Customer Reviews

The Mine with the Iron Door: A Romance, The (The Collected Works of Harold Bell Wright - 18 Volumes)

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Hugh Edwards, a non-western type, wanders into in a rural Arizona mining community. The principle characters of the mining community are Thad and Bob - both friendly old-timers who have an adopted young woman they've raised since early childhood named Marta. In addition, the friendly Saint Jimmy (the doctor) and his mother live in the area.

Hugh quickly learns to be independent and makes a life for himself mining for gold. However, he is smitten with love for Marta (and she for him). However, Marta is ashamed to admit the love because she doesn't know her true heritage. Hugh also has a shadowy past that he is running from. Their love is made obvious when Natachee (a lone wolf Indian in the area who has a grudge against white people) forces Hugh to be his slave after earning of Hugh's past. Also, other unsavory characters kidnap Marta after realizing that her parents are a source of money and Hugh must come to her rescue.

Harold Bell Wright writes a traditional western tale. The book is a bit deeper than that, though. Wright illustrates that the greed that causes people to search for the lost "Mine with the Iron Door" (a mine that is rumored to hold much gold) is the same that caused the destruction of the Indian and the western frontier. Natachee's enlightening lectures makes the reader aware of what the Indians went through. Fans of Wright won't be disappointed by this story, however the ending was a bit goofy or me.

-etg