Product Description
Ginny, who marries Tom at the turn of the century after her family gives up on her marrying, narrates the story of their life together on her father's farm in the North Carolina mountains. Although Ginny's story is remote from today, its rendering of the nature of marriage is timeless and universal. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (25)

The Truest Pleasure
Very intensive, Ineresting view of the South after the Cival War.
Hardworking people clawing to survive. The writer sits your right in the room with the people and you search your own soul for good and bad character traits. I have read other books by this author and that is the main reason for my selection

The Truest Pleasure
I loved this book.I loved Gap Creek.I read them both twice.

Mr. Morgan is genius personified
I have a signed copy of this book, and the man himself is just as impressive as his work.

The Human Trap
This is a period book that speaks to a trap which is ever-increasing within these complex times in which we live. That trap is obsessive thinking and compulsive activity. It can manifest in the form of addiction. This can be drugs, alcohol, sex, food, relationships, gambling, among many others.

In this book, it manifests in religious frenzy for the heroine and workaholism for her husband. Yet any addiction initially has its roots in our deep desire for connection. Such is the case for these characters. They are unknowingly looking for a spiritual connection, but they tragically fall short of achieving that; so it would seem.

This book is a fine dramatic adventure story with a deeply spiritual theme. As the author of a spiritually-themed novel entitled "The Misadventures of Sister Mary Olga Fortitude," I always appreciate a book which is seeking truth. You will find it in "The Truest Pleasure." Hopefully it will open your own mind toward whatever is blocking your own connection with God.

The book is highly readable and is beautifully written. Robert Morgan is superlative in describing environments and human relationships. The bottom line is that life is not easy. Even so, he writes a book about the potential for personal transformation. I highly recommend this book.

Davis Aujourd'hui, the author of "The Misadventures of Sister Mary Olga Fortitude"

I can't believe I read the WHOLE thing. . .
but I'm glad I did.Morgan redeemed himself in the end.Otherwise, the plot line was just a string of disconnected events.If I hadn't been a fan from Gap Creek, and impressed with his sensory language usage and creative descriptions, I would not have finished it.For example, Pa lost his wallet on the way to church, and Tom found it under the wagon seat.I was suspicious of his behavior, but nothing ever came of it, so what was the point in mentioning it? ... Read more

Product Description

Amazing stories of faith from twenty centuries of church history!

From the Roman Empire to the Reformation, St. Valentine to St. Francis, Martin Luther to Billy Graham, On This Day introduces you to a parade of preachers, martyrs, heroes, and saints. Intriguing and inspiring stories from 2,000 years of Christianity offer an enjoyable glimpse into church history. On This Day is 365 simple, colorful stories about history-making events in the lives of people who love God wholeheartedly. On This Day brings a year's worth of inspiration and spiritual challenge as you learn what some Christians went through for the love of God.

"On this Day is an exciting book that recaptures the history of Christianity. It is practical, profound, and powerful! I highly recommend it."
--John Hagee

On This Day will whet appetites to learn more . . . life will be enriched by all the fellow believers you never even realized existed."
--Ruth Bell Graham

"A fascinating collection of vignettes."
--James M. Boice

Customer Reviews (5)

Great devotional book
A great devotional book for Christians concerning the history of Christ's church.

Lost Potentials
This is a compact little book with nice black and white illustrations appropriate to the saints, martyrs, or heroes depicted in the synopses above. The information in this book, which represents a great deal of research by the author, is presented in a manner that is interesting to read.That INFORMATION, however, is ESSENTIALLY INACCESSIBLE, BECAUSE IT IS NOT INDEXED. Only the illustrations are, but not in a way that would give the reader a clue as to the page on which the story about a particular saint, martyr, or hero can be found. Nor is there a clue in the titles that top the pages.In the next printing could someone please add an index?If not that, how about printing the name of each saint, martyr, or hero on the page where his/her story first appears in bold?

Excellent Daily devotional for those who love history.
The book is full of inspirational stories of saints, marters and church history.I gained a new understanding of many of the changes in the church over the years.Each day has a one page story of some special happeningthat occured that day in the history of the church.

"On This Day" holds the interest every day.
Be forewarned that some of the people reviewed by Mr. Morgan are villains--- "saints" in name only.But still, this book consistentlyholds the reader's attention because of the wealth of historicalinformation to be found in it.In spite of the fact that some of thepeople reviewed are villains and heretics more than saints and heroes, thefact remains that they were ALL involved in the history of the Christianchurch, and therein lies the compelling interest and value of the book. Mr. Morgan does not judge; he leaves that to the reader, which wouldprobably be necessary for the author of any such book, no matter howstringently he tried to keep to biographies only of people whose faithevery reader would judge to be genuine.

