries. I just couldn’t come up with much to say about it.

I’ll just say, “I think I can speak for all Americans when I say, ‘We love you, Canada.’”

With that said, I will jump into what I am excited to write about today: a book I finished reading Friday night.

The Weight of Snow and Regret, by Elizabeth Gauffreau

If you regularly read my blog, you know I used to blog the first Monday of each month about the books I read the previous month. Some months I read so many books, it took two posts to write about all of them.

Then, January 2025 came along. I read The Frozen River, by Ariel Lawhon, in January, but then I hit a dry spell. I became so distracted by politics that I found it impossible to find a novel that I could concentrate on long enough to get interested, much less finish reading.

Then came October, and the release of The Weight of Snow and Regret, by Elizabeth Gauffreau. Historical fiction is my “go to” genre for reading and writing, and I had yearned all year for another book that would grab me like Ariel Lawhon’s book.

Photo of the front cover of The Weight of Snow and Regret, by Elizabeth Gauffreau
The Weight of Snow and Regret, by Elizabeth Gauffreau

The Weight of Snow and Regret is written in a way that would not let me go. Ms. Gauffreau was inspired to write the book after learning about the Sheldon Poor Farm in Vermont, which closed in 1968.

The book is expertly researched, which made it possible for the talented writer that Ms. Gauffreau is to infuse every scene with a level of authenticity that puts the reader in the story.

Each resident at Sheldon has a distinct personality and way of speaking that makes them easy to remember and tell apart.

The main character, Hazel, is matron at the Sheldon Poor Farm. Her husband runs the farm. The reader can’t help but be drawn to Hazel as she has the overwhelming job of cooking, cleaning, and in all ways caring for the residents of this very real poor farm. She has a heart for the job, and as her backstory is revealed the reader learns why she is the way she is.

Every time I thought I could close the book, I found myself plunging into the next chapter to see what was going to happen next. Every time I thought life couldn’t get more difficult for Hazel… it got more difficult. Somehow, Hazel kept her sense of humor, and that comes through in the book.

This novel is set in the 1920s, 1940s, and 1960s. I usually don’t enjoy novels that move back and forth between decades, but Ms. Gauffreau pulled this off masterfully. I think it was the perfect way for this story to be told.

The characters in The Weight of Snow and Regret will stay with me for a long time. It’s that kind of story.

There were “poor houses” when I was a child for people who were too poor to live anywhere else and had no relatives willing to take them into their homes. This novel made me stop and wonder where those people go now. I guess they are the people who live under bridges on the streets and highways in the cities.

If you like to read historical fiction, I highly recommend The Weight of Snow and Regret, by Elizabeth Gauffreau.

Hurricane Helene Update

As of Friday, 33 roads in North Carolina were still closed due to the September 26, 2024, Hurricane Helene. That count included five US highways, two state highways, and 26 state roads, meaning two state roads opened since my last blog update two weeks ago.

Of course, sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina will remain closed for another year or more, and I-40 at the Tennessee line will continue to be just two lanes at 35 miles-per-hour for a couple more years while five miles of the highway are being rebuilt in the Pigeon River Gorge.

But western North Carolina is open for business and tourists this fall. Just be aware that you might run into a detour, and you can’t drive the full length of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Janet

16 thoughts on “The Weight of Snow and Regret, by Elizabeth Gauffreau”

  1. This is the second review I have read on this intriguing story. I have been wondering how western NC was doing. Some day the government will reopen and we can return to our national parks. Hopefully, this will be a week for fall 🍁 miracles. 🙏

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Yes, things are better here in the mountains. In some areas one would never know Helene made a visit to our town, but if you look into the forest areas you can see the masses of fallen trees. Just this past week, where trees had fallen and some were leaning towards the road, crews were working to remove them.

    Just walking in my area I can see the same kind of damage. I’m sure some will fall this winter.

    By the way, following your book review, I have added it to my read list. Historical fiction is my go to for most reads.

    Thanks for sharing your blog. Have a wonderful week!

    Like

  3. I had expected to get back to the mountains this fall but that’s just not going to happen now that my sister has surgery scheduled in three weeks. At least we got our trip early this summer. The Eastern Band Cherokee Indians and other groups have mobilized to try to keep some of the park facilities open. The timing of the shutdown couldn’t have been worse for the visitor facilities along the Blue Ridge Parkway and in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The pictures I’m seeing on Facebook look spectacular as some areas were at peak last week and the Boone area is probably at peak this week.

    Liked by 1 person

  5. I appreciate your first-hand report from you part of the mountains. It’s heart-breaking to thinks of the massive tree damage. So many of the ones left standing are, no doubt, damaged to the point that they will never regain full health status. That’s what we saw here after Hurricane Hugo. The woods on my cousin’s land behind our house still show the damage from Hugo in 1989 and our poplar, oak, and hickory treetops were so damaged then that they still show the scars.

    I hope you will enjoy The Weight of Snow and Regret. It’s not a happy story, but it well-written and will really pull you in.

    I hope you have a good week, too, enjoying this spectacular weather!

    Like

  6. Tonight I’m horrified at the photos of the demolition of the East Wing of the White House! Horrified! He has accomplished what the terrorists were prevented from doing on September 11th.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Great, Vicki! The Frozen River, by Ariel Lawhon, was so off-the-charts-good, it ruined me for finding another book to read for a while. (Well, that and the political distractions which have driven me to distraction!) I follow Liz Gauffreau’s blog and was delighted when I felt like I could give her new book a resounding endorsement. Now, you’ll have two good books to read while you recover from your encounter with that nasty tick. I wish you well and quick recovery and no lasting symptoms. Glad I’ve brought two historical novels to your attention.

    Liked by 1 person

  11. I couldn’t believe it either. The MAGA folks seem to be silent about it. I’m horrified by it. Not to mention to AI-generated video of King Donald dropping $*@T! on American demonstrators.

    Liked by 1 person

  12. You’re welcome, Liz. I didn’t want to wait until the first Monday in November to blog about your book. I heard from author Vicki Lane tonight saying she is going to get it!

    Liked by 1 person

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