UNDER A GUILDED MOON, by Jay Jordan Lake

   

Historical Fiction -- 3 stars

Set in the late 1800s, this fictional story uses the final stages of the completion of the famous Biltmore Estate in North Carolina as background for a rich vs. poor tale.  A reporter, traveling on the train with Biltmore's wealthy first visitors, is murdered at the station.  Also among the travelers that day are an Italian tradesman and his young brother hoping for work at the estate, along with several local residents who are fighting to keep their Appalachian homes out of the hands of George Vanderbilt.  Who among the travelers had a reason to keep the reporter from exposing their secrets? ----- I was attracted to this book because of my personal fascination with the Biltmore Estate.  There are some details of the house, but it really is just background.  This is a simple story of poor but proud Appalachian mountain people fighting to keep their dignity among the prejudice and unimaginable entitlement of those possessing incomprehensible wealth.  Even the murder that begins the novel gets swept aside for much of the story. The historic characters are written true to their legitimate selves, while the fictional characters are interesting if not particularly original.  An attempt at an upstairs/downstairs romance is an odd lapse in the author's story telling judgement that I found jarringly out of step with the rest of the theme. The ending provides a final, stark jab at the rich vs. poor motif.  An enjoyable, if not groundbreaking story.