"On This Day" is moneywell spent, in my opinion, and my wife and I are using it as a giftselection for some of our friends.

Rev. Carlston Berry Oklahoma City, OK

A fun, informative, and inspiring book!
This is a wonderful little book.Somewhat a cross between 'My Utmost For His Highest' and Paul Harvey's Rest of the Story.I love to read what happened on a particular day in history as I lay down for a night's rest. ... Read more

Product Description

Rob Morgan's inimitable style will help people reacquaint themselves with the hymns of the faithful. His goal is to keep these traditional hymns vital and meaningful to all generations.

Don't look for a dry recounting of boring stories.These devotional-style stories show the emotion and drama behind the hymns of faith that have changed many lives throughout history -- the people whose faith led them to write these wonderful hymns and the people whose faith was affected by reading, hearing, and singing the songs. Designed to be personally reflective, these stories speak to your soul and add depth and meaning as you worship God through song.

FEATURES:

• Includes words and music to each hymn
• Special softcover, french flap cover design
• Ivory paper with brown ink
• Jagged-edge paper, giving it a classic feel
• Complete with hymn index
• Use for devotionals, teaching illustrations, introductory remarks for song leaders and music ministers

Customer Reviews (45)

Then Sings My Soul: 150 of the World's Greatest Hymn Stories
If you've ever wanted to know what inspired the worlds' most famous and beloved hymns, this book is your answer! This book tells the stories behind such hymns as : Amazing Grace, Rock of Ages, The Hallelujah Chorus, among many others. Most of our beloved hymns were born out of tragedy, and this book will tell you each authors story about how they were inspired to write these hymns! A must read for Christians and non-Christians alike.

Love it!!!
This book more than met my expectations. I've already ordered another one and given it as a gift. She, too, was very pleased with the book.

Inspiring Stories - Inspiring Music
These are truly inspiring stories about the great old hymns of our Christian faith. A joy to read and a joy to sing.

A good book to have!!
This book is a really good book to have if you enjoy singing and listening to the Old Fashioned Hymns of the church. It is very interesting to read of the reasons the author had in mind when they wrote the hymn. There are a lot of ones written because of situations in thier lives that caused them to want to give thanks and praise to God for what he had brought about in their lives. It makes singing the hymns more meaningful that way.

Then Sings My Soul: 150 of the World's Greatest Hymn Stories
I purchased this book after I had read and enjoyed a friend's copy.It reveals the intensity and devotion of the writers as each struggles with and as each creates Hope in the beautiful words of our most cherished hymns.An interesting story behind each hymn, producing the "Oh NOW I understand why this was written...." ... Read more

Product Description
Just as Moses and the Israelites found themselves caught between "the devil and the deep Red Sea," so are we sometimes overwhelmed by life's problems. But God delivered the Israelites, and He will deliver us too.

The Red Sea Rules reveals, even in the midst of seemingly impossible situations, God's promise to make a way for us. His loving guidance will protect us through danger, illness, marital strife, financial problems--whatever challenges Satan places in our path.

Using the Israelites' story as an example, Robert Morgan offers ten sound strategies for moving from fear to faith. Among them: Realize that God means for you to be where you are. Acknowledge your enemy, but keep your eyes on the Lord. Pray.

Life is hard, especially for Christians. It is certain that we will face difficulties, and that God will allow them, as He allowed the Israelites to become trapped between Pharaoh's rushing armies and the uncrossable Red Sea. But just as certain is the fact that the same God who led us in will lead us out. As The Red Sea Rules makes comforingly clear, He is in control.

Customer Reviews (29)

Review of "The Red Sea Rules"
Several years ago, I came across this book while undergoing a personal crisis.Each day, I read a chapter to supplement my regular devotional time.While it was many months before my situation improved, the simple truths expressed here gave me hope that all was not lost.I loaned my copy to a friend and never got it back.Probably it was passed on, ministering to others as it did to me.

Very good book
Easy read and all those who desire to serve Christ and die to self should read.

Surviving Tough Times With Victory
The Red Sea Rules offers strong practical Biblical guidance for surviving the tough times in our lives, the times when we feel overwhelmed and unable to cope.

If you have any conflict in your life, this is the book for you
I love this book, it was given to me when I was going through a particularly hard time, and it gave me such comfort.It's simply, and yet profound.If you study the bible you've studied all these 10 rules, but the author says things in the simpliest of ways.I've given the book to many who have also given it to many.

Great Book
This is a great book for anyone who feels like they are up against the what appears to be the impossible challenge in your life.I plan to purchase 3 more to give to a few people i know. ... Read more

Product Description

The National Bestseller A New York Times Notable Book

There is a most unusual woman living in Gap Creek. Julie Harmon works hard, "hard as a man" they say, so hard that at times she's not sure she can stop. People depend on her.

