The Fountain starts in a somber mood: William “Bill” stands before his wife’s tombstone. Next to him are his siblings, Paul and Annie. Bill is 81 at the start of the story, and he becomes intrigued when a man talks about time traveling and returning younger. Sensing an opportunity for a last adventure, Bill convinces his siblings to embark on a journey with him to La Fuente in Baja, somewhere in the Sierra de Laguna Mountains. Somehow, he wants to confirm that the story of the Fountain of Youth is real before he joins his wife, Alice.
Diving Into The Fountain
While it takes courage to take a plunge into the unknown, our heroes technically have nothing more to lose in the present time. Bill has just lost his wife, Paul is dying of lung cancer, and Annie lost her legs in an accident when she was younger. Since they have no more ties or a job to do, Bill drags all 3 of them to La Fuente. To their amazement, the pool that a dying man described turns out to be real, and they have little time to decide what to do.
So, like all good adventurers, they jumped into the pool, or The Fountain of Youth. Bill is well prepared, because he wants to believe that the story is real and he might end up in a different year when the pool spits him out. Before this journey, Bill has things like currency (gold is always a good idea) and a gun for protection. However, nothing prepares them for the change in scenery that comes later.
Setting Up A New Life
Like all of John Heldt’s time traveling series, the characters are resourceful. They have to be, because their survival depends on it. As Bill, Paul and Annie experiences the beauty and wonder of a new lease on life. The knowledge of something bad that will happen always looms close, because Bill knows about a major catastrophe that happens in 1905. Paul is happy that he gets to redo his life, but is struggling with his own demons. Annie is happy to have her legs back in working order, so she’s busy having a life. Bill, though, finds an unlikely friendship in teacher Cassandra Lee.
Bill manages to find a job as an educational evaluator in Oakland Prep, while Paul and Annie return to become students in the school. I am not sure if they found the material boring, but I am jealous of their social life. There are so many new possibilities in the story, especially because the author has painted a bleak history beforehand; it makes me want to see them happy in their redo.
Verdict
The Fountain
Author: John Heldt
Genre: Time Traveling/ romance/ sibling
Series: Second Chance 1
The book is a 2nd chance for the Carpenter siblings and how they are using it. As usual, I thoroughly enjoyed the ups and downs of the journey with Bill, Paul, and Annie. I miss the recklessness of children, who sometimes have trouble holding their tongues, like The Lanes and The Carsons, but overall it has its own charm. I hope you will find the book as interesting as I did.
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