Indie Spotlight is my effort to help Indie authors with marketing. You can help too by sharing this post far and wide. Below is my review of The Weight of Snow and Regret by Elizabeth Gauffreau. I reviewed it for Historical Novels Review, the magazine of The Historical Novel Society. This is one of those books that is so well written it makes me feel as if I can’t do it justice, but my effort is below.
BOOK REVIEW
Louisiana, June 1967. Claire is working for her husband Roland’s furniture business. She has a good home and a daughter, but this is about to change. She suddenly begins to hear music which draws her inexplicably to its source, a bar where white people don’t generally go and where a musician works his magic. Before the summer is over, she will have walked away from her husband and daughter to follow the music, and by the dawn of 1968, she is sent to the Sheldon Poor Farm in Vermont.
Vermont, 1927. After her father dies, Hazel, her mother, and her brother end up at the Sheldon Poor Farm, which houses the elderly, mentally ill, and others in need. Before long, Hazel has faced more death, is alone, and is sent away to work. But then she meets her husband, Paul, and years later, desperate for jobs, Hazel and Paul are hired to manage the Sheldon Poor Farm.
This masterfully written, heartbreaking story begins with Claire’s arrival at the poor farm, describes the “Summer of Love” in 1967 when she ends up “crossing the line,” looks back to 1927 and beyond with Hazel, and ends with the closure of Vermont’s last poor farm in 1968.
The personalities of the Sheldon Poor Farm residents are so vividly painted that I could see and hear them as clearly as if they were in the room with me. They and the caretakers are the essence of the poor farm at the end of its “life,” for the farm’s closure is like a death. Claire’s journey is one of inexplicable choices, loss, and regret, but closes with some hope. Hazel’s story is layered and richly woven, and through her we see the literal meaning of the title, The Weight of Snow and Regret. Highly recommended.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Elizabeth Gauffreau writes fiction and poetry with a strong connection to family and place. Her work has been widely published in literary magazines, as well as several themed anthologies. Her short story “Henrietta’s Saving Grace” was awarded the 2022 Ben Nyberg prize for fiction by Choeofpleirn Press.
Liz has published a novel, TELLING SONNY: THE STORY OF A GIRL WHO LOVED THE VAUDEVILLE SHOW, and two photopoetry collections: GRIEF SONGS: POEMS OF LOVE & REMEMBRANCE and SIMPLE PLEASURES:HAIKU FROM THE PLACE JUST RIGHT. Her second novel, THE WEIGHT OF SNOW AND REGRET, based on the closing of the last poor farm in Vermont in 1968, was published on October 1, 2025.
Liz’s professional background is in nontraditional higher education, including academic advising, classroom and online teaching, curriculum development, and program administration. She received the Granite State College Distinguished Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2018.
Liz lives in Nottingham, New Hampshire, with her husband.
PURCHASE LINKS
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple Books | Google | Kobo
BEFORE YOU GO
**If you read the book, please be sure and leave a review on Amazon and other sites where you review books.. This is so important for authors because Amazon will promote books based on the number of reviews they have. The review does not have to be a masterpiece. Just a sentence or two about how the book made you feel will be perfect and will make the author’s day.
What a wonderful review, Bonnie! I couldn’t wait to read the book, and I agree that it was masterfully and beautifully written with such intense and endearing characters that you never forget. Such a great story, Elizabeth! I highly recommend it, too! xo
I agree about the writing and the characters! Their voices were so very clear in the book. I could see them all vividly. So well done.
Thank you very much, Gail! I’m so you enjoyed the book.
Thanks for giving our mutual friend such a great review!
It was a pleasure! Such a well-written book!
👍😊
Thank you very much for your support, GP!
It’s wonderful that you posted your great review of Liz’s fascinating book, Bonnie.
Thanks. A master class in writing.
Thank you for your support, Tim!
I especially appreciated Liz’s author notes at the end.
I agree, and the research was so well done!
Thank you, Joy.
I completely agree with your review of this amazing book. I just finished it and now have a book hangover. (I am unable to pick up another book right now, this only happens if the book I finished is exceptional)
Book hangover! I love that description. I had a review hangover, as I couldn’t find sufficient words to describe this book.
Thank you very much, Darlene! (Sorry about the hangover.)
[…] participated in Top Ten Tuesday, and today I posted a review of The Weight of Snow and Regret by Elizabeth Gauffreau. Check out Liz’s wonderful book at the link above. It was a 5-star read […]
Thank you very much for the review and the spotlight, Bonnie! I’m so glad you enjoyed Claire’s and Hazel’s stories.
I enjoyed all of the characters’ stories, and I’m amazed at the way you made so many unique voices and personalities come alive.
Thank you, Bonnie! I ended up thinking of the characters as real people by the end.
I absolutely loved this book. Brilliant review, Bonnie. 💖📚
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