She is just a teenager when her brother dies in her arms. The following year, she marries Hank and moves down into the valley. Julie and Hank discover that the modern world is complex, grinding ever on without pause or concern for their hard work. To survive, they must find out whether love can keep chaos and madness at bay.

With Julie, Robert Morgan has brought to life one of the most memorable women in modern American literature with the skill that led Fred Chappell to say "Gap Creek is the work of a master."Amazon.com Review
Oprah Book Club® Selection, January 2000: RobertMorgan's Gap Creek opens with one wrenching death and ends withanother. In between, this novel of turn-of-the-century Appalachianlife works in fire, flood, swindlers, sickness, and starvation--atruly biblical assortment of plagues, all visited on the sturdyshoulders of 17-year-old Julie Harmon. "Human life don't mean a thingin this world," she concludes. And who could blame her? "People couldbe born and they could suffer, and they could die, and it didn't meana thing.... The world was exactly like it had been and would alwaysbe, going on about its business."For Julie, that business is hardphysical labor. Fortunately, she's fully capable of working "like aman"--splitting and hauling wood, butchering hogs, rendering lard,planting crops, and taking care of the stock. Even when Julie meetsand marries handsome young Hank Richards, there's nohappily-ever-after in store. Nothing comes easy in Julie Harmon'sworld, and their first year together is no exception.

Throughout the novel, Morgan chronicles Julie's trials in prose ofgreat dignity and clarity, capturing the rhythms of North Carolinaspeech by using only the subtlest of inflections. Clearly the authorhas done his research too--the descriptions of physical laborpractically leap off the page. (Suffice to say, you'll learn far moreabout hog slaughtering than you ever dreamed of knowing.)Yet heresists the temptation to make his long-suffering characters intosaints.Julie simmers with resentment at being her family'sworkhorse, and Hank flies into a helpless rage whenever he feels thathis authority is questioned. In novels like The Truest Pleasureand The Hinterlands, Morgan proved his ability to creatememorable heroines. In Gap Creek, he writes with greatfeeling--but not a touch of sentimentality--about a life Julie aptlycalls "both simple and hard." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (372)

Labor with love and integrity...
An unsparing look at the strength of body, mind, and spirit necessary to survive the tough conditions of rural life in early 20th-century America. Morgan's prose is lucid, clean, and spare, like his heroine, Julie Harmon.

Morgan is a new favorite
Usually, I avoid Oprah's book club picks like the plague. This is not because I don't like Oprah, but because her book selections are usually very dark and depressing. Though I enjoy such books, I try to find them on my own. That way, if they stink, I only have myself to blame! Well, I stumbled onto Gap Creek on audio while at the library and didn't know that it was one of Oprah's choices. Once I started to listen to it, I was completely entranced and got the paperback so that I could read it even when I wasn't in the car. Now, I can see why Oprah chose it and have to give her kudos for finding such a superb read!

Gap Creek takes places in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina where Julie Harmon lives with her mother, brother, father, and three sisters. The book opens with the death of Julie's brother which is then followed by the death of her beloved father. Julie was always a hard worker around the house and was assigned the chores that were usually given to men. One day while she is working outside, a handsome man drives by in the his carriage and the two begin courting. Hank Richards and Julie Harmond quickly fall in love and though Julie is only 17, they become married and move to Gap Creek where they will tend to the cantankerous Mr. Pendergast. Though their love for each other is strong, their responsibilities weigh heavy on them and their relationship. When Julie becomes pregnant, it seems like a blessing but as her pregnancy continues events occur that jeopardize their happiness and safety.

When I discussed this book with someone else who had read it, we both commented on the fact that the novel is character driven and though there are plot points, none of them matter as much as the development of the characters and their relationship. In many ways, it reminded me a great deal of Carolyn Chute's The Bean of Egypt Maine which is an ultimate favorite of mine. Though the books are set in different time periods and in different parts of Appalachia, they have a great deal in common. Both are relationship based and describe not only those between two people but also between families and (possibly most importantly) between people and the land. The story is hard to read but that is only because the people in it are hard and their lives are difficult. There are no true heroes or heroines and the novel doesn't leave you with a warm fuzzy feeling, but I think those are the strengths of the book and not weaknesses. I would certainly recommend it to anyone who is sick of happy endings, cliched characters, and hackneyed plots and wants something more real. Bravo, Oprah, Bravo.

