Fool's Gold

The Skinners of Goldfield #1

by Stephen Bly

Book by Bly, Stephen

Genres: Westerns, Christian, Christian Fiction

264 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Stephen Bly (August 17, 1944 - June 9, 2011) authored 100 books and hundreds of articles. His book, THE LONG TRAIL HOME, (Broadman & Holman), won the prestigious 2002 CHRISTY AWARD for excellence in Christian fiction in the category western novel. Three other books, PICTURE ROCK (Crossway Books), THE OUTLAW'S TWIN SISTER (Crossway Books), and LAST OF THE TEXAS CAMP (Broadman & Holman), were Christy Award finalists. He spoke at colleges, churches, camps and conferences across the U.S. and Canada. He was the pastor of Winchester Community Church, and served as mayor of Winchester, Idaho (2000-2007). He spoke on numerous television and radio programs, including Dr. James Dobson's Focus on the Family. He was an Active Member of the Western Writers of America. Steve graduated summa cum laude in Philosophy from Fresno State University and received a M.Div from Fuller Theological Seminary. The Blys have three sons: Russell (married to Lois) and father of Zachary and Miranda (married to Chris Ross) and mother of Alayah, Michael (married to Michelle), and Aaron (married to Rina Joye) and father of Keaton and Deckard. A third generation westerner, Steve spent his early years working on ranches and farms.

Reviews

[Rebekah Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was such a delightful, refreshing read! After reading several modern “Christian” writers who toss in God and maybe a Bible verse, perhaps a prayer and call it good, I was ready for something different. And this story had it. Though there may not have been any Bible verses quoted, or going to church (the entire book takes place in three days and nights!), the characters lived a Christian life. There was a lot of prayer in a normal everyday, “what do I do about this situation?” or “what do You want us to do now?” It was wonderful to read a story where the characters lived right.

And the characters! Oh, the characters.
O.T. Skinner just does what he has to do to help his family. And since he doesn’t have any money, and isn’t interested in any gold, the folks in Goldfield don’t know what to think of him.
Dola Skinner is the kind of woman you’d want for a neighbor. She doesn’t think twice about helping those in need, even if one woman carries a shotgun and another person is a black man. She also isn’t afraid to speak her mind and tell some rough man his mama probably taught him better than that! (They all admitted she was right.)
Rita Ann, the twelve-year-old who quotes Shakespeare, and yet thinks it nasty when her parents kiss – “You did that yesterday!”
Corrie Lou can make friends with anyone even a crusty old woman who is afraid of claim jumpers.
Tommy-Blue, the little fellow who digs holes with a new friend and pretends they’ve found a huge gold strike
And little Punky.
That’s just the start of the delightful and otherwise characters. Each was lively, real, and added their own touch of humor, excitement, or tenderness to the story.

I’m eager to read the next book in this series and continue to find out what happens to the Skinner family in their “just for a day or two” stop in Goldfield.

This book was clean, though there were mentions of drinking (it’s out west!), a “red light” district, and a few sweet kisses.

[Amanda Tero · Rating 4 out of 5]

This gets a ten on the humor. There were several times I laughed out loud because of the play of words or dialogue.

As for writing style, it’s been a very long time since I’ve read omniscient POV, but Stephen Bly did a smooth job of it to where it didn’t feel like head-hopping. It mainly follows O.T. and Dola, the parents, but occasionally you get one of the children’s POV.

Because this was older style, I definitely read it without the expectations of a modern writer. A ton happened in—what—three days? It definitely wasn’t realistic plot-wise and some of the adult characters seemed dumbed down, but at the same time it did have an authentic western feel (not just TV western).

The style seems family-friendly. Because the MCs are more naive family folk, when the husband wandered into a “bad part” of town looking for someone, the whole situation was dealt with in a decent fashion. There were details enough but not explicit and it totally didn’t make me feel soiled.

The Christian content was very interestingly woven in. The main characters were Christian, so there was an ongoing conversational thread of Christian duty, trusting Jesus, and so on. Basically, the characters were solid Christians, even if they didn’t up and out have that “moment of deep conversation.” It gives a solid glimpse of what life would be like if we really did live our lives to serve others in God’s Name. In that way, it had a more solid and impactful spiritual theme than most Christian fiction I’ve read lately.

So, while this isn’t in style that I regularly read, I actually did enjoy this a lot more than I thought I would.

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man vs desert

Orion Skinner & his family have fallen on hard times. On their way to California they get stuck in Goldfield & in just two days settle a ten year old feud, get free water to the city, find gold, and are offered jobs. Looks like they might stay a while. Stephen Bly knows how to pull a storyline together

[A Busscher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alright breezy book that every thing works out in the end. It was a bit corny sometimes, but good for tweens to read, and clean. It reminded me of Little House on the Prarire and happy parents, no fighting, everything is just perfect albeit times are tough but we still love each other.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This western novel, set in 1905 Goldfield,NV, was a good family, Christian read. The Skinner parents, O.T. and Dola, were sometimes a little too kind to be true. Overall though, the story presented an interesting look at family life during hard times. The friends they made in Goldfield were also sometimes strange characters. I would recommend this book for people looking for a story safe for the whole family to read.

[Jess Trebanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book (well, the whole series, actually) will make you eternally grateful for what you have, even if what you have isn't much. The family in this book is so poor they make dirt look rich, yet they continually praise God for the blessings they have. Very humbling to read. At the same time, Bly's humor infuses the books so completely that you aren't left feeling like you're being beaten over the head with a spiritual lesson. Love the series.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This trilogy is about the determined Skinner family. Can O.T. and Dola find a good place to raise their spunky and precocious four children in a Godly way in the deserts of Nevada?

[Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit slow, but loved the attitude the Skinners had toward people, loving them with the love of Jesus and wanting to help if at all possible. Interesting characters and unexpected events.

[Carolyn Vandine West]

Such a funny series. I love this time period, Christian and fun to boot a great series. Read them all