Rating: 
Summary: Page turner
Review: I loved Gap creek, it was a book that i could not put down. At first i was a little worried that I might not like it. How wrong was I. Ranks right up there with Big cherry hollar and big stone gap. I loved how strong willed Julie was, and how she loved her husband through all his faults. There was so much about this book that was wonderful, the bond of her family, the crabby Ma richards, and the drunk Timmy, which also showed the change in Hank. Julie may have been 17 but she was a women of pure heart and mature beyond her years. If you want a book that you cant put down, than you have to read Gap Creek
Rating: 
Summary: Inspiring
Review: After reading the first chapter, I was not sure if I would like this book. But in fact, I loved it. I felt the story was true to life during that era. Despite tragedy, a couple continues to struggle on - it was the stuggling of those pioneers that enable me to have the lifestyle I enjoy today. If they would have succumbed to the harshness of their reality, perhaps I would not have been born.The book left me feeling wonderful; a new chance at the future, and a new life forming.
Rating: 
Summary: Dismal, depressing, unremittingly grim
Review: The book begins with a little boy dying as he vomits tapeworms that are still alive and wriggling, and gets grimmer from there. This is the single most depressing book I have ever read, because it's essentially hopeless without the redemption of educating or instructing the reader in any meaningful way. Robert Morgan can certainly write; I only hope that he writes more interesting books in the future. In the meantime, I suggest "Cold Mountain" as a book about hard mountain life, but with a soul as well.
Rating: 
Summary: Gap Creek; Just One @#$% Thing After Another
Review: Robert Morgan beautifully captured the mind and soul of this 17 year old girl. I admired her grit and waited for her to be rewarded on some level for all that she was able to survive. I became dismayed when she didn't seem to learn from life's harsh lessons. Somehow I believed a girl who could manage so well on so little would have clawed her way out of that depressing mire.
Rating:
Summary: Gap Creek: a great book
Review: This book took me only a week to read because I couldn't put it down. I liked every part; there wasn't one part in this book that left me disapointed. I felt like I could relate to Julie. It might be because we are similar in age. the fact that she never gave up on her marriage with Hank shows a strong character. There were times when Hank was being impossible but Julie found ways to put up with him. When she persuaded Hank to reconsider committing suicide I was impressed. I liked how the author, Robert Morgan, explains in great detail how to slaughter and gut a hog. Also how to dip and kill a chicken, grease pig fat, it explains all the uses of a pig, it even explains how to pick out the perfect Christmas tree. I thought it was strange how Julie used hard work and labor to deal with her brother's and father's death. She even uses the fact that giving birth is work to get through it. I really liked when Julie had the vision of her father when she had the fever. I think that seeing her father gave her a boost of confidence and it was just like a renewal for her. Hank's moods were bringing her down majorly. the vision proved that her father was there throughout her marriage and her problems. (ClaireS 3)
Rating:
Summary: Ok if you are not looking for something too complex...
Review: I enjoy complex stories and this one is definately not. The idea of the story is quite good. A young woman in a time period set approximately one hundred years ago getting married and on her own for the first time. Encountering a lot of HARD times along the way seemed like a really good base for a novel, but did not pull through as a quick page turner for me. The dialog was really simple, which was a good effect for the setting, but the characters seemed very shallow and plain. Not too much development there. No schemes or abundances of intelligence. And the thing I enjoyed the least about it was the unhealthy relationship of the newlyweds. I have read much better, much more complex and interesting books.
Rating:
Summary: This book is a keeper:
Review: Many books I read and then trade in at the used book stores that are numerous near me. This one will remain on my shelves....I first started this book when I received it for my birthday some nine months ago. However, it didn't grab me at that time. Because of this, I hesitated picking it up and starting again. I was glad that I did. It reminded me of how young people used to get married, sometimes to people they hardly knew. The time is never stated in this novel, but I took it to be late 1800's. I do wish that the writer had listed that. This book focuses around the main character, Julie Richards, a 17 year old newly-wed. I usually do not care for men writing from a girl's point of view, but the author made this very believable. I did not like her husband at first, but as the character developed, I was able to see where the writer was headed. He showed the contrasts between the work ethics/habits of Julie and Hank, and how these had developed from their earlier lives under the instruction and control of their parents.
Rating:
Summary: Appreciate what we have
Review: Robert Morgan did an excellent job of describing the period of the book. While this was not one of my favourite books, I did enjoy reading it. I can't imagine living in a time where even the simplest thing was such a difficult task! Morgan accurately portrayed the period that the book took place in, and painted a clear picture of the work involved simply to "get by". Julie loses her Dad at a fairly young age, and she is expected to take on the brunt of the work, specifically the chores that would have been done by the man of the house. Julie and Hank meet, fall in love and get married. I think that Julie thinks that life will be somewhat easier for her once she is married. She and Hank move to Gap Creek, and she is suddenly faced with the reality that she must do as much or more as she did before. It is the story of a hard life, and of a marriage. I would be interested to read what had happened to Julie and Hank 30 or 40 years from the end of this book.
Rating:
Summary: Simple and Hard
Review: How wonderful to read a book that didn't think it had to be "cool". Authentic, simple and beautiful (in a similar way that Ha Jin's "Waiting" also was to me) Robert Morgan creates a real woman character of hope, practicality and sweetness. She is a tribute to all women who not only survive the harshness of life but also seek the goodness in it.
Rating:
Summary: excellent read
Review: this book for me was a light read, i really enjoyed it. easy to understand and pretty fast going. very absorbing character portrayals. i want to know what happens next,very important aspect in any novel i read, to get so involved as to hate to see the end of the book. hope there is a sequel.
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