Very negative
The writer, Robert Morgan, was able to describe things in such a way that I knew exactly how things were done.For example, I now know precisely how a hog is butchered.But the book as a whole was very negative.This young couple met with one disaster after another.Julie was a hard working, seemingly intelligent woman.But she kept making mistakes which caused some disasterous outcomes.And her husband and mother in law were such losers, it was hard to take.I mean, didn't they have any redeeming qualities that lasted?I felt very sad after reading this book.I would not recommend it, except for the exceptionally descriptive writing.

Loved the Book
I read this book several years back, when Oprah first talked about it.I thoroughly enjoyed the book.It takes place at the turn of the twentieth century in rural South Carolina.I enjoy historical novels and this one is a wonderful insight to a woman's life 100 years ago.It reminded me so much of my great grandmother, who was not much younger than the woman in the book.If you are just looking for a good story, this is it.There is a sequel, but I didn't enjoy it near as much as this one.

Picturesque, powerful and wonderful
I read this book and couldn't put it down until it was finished.My eyes drank each page like it were chocolate.I love details of daily life and this was chock full of that plus the amazing tails of struggle, heart-break and resolve.I love this story and will read it again soon.I wish Oprah would come back to the books she used to put on her list, I picked this one years ago because of it. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (15)

One of God's Greatest Promises
Accurate and thorough discussion of one of God's greatest promises to the followers of Jesus.

Most encouraging!
Rob Morgan is a gifted writer.He has a unique way of putting words together that keeps his materials sharp and interesting.His insights are deeply profound yet expressed in a delightful reading style.The book is uplifting and I heartily recommend it.

truly helpful
This book is wonderful!It breaks down the Rm 8:28 promise so that by the time you are done with this book, you have a tool (weapon) to actually work with!Even if you are in the midst of a crisis, this book is written in such a way that it WILL penetrate to your very spirit.You will come away with hope and determination to see God's glory revealed!

Inspiring and encouraging
I have never read Mr. Morgan before, and now I am a huge fan.This book has so many inspiring and encouraging points, I truly had trouble parting with it.I have found that now, during one of the most difficult times of my life, this book led me to the truth of God's plan and purpose, and my need to relinquish control to Him.I would highly recommend this book to everyone.

The Promise
"The Promise" by Robert Morgan focuses on verse found in Romans 8:28 (We know all things work together for the good of those who love God; those who are called according to His purpose).

Each chapter is titled after a part of Romans 8:28.

Among the points covered include:

1.Our optimism needs to be based in Jesus Christ instead of positive thinking and other secular ways.
2.The Bible contains many promises for the believer.
3.We will probably not get all of our questions answered this side of eternity.
4.God is interested in the details of our lives.
5.Let God use your life to bring glory and honor to Him.

A good and encouraging read for the believer going through tough times.Also a good read for the unbeliever who is looking for a greater purpose in life.

Recommended. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Transforming
This book is amazing! It is a great reminder, of a fundamental truth we already know. I am now using this book for leadership development in my church. ... Read more

Product Description

Let the 365 Scriptures that changed the world change your life forever!

Customer Reviews (2)

Great Reading!
I read this book in about 2 weeks.I could not use it as a devotional, reading only one story a day!It captivated my interest and inspired my faith.The stories reminded me that "the Word of God is living and active" in the lives of people.This is a comforting, energizing, and thought-provoking book.

Great stories from earliest Christianity to present.
I was so inspired by the courage and determination found in the stories from this devotional that I plan to use it as a teaching resource for our church's high school Sunday School class.It is alway faith-building toread about how real people are used by God to work out His plans.Thestories themselves are very readable and interesting -- touching andchallenging.The Scripture application is easily determined.This bookproves God loves us and He is able to help us.It proves that God wants touse us in His plans to reach out to the world.Excellent practicalapplication of the Scriptures to every day life.I heartily recommend thisbook! ... Read more

Product Description
The lyrics of our favorite hymns are rich in images that can help us in our daily walk with God--they are miniature Bible studies that lead us effortlessly toward worship, testimony, exhortation, prayer, and praise. They're bursts of devotional richness with rhyme and rhythm. They clear our minds, soothe our nerves, verbalize our worship, summarize our faith, and sing our great Redeemer's praise. Bestselling author Robert J. Morgan has gathered 366 hymns, including favorites such as "Amazing Grace" and "Rock of Ages," as well as classic, lesser-known gems such as "In the Garden" and "Teach Me to Pray."Each devotional begins with Scripture, includes a story about the hymn or its writer and the lyrics to the hymn, and ends with a prayer. An index of hymn titles and first lines is included. What better way to end your devotional reading than with a song in your heart? ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Given this book to many!!
An excellent book!! This is one of the best books I read this year...It grabbed a hold of my heart so much that I wanted to share this Truth with others...
God doesn't promise "some" things to work out - but "ALL" things to work together for the good for those who love Him!!

