REVIEW: Ellen Found by Carla Kelly
Set in location of Old Faithful Inn, 1903-4. Working in a discouraging café, Ellen escapes an awful situation in rough and tumble Butte, Montana, and goes to work as second in command to a wary cook in the shell that will become Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone Park. She meets Charles Penrose, head carpenter on the massive project of Old Faithful Inn, which is being finished in a harsh Wyoming winter. Will it really open June 1, 1904? Can Ellen start to trust the other workers? What will she learn about the other employees? And Charles. He’s a widower with a young daughter there, too. Like Ellen, he wants more.
CW/TW – death of a pet, child in danger
Dear Ms. Kelly,
A friend of mine clued me into the fact that this novella had been published. As with most of your books, it has nice people being nice to each other and finding love and family. It’s also got cats, which is always a plus for me.
Nineteen year old Ellen Found (orphan and given her name because the nuns found her after the death of her mother in childbirth) has never had much and knows enough to not wish for more. Yet she takes a chance on a mangy cat who hisses and defends her then takes another chance when she applies for a job as a cook at the Old Faithful Inn which is now being built. She and Plato arrive and discover the beauty of the area, the dedicated crew bringing to life the vision of an architect, and a widowed father and his daughter.
As the work continues up to and into the harsh winter, those there form a family who notice each other and care for each other. Ellen, who has never expected anything from life, is a hard worker who immediately begins to arrange things nicely. Slowly two men begin to notice her while she takes a shine to Charles Penrose and his daughter. Does Charles have the guts to finally tell her his feelings?
With so many descriptions of the interior and the building of the inn, of course I had to check out images online. I’m not sure who the actual carpenters were but I like the idea that Charles led them and Ellen helped cook for everyone. Charles is a man just getting past his grief at the loss of his wife and I appreciate that theirs was a good marriage. Ellen knew she wanted more than life working for a horrible boss in a greasy spoon restaurant and she went for it – and brought her cat. There is a scene of life threatening danger and I cried for about the next thirty pages.
These are hardworking, working class characters who believe in doing things right. They take pride in what they do and in doing a good job. The romances however are very understated and yes, there are two. I would have appreciated just a bit more from the main one but it’s a sweet novella which left me with a smile. B
~Jayne
AmazonBNKoboBook DepositoryGoogle
This does sound appealing, Jayne, and I’m definitely a fan of the Carla Kelly books and novellas I’ve read. Thank you!
@Kareni: I think Kelly is one of the rare authors who can successfully write both full length books and novellas.