Sandra Picklesimer Aldrich

Zetta's Dream takes readers back to 1922, pulling them into the life of a coal camp. Along with the hardships there are also the hopes and dreams of the characters that become so real that you feel like they might of actually lived the life that Ms. Aldrich allows us a peek into!

Zetta Berghoffer is a 22 year old mother of two and expecting another baby living on a Kentucky farm. Her husband Asa along with two of Zetta's brother's have decided to go off to work in the coal mines. Asa wants to go in order to earn four hundred dollars so that he can pay off the family farm and provide a better life for his family. Zetta follows along with her two young children and begins life in the coal camp, and while she knows they will only be there three months her only wish is to go back home, and soon nightmares start plaguing her, providing a dark omen of what might happen if they don't leave the coal camp right away. Asa won't leave though and as each day brings them closer to home, one can't help but wonder if Zetta's worries were for nothing.

Zetta's Dream is a story that grabs hold of the heart and wont let go, even after I finished the final page I found myself continuing to think about the character of Zetta and how her life might be. To say that she was a strong character is an understatement. Even though she is 22 she seems so much older than that, perhaps because of the hardships of life, but really I felt like it was just an inner strength that the author so realistically captured of what being a wife and mother really is! Ms. Aldrich paints such a vivid picture of Zetta's home and family that I could almost smell the cornbread cooking, and could just imagine the grittiness of the coal dust in the air! Plenty of secondary characters shine in this story such as the granny woman Claire, who will deliver Zetta's baby, to Dosha and her husband, each character brings their own special voice to the story. My favorite secondary character had to be Julia. In the beginning I found myself disliking her, but as the author allowed me true access to her I found my heart breaking for her, because it seemed that she found something in Zetta that no one else had offered her.

I have always been fascinated by coal camp stories and Zetta's Dream certainly gave me that, even touching briefly on the union movement, but more than that I found myself on an emotional roller coaster ride wondering what might happen to Zetta's family. Hoping right along with Zetta for the best. A story that grabbed me by the heart and wouldn't let go! Easily one of the best books I have read this year!… (altro)