That's a promise you can rest on!! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Inspiring
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. ... Read more

Product Description
Robert Morgan's first novel unfolds through the voices of three generations of Appalachian storytellers. In the first segment, adventurous teenager Petal runs off with a handsome homesteader in 1772. She tells of setting up housekeeping on the frontier, including the story of birthing her first baby while staving off a panther. In 1816, Petal's grandson uses a starved pig to track the best route for building a route down the mountain to market. In 1845, Petal's grandson constructs the turnpike down the mountain. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

making lives and dreams unfold..............
This is a marvelously warm and engaging story that is told in three parts about a family deep in the Southern mountains and how they made their lives and dreams unfold.The stories are said to be based on Robert Morgan's own family tales and they carry on the feel of the elders of the family telling the youngsters about life and living and it's true meaning.The dialogue is deceptively simple, creating a warm undercurrent to the intensity of the memories being shared. I adore Robert Morgan and his ability to create such wondrous everyday characters that reach beyond themselves to find love, faith and strength.

Three interconnected Stories of Early Life in Western NC
Imagine as a small child you sat down in the cozy little living room of your grandmother's home with your brothers and sisters and perhaps a few cousins and your grandma starting sharing stories about her early life.It's in the first person and she's telling about how she came to meet your grandpa and how they made a life together and what it was like opening the West.Now I don't meet the Far West but simply extending life beyond the coastal area of North Carolina inland toward the Mountains and into Tennessee in the 1700s.That's the delightful manner in which Robert Morgan shares information in three parts of the life and times of early settlers, and specific families, around the mountain communities of Asheville, NC (that's `ASH vul' for those not familiar with the area).There's several surprises so don't think you'll know what's coming.And the language is true to form using such words as painter when talking about a panther.An animal that has mostly been hunted into oblivion in most parts of the US.Each part is told by someone different, several generations apart but through little hooks within each story the reader is provided an opportunity to share in the joys and sorrows of each family.The book is easy reading and keeps your attention throughout and what I especially liked was the sharing of tidbits of information of what was like in those times.This is a book you won't put down once you start it.

3 generations-people and panthers
I laughed so much during the second part of this book. A young man runs 20 some miles through the forest holding onto a pig's tail with one hand and a hatchet in the other hand to chop a trail for the first road in the area. His adventures during that memorable day make great reading and a good laugh. Anyone who loves the south and mountain folks will appreciate this book from Robert Morgan.

Chasing a pig named Sue
This book, Robert Morgan's first published novel, is seriously flawed, but I hesitate to give it a really bad review because Morgan obviously understands the people and the mountains which are at the heart of the book. Through dead-on dialogue in the vernacular speech of mountain people, Morgan puts the reader in the hollows and coves of upstate South Carolina and western North Carolina. Along the way he provides plenty of local history, which he gathers from his family's own oral history and from exhaustive research. Unfortunately, each of the three sections of the novel has major problems. The first novella, "The Trace," is marred by some pathetically stereotyped depictions of the Cherokee Indians, who are portrayed as the aggressors in the struggle between themelves and the white settlers who moved into the area in the 1700s. "The Road" had potential to be a rollicking adventure story about a man who chases a pig through the mountains, but instead it becomes almost humorless, repetitive drudgery."The Highway" is the least memorable of all the stories: an awkward attempt to immortalize the men who built the first road through the mountains.Although Morgan tries to foreshadow the ecological destruction which the roads will bring to the mountains, his narrative style instead depicts the natural world as hostile, needing to be tamed; in each story the main character is stalked almost constantly by a mountain lion (the word "painter" appears at least every few pages in the book, as if Morgan himself is proud that he knows this mountain mispronunciation). Surely this could have been accomplished in a more clever and creative manner.On the whole, I found this book disappointing.If you have not read Charles Frazier's "Cold Mountain," read that one instead.

3 parts- declining in quality
The first part is riveting, about a woman misled, then abandoned.The second is mediocre- interesting but monotonuos and long, the third part is throwaway and even though it is short, it is monotonous as well.There is not enough humor: a story about a man who chases a pig for 150 pages shouldbe hilarious but it didn't even bring a smile to this reader's lips.Don'twaste your time. ... Read more

Product Description
From 1972 to 1990 Robert W. Morgan journeyed across America and to Russia to meet with Native Americans, a Tibetan lama, Bigfoot researchers, and legends of the Old West. In this book he reports on the relationship between Native American legends, Tibetan beliefs, the modern phenomenon of Bigfoot and UFO sightings, and why the legends are important in understanding modern American culture

His contacts included:

