Auraria: A Novel [Paperback]

Tim Westover (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 3, 2012

Water spirits, moon maidens, haunted pianos, headless revenants, and an invincible terrapin that lives under the mountains. None of these distract James Holtzclaw from his employer's mission: to turn the fading gold-rush town of Auraria, GA, into a first-class resort and drown its fortunes below a man-made lake. But when Auraria's peculiar people and problematic ghosts collide with his own rival ambitions, Holtzclaw must decide what he will save and what will be washed away.

Taking its inspiration from a real Georgia ghost town, Auraria is steeped in the folklore of the Southern Appalachians, where the tensions of natural, supernatural and artificial are still alive.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred review. This baroque alternate history reimagines the town where America’s first gold rush started, weaving tall tales and legends, Carrollian surrealism, and a fascinating cast of characters into a genuinely inventive novel that reads like steampunk via Mark Twain. Auraria, Ga., was the site of a gold strike that presaged the California gold rush by 20 years and was the original cause of the Cherokees’ forced exodus along the Trail of Tears. Westover describes it as a town of spirits and portents, populated by piano-playing ghosts, potatoes that bite back with “starchy fangs,” and snowball hens that lay ice cream eggs. The valley proves more than a match for the speculator Shadburn and his lieutenant, Holtzclaw, whose plan to create a lakefront resort falls victim to the lust for gold. Meanwhile, Cherokee princess Trahlyta is determined to rid her domain of the alluring but useless metal. Fact and fancy are intertwined cleverly and seamlessly in a top-notch, thoroughly American fantasy.

Review

"Fact and fancy are intertwined cleverly and seamlessly in a top-notch, thoroughly American fantasy." -Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Envision Lewis Carroll on a romp through the mountains of Georgia, discovering a land of shimmery mystery and spirits, humble monsters, quirky characters, singing trees and vengeful fish. The best part is that Tim Westover can really write." -Josephine Humphreys, Hemingway/PEN Award Winner, author of Rich in Love

"Mr. Westover brings my beloved Georgia to life, complete with spells, haints, and moon maidens. Not since Wendell Berry has an author woven such a beautifully intricate southern community." -Ann Hite, author of Ghost On Black Mountain

"For those who like Georgia-based folklore and history, this is an enlightening read and may encourage you to learn more about the actual accounts that inspired this novel." -Gainesville (GA) Times

Product Details

• Paperback: 386 pages
• Publisher: QW Publishers (March 3, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0984974806
• ISBN-13: 978-0984974801
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.8 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,622,741 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tim Westover, a graduate of Davidson College and the University of Georgia, lives in suburban Atlanta.

Westover is an established writer in the International Language Esperanto; his short story collection Marvirinistrato [Mermaid Street] (Literaturo.net) was published in 2009, and his stories appear in translation in the anthology Star in a Night Sky (Francis Boutle Publishers, UK).

Born in the north, educated in England, and frequent visitor to Russia, he found his home in the North Georgia mountains.

In addition to writing, Westover busies himself with programming, playing the clawhammer banjo, and raising his one-year-old daughter to be a modern American eccentric.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars For those who enjoy the strange, the wonderful, and the mysterious August 2, 2012

By K. Sozaeva TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Book Info: Genre: Magical Realism Reading Level: Adult

Disclosure: I received a free eGalley eBook edition of this text from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Synopsis: Water spirits, moon maidens, haunted pianos, headless revenants, and an invincible terrapin that lives under the mountains. None of these distract James Holtzclaw from his employer's mission: to turn the fading gold-rush town of Auraria, GA, into a first-class resort and drown its fortunes below a man-made lake. But when Auraria's peculiar people and problematic ghosts collide with his own rival ambitions, Holtzclaw must decide what he will save and what will be washed away.

Taking its inspiration from a real Georgia ghost town, "Auraria: is steeped in the folklore of the Southern Appalachians, where the tensions of natural, supernatural and artificial are still alive.

My Thoughts: I live in Georgia, but haven't really been into the north Georgia mountains. I was charmed by the fantastic happenings that Holtzclaw experiences in and around the community of Auraria. I've become interested in learning more about the lore and legends of this area as a result of reading this book. Since I have absolutely no knowledge, I can't comment on whether the creatures and ghosts used in the book are based upon real legends and lore, but the legends and such he uses/creates for this book are very fun.

I would be hard-pressed to choose a favorite among the many characters - living, dead, and supernatural - that people this excellent story.... The residents of Auraria are varied and eccentric, and watching Holtzclaw - the consummate city gentleman - as he tried to provide an "appropriate" reaction to the more-often-than-not crazy events around him was highly entertaining; I spent a great deal of time giggling while reading this story. It reminded me, in a lot of ways, of the old tall tales we used to read and hear when I was in grade school, such as Pecos Bill and the like.

