Gap Creek (Oprah book of the month)

Rating:
Summary: Really wanted to love this book . . .
Review: but so far I only like it somewhat. I have to admit it has kept me up at night, more in anticipation of what could happen - only to be disappointed that not much does. Altough, Morgan is very descriptive, especially when it comes to every single meal Julie makes and step by step instructions on how to slaughter a hog, I found myself skipping paragraphs out of boredom. I am a little more than a third done so I may be unfair in my judgment. I would have liked more character development, what does Julie look like, how is she feeling about being pregnant (besides her churning stomach), etc. I have never read a book with so much despair and hard luck in my life!

Rating:
Summary: Love it or hate it?
Review: Well-written, great details about lifestyles of the time period. Great imagery. However, it was your typical grim hard-knock-life depiction of life in Southern Appalachia. It's not a feel-good story, actually it's quite depressing. It gives us insight into the difficulties that we will never suffer, and fills one with gratitude and thankfulness that this is not MY life.

Rating:
Summary: Thought-provoking and eye-opening
Review: I've read the reviews of Gap Creek that have been posted to date, and like any worthwhile book it seems to have a mixed following. I am from a part of South Carolina very close to Caesar's Head, and, as our power goes out semi-regularly, I can identify with both his descriptions of the mountains' beauty and the work involved in a non-mechanized lifestyle. Morgan portrays the area and the time period realistically and vividly, but he does not attempt to sensationalize either his subject or his characters. He depicts Southerners as strong, self-reliant people with compassion and insight, a welcome change from the usual "ignorant redneck hick" stereotype that has pervaded literature in the past. I am very glad that Oprah chose this book for her club because I feel it represents the South, and particularly the Appalachian culture, in a positive light...but it does not idealize it, either. I found this novel deceptively simple; it is very easy to miss its subtle power if one attempts to skim the pages. This is not particularly light reading...if you want an "easy read," get a comic book. This is an eye-opening account of a life hewn out of the wilderness, of humanity's fragility, and of the power of faith. If you take the time to absorb Morgan's message, you will never forget this book.

Rating:
Summary: Gap Creek
Review: I read this book because it was Oprah's bookclub book.I was very disappointed. I never knew that a pregnant woman could work so hard and not have a miscarriage.I got so tired of her cooking grits and taters. And her husband reminded me of my abusive ex-husband.He was very mean and hateful to her.Two thumbs down

Rating:
Summary: Worn Out From Reading This Book!
Review: This is a book that will make you appreciate living in modern times and also make you feel like a real wimp no matter how hard you work. I think I am exhausted from just reading how hard Julie worked! Maybe after I write this I will go scrub down the ceilings in my house, cut up some firewood, abandon the fancy washing machine for a tall kettle of hot water and lye soap, can some jellies and jams, crack the head of that hog I slaughtered this morning (love to fry up those hog brains for a dandy breakfast tomorrow morning for my man), gather some eggs,dig up some greens by the creek bank, and then sit up all night with a sick relative. Ok-- so I admit it I had my child at a hospital and did not deliver him myself...and yes I didn't even bite the umbilical cord in half with my teeth. WIMP! Can ANYONE really work as hard as Julie did? She might as well have been a workhorse and slept in the barn. A good book-- a bit repetitive at times-- lots of taters and grits were cooked up-- but a very heartwarming book on life and living as it use to be. Getting married was for life then (1900) and working hard was an accepted way of life for both men and women. I have to admit my overwhelming feeling as I got into this book was -- can she take any more? And the answer was always...yes. I am a wimp but this book is not. A good, easy read.

Rating:
Summary: Harriette Arnow-move over
Review: As a fellow North Carolinian (with Welsh ancestry) I congratulate Mr.Morgan on this marvelous work. He allows us to "sneak a peek" into a "Pandora's Box" of the "simple life" in the Carolina mountains in the past (and today-i might add) I am anxious to catch up on his previous works. Looking forward to #6

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Of all the great books for Oprah to select, why this one? To discuss a book in the setting of a bookclub there must be something to discuss. In this book there is virtually nothing to discuss. I read this book in about three hours. My nine year old perhaps would have enjoyed it more than I did as it is about at her reading level. Most of Oprah's picks I find to be on the depressing side but after reading "Gap Creek" I felt nothing but anger that I had wasted my money on the book. I knew no more of impoverished lives in turn of the century Appalachia when I finished the book as I did when I began. Truly one of her worst picks to date.

Rating:
Summary: Not that interesting, but might just cheer you up.
Review: To tell you the truth, I didn't enjoy this book that much. I found it too idealistic, and too detached from contemporary everyday life. Nonetheless, it's optimism might just cheer you up! (It sort of did for me).

Rating:
Summary: A Mountain Fan
Review: Dear Reader, Gap Creek does a good job of showing how life used to be in the mountains of North Carolina. I know because I grew up there. Just like, Julie Harmon, I've milked cows, sawed firewood, and ate cornbread for breakfast. I can also identify with Robert as a writer. My novel, Edge of Heaven, puublished: November, 1997 by Bright Mountain Press in Asheville, N.C., is set in the same place and time period. I think it is hard for a man to write about a woman's feellings and still harder to tell a story in first person. This method prohibits the author from letting the reader know how the other characters, who are important to the story, are feeling and thinking. Given these handicaps, Morgan did a great job. If you would like to compare the two books take a look at, Edge of Heaven, at Amaazon.com. You can email me at [e-mail].

Rating:
Summary: I Love This
Review: This book really grabbed my thoughts. I would reccomend that anyone who is anyone should read it. If you don't believe me then buy it and read it.