Nino Cochise, the last Apache chief born free and the subject of The First Hundred Years of Nino Cochise: The Untold Story of an Apache Indian Chief
Ingram Billie, a hillis hiya (shaman) on the Big Cypress reservation in Florida and the brother of Josie Billie, who gave Western medicine digitalis
John Cornplanter, an elder of the Cochiti Pueblo in New Mexico and guardian of the Gashpeta cave where a mythical stealer of children was said to still be active after being burned and sealed in the cave for hundreds of years
Victor Osceola and Robert Tiger of the Miccosukees in the Florida Everglades where the Chobees (Skunk Apes) roam
The Tombstone, AZ, gang (in 1973): Sid Wilson, the world s oldest cowboy; Hobie Earp, second cousin to Wyatt Earp, Everett Brownsey, the last elected marshal of Tombstone, and John R. Clarke, the last surviving member of the Arizona Rangers
T ziang Rinpoche, a Tibetan lama, including their conversation in Moscow s Gorky Park ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Book review; Soul Snatchers
Finally, the world learns what Robert W. Morgan has been doing during his disappearance from the bigfoot scene these many years! Fascinating reading, and a story that leads us just this much closer to finding the answer to the mystery of "the big ape" in America.

Entertaining and enlightening reading
The world is filled with strange and interesting people, and you don't have to go far to find them. "Soul Snatchers: A Quest for True Human Beings" is personal account of the wanderings of Robert W. Morgan and his time going across America over the span of two decades. He meets a host of interesting and intriguing characters ranging from Apache chiefs, Shamans, remnants of the Fabled old west, and those who research what many write off as myth. A look at the America that's rarely examined, "Soul Snatchers" is entertaining and enlightening reading, recommended.

Absolutely wonderful tome, really well-written!!!!!!
I finished this book in four days, and what a terrific journey the author takes us on. From the deserts of New Mexico, where he gets guidance from a 102-year-old Native American named Nino Cochise, to the Swamps of Florida, where he meets a most unusual evangelist and has encounters with things he cannot explain, to the wilds of Washington State, where he and his team experiment with a method known as "dowsing" to attempt to track the Forest Giants, Robert W. Morgan has had a life's journey most would be rather envious of. He has met with Native American elders, elderly cowboys who were around in the time of the Wild West, disbelieving skeptics, scientists and other luminaries, and over his life's journey, he has experienced unusual phenomenon, which may or may NOT be connected to the Forest Giant People (Bigfoot, Sasquatch, Omah-ah, Dsonoqua and many other variations of names for these unique beings). Morgan writes in a style of absolute comfort and a sense as if he is sharing private secrets around a campfire. The only rating I can give on this book is an 11 out of 10!!!!!! GET THIS BOOK!!!!!! It is available at Product Listing - and is terrific for Summer reading, or for curling up beside a roaring fire in colder weather. ... Read more

Product Description

Rob Morgan's unmistakable talent for storytelling continues to help reacquaint people with the hymns of the faithful. Then Sings My Soul has sold over 300,000 copies, and it's still going strong!

In Then Sings My Soul Book 2, these devotional-style stories brim with emotion and drama about the people whose faith led them to write the hymns, and about the people whose lives were changed by them. Designed to be personally reflective, these stories speak to your soul and add depth and meaning as you worship God through the beauty of song.

Customer Reviews (13)

A Wonderful Book & Informative Musical History!
I purchased this sensational book at a Fred's Dollar Store today in Alabama for $8.50. And it's worth every penny! Although i am a Christian myself, i am extremely wary of purchasing Christian literature and Bible translations as much of "Christian" literature is the "feel good" gospels of the likes of Joyce Meyer, Rick Warren, Max Lucado, Beth Moore, etc, and filled with heresy and legalism. Hence, i only own a few Christian books, under 10 at this point. I mulled over this one too but decided to spring. And i'm glad i did!

As a lover of the old time hymns, and a music junkie in general, this is a pleasant and insightful read, with bios of the hymn writers similar to the write ups on cyberhymnal.com, but more informative. On the right hand pages are the histories of the writers and the inspiration for the songs they penned, and on the left, corresponding to each, is the sheet music of said hymn, suitable for piano or private or group singing. Most include 3 or 4 verses a piece, leaving no piece of the glorious gospel message out. It even has purposely dogged-eared pages, making it look like a wellused and well loved hymn book that you might find in your Grandma's church. It even includes some much loved Christmas carols.

It took me a while to catch on to the layout, but the hymns are arranged according to year, going from the earliest (1153) to the newest (1971). This presents a clear historical timline of when the hymns came into being and when the hymnists lived.

I like the neutral style in which Morgan presents the information, not unduly emphasizing one person, denomination, or line of doctrine over the other. This is good because it is obvious that some of the hymn writers were not Christians at the time they penned their songs, or some coming out of heretical lines such as the Catholic church of the Church of God In Christ.

