#Bookreview of Halley's Gathering
By: William Overstreet
Publisher: WRp
Publication Date: March 11, 2025
ISBN: 979-8992216400
Reviewed by: Diana Coyle
Review Date: August 8, 2025
In the New Mexico Territory in the year 1910, we are introduced to an unlikely business owner named Julia Halley in Halley’s Gathering by William Overstreet. It isn’t every day you see a woman running a business by herself, but that doesn’t stop Julia. Running the Many Springs Canyon Trading Post, located on the Navajo Reservation, is how Julia makes the money she does to survive. She has a small circle of friends, which are both Anglo and Navajo, that remain close to each other and look out for one another. Will she be able to survive and thrive, along with her friends, during these changing times?
When readers open this novel, they are instantaneously transported to 1910 living the older way of life along with the characters that graced the pages throughout. Julia Halley wasn’t your average woman of the time. She lived by herself and owned and operated the Many Springs Canyon Trading Post as a means of financial support during the hard times everyone was experiencing at this time. As readers get to know Julia, they will immediately be in awe of her strength and courage for running a business by herself and managing her property. She is a strong character that readers will easily fall in love with and will find themselves rooting for her to push forward and thrive on her own. One thing to note was how William Overstreet led the readers along by supplying them with information, especially about Julia, in installments so you gradually get to know the characters as if you were getting to know a new friend. This was especially enjoyable considering this was an extremely lengthy novel. The details the author supplied to the readers were intentional and well delivered at just the right times throughout the book.
The cast of characters was an extensive one and Overstreet took his time in carving each one to be uniquely different from one another, while they also played a vital role in moving the story along. Readers will easily take a liking to some of the characters, like Julia, very early on because they feel like real people who you want to get to know personally. What is also worth mentioning about these characters was that even though they may not have gotten along with each other and drove each other crazy from time to time, each one depended on each other to help them through whatever obstacles they were facing at the time. Their loyalty, especially to Julia, was commendable to see throughout this detailed novel.
I loved how intricate this novel was in descriptions of not only the characters, but also the surrounding area the characters lived in from day to day. I felt like I was living in 1910 and felt and saw things directly through my eyes as if I were another character in the story. Overstreet supplied intricacies to every nuance of this engaging story that will engross his readers deeper and deeper into it.
Quill says: Halley’s Gathering by William Overstreet will capture the reader’s attention right from the very first page. If you’re looking for a detailed and captivating story that will entertain you from the first page to the very last, then look no further. Overstreet clearly has a winner with this one.
For more information about Halley's Gathering, please visit the author's website at: williamoverstreet.com
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