Rating: 
Summary: Innocence
Review: A wonderful book, culdn't put it down. Read it in one reading.The innocence of the young, not knowing what to do but then yet able to do it and learn from it. Hard lessons from nature and yet still able to cope. I would like to see some of the young people of today learn some hard lessons and be able to cope. Thank you for this wonderful book.
Rating: 
Summary: Plastic
Review: I looked forward to this book, but was very disappointed. The charaters are plastic. Try as I would, I could find no reason to like either of the main characters. Nothing was there for me to warm up to. I disagree with the review about the dialog. It was almost nonexistent; thrown in occasionally for some sort of ... I don't know what. It also seemed that in descriptions of the chores and methods of doing things, that describing these was the most important to the author, not in how they fit in to the story. Over all, I was severely disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: ouch!
Review: This book can be summed up in one simple sentence: life is hard and then it gets harder. The author heaps so many bad things on the main character you start to guess exactly what is going to happen before it does. Despite all this calamity, however, the heoroine never seems to change or grow. The other people in the book are pretty much stock characters: the inattentive, incompetent doctor, the town drunk, the pinch-mouthed mother-in-law, etc. In addition, this is a familiar tale of hard scrabble existence and survival in the face of all. It has been told elsewhere and much better. Check out: MY DROWNING.
Rating: 
Summary: appreciation for the little things
Review: The author does an amazing job of drawing you in. The descriptions of a life much less-fortunate made me appreciate the little things in life in an effort to focus less on material wealth. The characters are so unique and brilliantly brought to life.
Rating:
Summary: unfolded to a pleasant surprise
Review: I was thinking this author must have once experienced severe abdominal pain; I felt Julie's suffering in agonizing detail, as I relished so many of his detailed descriptions. Certainly not a predictable story. Oh how I wished for Julie to find the tin and for Hank to just pull the darn trigger. A wonderful story.
Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT!
Review: This book was a superb book! I read it in a few hours & ended up wishing it would go on. Julie was a very strong woman who led a hard life. I found myself feeling very fortunate. I would recommend this to anyone who thinks things are rough. We often do not realize how lucky we are in this day & age.
Rating:
Summary: simply wonderful
Review: I love this book. Julie is the type of woman with qualities we should all do well to aspire too. Hard-working, forgiving, honest, and compassionate. We are all so very spoiled and lucky to be living in the age we do now. Life a hundred years ago wasn't about finding yourself, acquiring fancy novelties, or even about happiness. It was about survival. Hank and Julie barely knew one another when they got married. In today's world they would probably have been ill suited to another. They suffer tremendous hardships but remain committed to another. A simple story with a strong truth. I will read more by Robert Morgan.
Rating:
Summary: A good mountain tale
Review: If you only read one book this winter this is the one! Author Robert Morgan keeps his characters down to earth and very belivable. This book gives a gripping read and a very accurate look at what life was like at the turn of the 20th century in the mountains I am proud to call my home.
Rating:
Summary: We never had it so good!
Review: The novel opens with Julie's younger brother having a seizure. This sets the scene for what is to come, you keep thinking will things get better but of course, they never do. Consequently, we have a death by burning, a solo pregnancy, more infant death, bloody descriptions of animal slaughter, absolutely freezing sub zero weather, starvation, and a massive flood that nearly wipes everything away. It seems as though Morgaan is intent to make us experience the whole gamut of human experience and suffering! He seems also to be implying that the poor of this world are destined to suffer and lead a life of constant struggle and hardship. Gap Creek is still a page turner though as you wonder whether Julie and Hank are ever going to make sense and achieve some kind of order out of the madness and chaos surrounding them. Morgan offers us some elegant prose, although at times the dialogue becomes turgid, stilted and meanders. Also, the plot mechanics tended to grind about three quarters of the way through as Julie and Hank discover their "spiritualism". Morgan, however, sounds as though he has dome is research, especally regarding the descriptions of food etc.; you know the prose is effective when you salivate while reading. He also has an incredible appreciation for the world of the Appalachian high country, although each day is a battle to keep food in your belly, Julie still has time to reflect and admire the beauty of the natural world around her - witness her scenic walks to the top of Gap Creek. Certainly not the best of the Oprah Book Club picks but good nonetheless.
Rating:
Summary: true feminist
Review: This story was superb. The main character Julie was a true feminist. She never quit or gave up on anything,whether it was "fair" or not, hard or easy. She rarely worried about the opinions of others. She did what needed to be done. Instead of running back home to momma or just running off to look for an easier life, she kept her commitments. She actually understood what commitment meant and was willing to give whatever it took, no limits. She was a truly grounded woman and always approached situations with her faith, her heart and a big dose of reality. She spent little time worrying on things that she couldn't change. She had seen life and death and knew that life continued on no matter what happened, and there was no sense in just giving up and quitting. Julie was a person who lived in the present moment and did the very best she could each day. She never had her head in the clouds dreaming, but she enjoyed and experienced life to it's absolute totality. She was a truly inspiring, strong, Southern woman, and I loved her story.
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