I've really learned of lot of fascinating snippets about these beloved hymns, which are becoming so scarce in today's CCM ladened world. I truly believe that almost all CCM music is self-glorifying garbage, and with the exception of some light (but reverent) praise music (think the Maranatha! Singers), it is the old tyme hymns that i love and that bring glory to God. Call me an old fart, but i would rather sit in an empty country church and sing these praises to God alone rather than join the CCM arena, bells, whistles, and flashing lights and all.

While most are my favorite hymns are in this Book 2, i've liked it so much i am going to town tomorrow to get Book 1 as Fred's only had number two.

Highly recommended for any one who loves hymns and wants to share them with younger generations or any one else who might otherwise be unfamiliar with them. Five stars!!!

Then Sings My Soul, Book 2
This is a delightful book of the stories behind the hymns we have sung many times in our churches. I feel blessed by reading this book and know I will reread it many times.It is a valuable addition to a church or home library.

Another great book of hymn stories
I love how this book includes the musical score and a story for each hymn (usually about the person who wrote the words).The hymn is on the left page, the story on the right.It's interesting to learn the history behind each hymn, and about the people who wrote them.

Interesting and fun to read
The author obviously enjoys what he does, offering the reader/singer quick snippets of the history -- trials and victories that moved people to write hymns--along with the musical scores themselves.

Book
I was pleased to find this at Amazon.Even though I bought it used, it was "new".I'd picked up the first volumn locally at a warehouse club, and was happy to find the second one available as well.It was on back-order, but the seller notified me.....and gave me a chance to cancel my order.However, I still received it in plenty of time for Christmas. ... Read more

Product Description
The story of Daniel Boone is the story of America—its ideals, its promise, its romance, and its destiny. Bestselling, critically acclaimed author Robert Morgan reveals the complex character of a frontiersman whose heroic life was far stranger and more fascinating than the myths that surround him.

This rich, authoritative biography offers a wholly new perspective on a man who has been an American icon for more than two hundred years—a hero as important to American history as his more political contemporaries George Washington and Benjamin Franklin. Extensive endnotes, cultural and historical background material, and maps and illustrations underscore the scope of this distinguished and immensely entertaining work. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (48)

Boone: A Biography
Boone is overall an excellent book and researched about as well as can be expected.Since there is very little historical documentation available from Boone himself coupled with recollections that were given to various individuals long after events occured, it is difficult to find the "true" Boone.The author did a good job of piecing together Boone's life story, but engaged a bit too much in attempting to step into Boone's mind.The author wrote lengthy passages that attempted to capture what Boone's thinking processes were as Boone explored the wilderness.However, those attempts fell short and one was left with the author's conjectures rather than Boone's true personality.Way too many pages were used up trying to describe what Boone was thinking.This made the reader want to skim large passages of the book.

Best Book I've Read in Years
From my blog review: [...]

The moment I fell in love with this book came when I pictured Boone, the only living soul living in Kentucky, camped out at night reading Gulliver's Travels and the Holy Bible. What wondrous times those must have been, for a singular man to have an entire territory to himself! Certainly, it was not without danger, but then, as Boone himself once declared, "I wouldn't give a tinker's damn for a man who isn't sometimes afraid. Fear's the spice that makes it interesting to go ahead" (page 69).

The subtitle is A Biography, but it should probably have been A Historiography, which is to say, Morgan has provided a history of the history of Daniel Boone. What Morgan brings to this volume is not just research; he contributes his own voice to the discussion of the implications of Boone's legacy and rather than outright discount all the anomalous claims of the pioneer scattered throughout the various historians who have chronicled his exploits, Morgan regularly pauses to explore the possible validity of each claim. Some he can debunk outright--for instance, noting that Boone could not have met with James Audobon in Kentucky at the time the famed ornithologist claimed, for he had yet to arrive in America during the time that Boone may have returned to his former home state. Rather, Morgan supposes that they met in Missouri and that Audobon relocated the discussions to Kentucky for the sake of his European audience, who would likely have been disappointed had they not been left with the image of Boone in the state he all but literally put on the map.

Morgan is, by trade, a poet and prose writer and so his narrative of Boone's exploits go beyond the typically cut-and-dried approach of historians divorcing themselves from emotion for the sake of objectivity. When Boone arrives and takes his first look out onto the Appalachian Mountains, Morgan fills the account with awe and wonder; when Boone lays to rest loved ones, it is as much Morgan's sadness as Boone's that permeates the page.