The end of the book is devoted to an explanation of some of the real-life places and events that served as inspiration for this story, although it does not address the supernatural elements such as the plat-eye, the wonder fish, the moon maidens and the like, on which I plan to do some research when I can shave out the time. All in all, if you enjoy tall tales, legends, stories of the strange and wonderful, and the mysterious, you should enjoy this very engaging and enjoyable book. Highly recommended. Read more ›

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A magical tale filled with folklore and fantastic characters... July 20, 2012

By T. Sparks

Format:Paperback

They say "don't judge a book by its cover," and sometimes I agree with that and sometimes I don't. In the case of Auraria, however, I'm begging you to not judge it by the cover. When I was first asked to review Tim Westover's latest, I was left a little flat by its nondescript gray tones, and I couldn't imagine what this book was supposed to be about. But the story caught me completely off guard, and I'm here to tell you Auraria is a book worth reading, and I am recommending it without hesitation.

Filled with folktales and magical imagery, Auraria is the tale of two men, Shadburn and Holtzclaw, who try to turn the small, mountainous town of Auraria, Georgia into a world-class vacation resort. The first sentence of the book sets the tone for what's to come:

"Holtzclaw hadn't heard of Auraria until his employer sent him to destroy it."

Holtzclaw is given the task of buying up all the land parcels in Auraria so that his employer Shadburn can launch his plan. But when he arrives and starts getting to know the townsfolk, he discovers a wild and unpredictable place full of ghosts, singing trees, and moon maidens that bathe in the springs of Auraria in order to wash the gold off their skin. At first Holtzclaw is skeptical of the piano-playing ghosts and fish that jump out of the mist, but the longer he stays in Auraria, the more he becomes enchanted by the magical forces at play. Most of the land owners he approaches sell their property willingly enough after seeing the pile of money and gold coins Holtzclaw pulls out of his bag, and before long Shadburn joins Holtzclaw in Auraria to begin putting his plan into action: building a huge dam to stop the waters that flow throughout the town to create an immense lake, which will literally bury Auraria underwater....

The pace of the story is like a leisurely stroll down a mountain path. Westover takes his time painting a picture of the strange town, and his masterful descriptions of Auraria and its inhabitants evoke a folktale feeling. The themes of water and gold weave their way throughout the story. When Holtzclaw first arrives in town, he meets Princess Trahlyta, a mysterious girl who appears whenever Holtzclaw is near the water. She pops up again and again in the story and serves as a mentor and a muse for Holtzclaw as he becomes embroiled in the goings-on of the strange community. And Auraria, like its name, is full of gold, but only those who are lucky will ever find it in vast amounts. Flakes of gold, or "colors," are everywhere, and the residents of Auraria even wear hats that double as gold pans. But as the residents are told to move to higher ground before the lake rises, Shadburn reveals a darker purpose for flooding the valley: he wants to literally bury the gold underwater and recreate Auraria as something other than a gold town.

As Shadburn's vision is finally realized and people begin to flock to the newly built Queen of the Mountain hotel and Lake Trahlyta, the ill-built dam begins to crumble and the townsfolk's ever-increasing dreams of gold spark a frenzy of gold hunting that signals the end of Shadburn's dream. For the town of Auraria, and its gold, refuse to stay buried, and Princess Trahlyta is determined to put things back the way they were.

Westover's imagery is wonderful. When Holtzclaw goes to the cemetery to try to convince the ghosts to abandon their graves, he finds them unwilling to leave: "The dead clung to their coffins like survivors of a shipwreck." And at the Old Rock Falls tavern he meets Abigail, whose dusty bottles of spirits evoke a magical world: "At the bottom, sediment in suspension was swirled upwards by Abigail's handling then drifted downwards again like a lazy ghost."

Auraria contains far too many marvels to list here. I was reminded of both Lewis Carroll and Neil Gaiman, for both the playfully absurd characters and Westover's ability to make the reader fall in love with a town full of magic and ghosts, despite that absurdity. The author weaves a spell that will leave you believing in ghostly piano players and story-telling terrapins, all the way to the book's perfect and satisfying end.

Many thanks to QW Publishers, for supplying a review copy. Read more ›

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Good read! July 8, 2012

By Meg @ A Bookish Affair

Format:Paperback

This book was definitely different than I expected. It's sort of hard to categorize it. The story is definitely unique. I could see this story appealing to a wide variety of readers. As a historical fiction lover, I really liked the historical elements. The story takes place in the late 1800s. It was interesting to see what things were like then. There is also a really interesting fantasy element to it, mostly having to do with the characters, which I will get into later.

Auraria is in the middle of nowhere Georgia. It's not all that notable except for the people or rather beings that make their home there. I loved all of the different beings in this book. Westover does a great job with making them feel really real. That's definitely a talent! I love when authors are able to turn the fantastic into something familiar. It's sort of magical realism in a way. My favorite character was the Princess of the lake. She is just a really cool and very well written character.

The downside of this book to me really had to do with the main character, Holtzclaw. There is all of this fantastic stuff going on around him and he's just not that exciting on his own. He's definitely a good guy and is trying to do right by his employer, Shadburn, and by the people of the town but he struck me as a little bit flat. On the upside, he did help to make the more unique characters stand out a little bit more.

Bottom line: This book is great for those who like a little fantastic with their literary.