Rating: 
Summary: Sequel??
Review: I really enjoy Robert Morgan's work. But I read The Truest Pleasure first. I was very disappointed that they skipped over a lot in this second book. Don't read this if you haven't read either book... When did Jewel die? This really bothered me. Also when did U.G. become Muir and Moody's cousin- Florrie's son, did she adopt U.G. when he was older? This is the only thing that would make sense since U.G. was older than Muir. The last we knew, Ginny was the only one who had children, at least according to the first book. There was a huge gap in between books, that didn't explain enough. However, I did like how they brought the characters from Gap Creek into this book. Hank and his wife and Annie their daughter who now Muir likes... but it didn't really finish their story (Muir and Annie).
Rating: 
Summary: Strong story by the author of Gap Creek
Review: I should confess right off that Robert Morgan is one of my favorite writers, with an authentic voice and the honesty to write unflinchingly about people living hard lives, struggling to survive. After reading Gap Creek, the story of a young southern woman struggling in a difficult marriage,I knew I'd buy anything else Morgan wrote. I'm happy to say this story of two brothers locked in a sibling rivalry, while far different from the plot of Gap Creek, doesn't disappoint. Muir and Moody Powell have been at odds nearly since birth. One is ambitious and hard-working and the other is drawn to trouble, gambling and drinking. Don't let my simple sketch of the bare outline of this book keep you from reading it. I assure you that Morgan's honest, unflinching writing and ability to make the lives of these southern men come alive will pull you into this book. A powerful book from a writer at the top of his form!
Rating:
Summary: An Uplifting Spiritual Experience
Review: I was on vacation in South and North Carolina and stopped to get a book on audiotape to listen to in the car. Someone at the store recommended this book and it was just wonderful. If you like stories that carry you into another time and another place you will love this book. It is mostly about the struggle between "Baptist Discipline" and the loving grace of God, a struggle I have been fighting all of my life. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: An Uplifting Spiritual Experience
Review: I was on vacation in South and North Carolina and stopped to get a book on audiotape to listen to in the car. Someone at the store recommended this book and it was just wonderful. If you like stories that carry you into another time and another place you will love this book. It is mostly about the struggle between "Baptist Discipline" and the loving grace of God, a struggle I have been fighting all of my life. I highly recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: What was the point?
Review: My book group picked This Rock in anticipation of a wonderful yet desperate story of a mountain family who struggles through hard times to have truth revealed to them; instead we found a book that seemed to have no real truth, or even direction, at all. The main character drops goal after goal while the rest of the family does what it can either to hinder him or support him. Most events that occur never come to have bearing on the story, leaving you to wonder why they were placed in the novel. When the novel finally takes on some direction and the main character seems to be getting it together (the last 25 pages or so), the end throws such a curve that you wonder if maybe Morgan was afraid he might be making too much sense in the end, and he had to stop it! Add to this the sometimes unrealistic dialog (characters explaining happenings as though they are scripted) and the ever-present "bits of wisdom" that are thrown in when the story itself should infer the wisdom that the writer wants to convey, and the book leaves a great deal of dissatisfaction.
Rating: 
Summary: vivid and poignant tale...............
Review: Robert Morgan recreates the tough life of the 1920's in the Carolina mountains. This is a tale of two brothers searching for the meaning and purpose in their lives. One brother Muir tries many different things, from preaching, to hunting, to building. Moody the older brother appears to be a callous, uncaring young man with a penchant for alcohol and trouble. Their mother attempts to let them lead their own lives but the clashes that are the result are heartbreaking for her. This is a great story of family and faith. Robert Morgan delivers the unique dialogue that breathes life into this tale of a poor mountain family. A delightful surprise is the appearance the main characters from his novel Gap Creek, which brings the feeling of familiarity to the story for those who have had the pleasure of reading that novel. Robert Morgan is a gifted Southern writer who spins a vivid and poignant narration of life for Ginny and her sons, Moody and Muir.
Rating:
Summary: vivid and poignant tale...............
Review: Robert Morgan recreates the tough life of the 1920's in the Carolina mountains. This is a tale of two brothers searching for the meaning and purpose in their lives. One brother Muir tries many different things, from preaching, to hunting, to building. Moody the older brother appears to be a callous, uncaring young man with a penchant for alcohol and trouble. Their mother attempts to let them lead their own lives but the clashes that are the result are heartbreaking for her. This is a great story of family and faith. Robert Morgan delivers the unique dialogue that breathes life into this tale of a poor mountain family. A delightful surprise is the appearance the main characters from his novel Gap Creek, which brings the feeling of familiarity to the story for those who have had the pleasure of reading that novel. Robert Morgan is a gifted Southern writer who spins a vivid and poignant narration of life for Ginny and her sons, Moody and Muir.
Rating:
Summary: A hard life in the outback of the South.
Review: This fascinating story is my introduction to Robert Morgan, a New York Times Bestseller, writer of six earlier novels, lots and lots of poetry and even a textbook on poetry. The first half follows the disparity between the two young brothers, so different and yet so much alike, and all the despair of growing up poor in the 1920's. Mainly, though, it is the account of the younger, Muir who breaks out of the farmlife of rural North Carolina. "For once in my life, I was going to do what I wanted, what I had to do." On his trek northward, he drives his model T through the Cumberland Gap from Tennessee to Kentucky and ponders on the Civil War battle there where his Confederate grandfather died. He uses poetry to describe his feelings of "driving through history to the future." However, he's not sophisticated enough to endure the harshness of the weather and the Northerners. He is the son with the conscience, so he returns the car and takes the train on another adventure. A year after his experiences on the Tar River, he sets out to work on his major project, which turned into a memorial for his brother Moody. A mountaintop feels closer to Heaven, just as I felt the first time I went to Oneida, TN. Morgan is poetical in his descriptions of the wonders along the way, but I wish he knew grammar a little better. He is a good storyteller and teaches life's lessons well. This volume is worth reading, even if you do cry at the ending.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing but worth reading
Review: THIS ROCK was my first encounter with Robert Morgan. I had heard many great things about GAP CREEK so my book club decided THIS ROCK would be a great book for our next selection. Unfortunately not many of us enjoyed it. The main character is a farm boy named Muir. He has led a rough life with a bully for an older brother. His mother plays a significant role in his decision makings. He is beyond confused about what he wants to do with his life. Yet he makes many decision throughout the book to escape everyday life. Not all of his decisions are foolproof. Moody, the older bully brother, is also a significant character. Muir appears to hate him on the outside. But from the inside I felt it was different. He looked up to Moody and cared for him greatly. Moody and Muir go through the book dealing with personal problems, and family problems. The ending was not what I expected. I was not too happy with the abruptness of the finale. The book felt as if it was missing a true story line. There were many aspects of Muir's life discussed but not enough substance to really show the reader what you needed to see in order to feel for him. Something was missing. I just cannot put my finger on it.
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