HEART OF GOLD is the latest installment in the Blessings
series from award-winning author, Beverly Jenkins. Zoey,
daughter of Roni and Reggie Garland is growing up and with
that comes growing pains. It's not always easy to know what
to do as an adolescent girl, beginning with whether to tell
what she knows about Crystal's disappearance.
As the story progresses, Zoey worries about her parents,
whether they will divorce and she will have to go back to
foster care, and tries to shrug off her worrisome former
best friend, Devon, especially after a new friend arrives in
town.
Henry Adams is experiencing growing pains too. The
supermarket opens and the not everyone is pleased,
particularly the neighbors of Franklin who resent Henry
Adam's success. Then there's Bernardine's divorced sister
who comes to town with growing pains of her own as she is
forced to come to terms with the changes in her life and
what they might mean for her future.
Jenkins serves up another heaping, feel-good plate of family
and friendship in this fifth book about a historical Black
town filled with people just like people you know and love—
or hate—and where, although susceptible to the pressures of
more urban environs, this fictional town always finds a way
to come together and to make things work for the betterment
of all. Would that we all could live in a place like Henry
Adams, a place with a proud history, wide-open, fresh-air
filled spaces, and full of bighearted, loving people who
look out for and support one another.
There's a wisdom that belies the town's matriarch, Bernadine
Brown, that after having read several of these Blessings
stories, one starts to suspect flows from deep within
Jenkins herself. The beauty of these novels, aside from the
history lessons and joie de vivre of the prose, is that like
any prosperous town, the Henry Adams story can go on
forever. Fortunately, in HEART OF GOLD, there's no sense of
an end in sight, and I, for one, certainly hope Ms. Jenkins
feels the same way.
NAACP nominee and bestselling author Beverly Jenkins returns
to the charming town of Henry Adams, Kansas—a place that
always feels like home—in this heartwarming story of family,
friendship, and the surprises hidden in our lives.
Henry Adams has had its fair share of drama ever since
Bernadine Brown bought the town with her divorce settlement.
Now just when things are starting to settle down, it’s about
to get crazy again . . .
Cephas Patterson doesn’t just want to be left alone—if you
dare step onto his property, he’ll meet you with a shotgun
and a warning to stay away from his gold. He reminds Zoey of
the lonely time she spent living on the streets, so she
quietly begins leaving him small offerings. But then Cephas
dies and leaves a saddlebag of gold—to Zoey.
And that’s not all. Zoey’s parents are going through a trial
separation, her former BFF Devon is giving her fits, and
friend Crystal has run away from home. Then there’s
Bernadine’s mean-spirited baby sister who has arrived
unexpectedly, and an ongoing battle with a neighboring town
is about to heat up.
Will Henry Adams ever be the same again?