This is a very personal exploration of a man who, in many regards, existed as a self-contradiction. The explorer whose enthusiasm led directly to the destruction of the wilderness he loved, the hero hounded more by creditors than enemies, the devoted family man who once spent two entire years hunting in isolation during which his wife gave birth to what was likely the daughter of one of his own brothers; the list goes on. Now, in 2009 as we look with uncertainty toward our own present and future, it is with great comfort to recall the adventures of a man threatened with bankruptcy and external incursions and to know that the American spirit has, since before it was even American, endured such events. And, perhaps, we can learn from Boone's mistakes as well.

If I had two complaints, it would be these. Firstly, I sincerely wish Morgan had employed footnotes, rather than endnotes. Not only that, but there are no markers in the text pointing the reader to a particular endnote; rather, one must consult the endnotes and see which chapter, page number and sentence originated with which text. This may have made for a cleaner page to look at, but it did hamper some of my reading as I wished to know, frequently, where Morgan had found a particular quote.

Secondly, Morgan refers to events before discussing them several times. This is common in historical writing and the only reason I mention it in this instance is that this more prose-conscious work brought me much closer to Boone than my previous studies of the man. It "took me out of the book" to read a reference in one chapter that would not actually occur chronologically for another few chapters.

Still and all, this is an impressive work and obviously a labor of genuine love for Morgan. Beyond being a fascinating read about one of my personal favorite historical figures, Boone is also a beautiful physical book. You can click the above thumbnail for a much larger look at the gorgeous cover art, but only by hefting the tome in your own hand can you appreciate the quality that Chapel Hill put into its publication. The pages undulate, the font is pleasing to the eye...this precisely the kind of work that one prominently displays among a library.

A Personal Look
The truthfulness of this biography has me captivated.It is very well researched and written. As a Boone family descendant, I do appreciate the chance to really imagine the lives of my ancestors.It is actually quite different from the Hollywood version. At times the author points that out.I would recommend it to anyone interested in pioneer history.Although it is quite long, the length (462 pages) is a bonus, not an onus. The author's notes, bibliography and index are very helpful as well.I began by taking notes on separate paper, but soon switched to underlining parts in the book and making notations and listing page numbers in back to review and direct my children as they read it eventually.Yes, I give it 5 stars.


The prompt delivery was a blessing as well.Thank you, Amazon.

New revealing details on Boone
I have read dozens and dozens of books on Boone and early Pioneer History, with a special interest in Kentucky (I am a genealogist with a passion for early American History).

I couldn't put this book down and despite having read so much on Boone and the subject of early pioneer days, I was very surprised to learn new details about Boone's life; especially with regard to his later years.I would highly recommend this book.

Hard to pick up, easy to put down (in more ways than one).
This book reads like a paper written by a college student two hours before it was due. So many pages are filled with nothing more than useless information that does nothing for the story line, except make it boring and hard to read. The author has written fiction and poetry before he dove headlong into "A Biography". Unfortunately, it appears that the author was unaware that poetry and fiction don't really fit in a biography.
Example - Page 117, "It is hard not to think of Boone when we read Emerson on solitude ("But if a man would be alone, let him look at the stars"), or Thoreau on walking and wildness. The self reliance, the intense curiousity, and relish of experience in Whitman's "Song of Myself," the peaceableness and love of the wild, suggest Boone more than any other single historical person.
Now how in the world does an author of a biography transplant his subject into two very autobiographical works of art, "Leaves of Grass" and "Walden" and claim that both of these masterpieces suggest Boone more than any other historical person? This is where the book lost credibility in my opinion.
But it only got worse a page later on page 118, when the author claimed that, "after Boone would come many other great naturalists and artists, but none of them would have the legendary status of Boone, the air of the original. None had so much influence or inspired so many who came after. Like Washington, like Lincoln later, Boone inspired the craving for an ideal self..."
Thomas Jefferson, anyone? Not only a great naturalist, but also third president of the United States? Is he not a legend in his own right? So the writer of the Declaration of Independence hasn't influenced or inspired anyone? I'm sorry, but I disagree. And let's not forget Meriwhether Lewis, who, along with William Clark explored all the way to the Pacific coast. Which to me, seems a little more significant than exploring the area now known as Kentucky. But according to the author, they do not have the legendary status of Daniel Boone.
It is bold statements like these that the author makes that have ruined this book for me. Also adding his poetic 'flair' to many pages does not help the story any. As I said earlier, this book reads like nothing more than a paper written by a college student two hours before it was due. Pages upon pages are filled with useless information, or poetic comparisons to Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman, that it just reads like the author had a page limit and a deadline to meet and the only way he could meet both was to B.S. his way through it. Maybe, were this a college paper, maybe he'd get a C-. But only if he had a generous professor... ... Read more

Product Description
Confidential Informants are criminals who are saving themselves from something.However, Robert W. Morgan was no criminal. He was a loving father who objected to the sale of drugs on his daughter's schoolyard and wanted to make a difference. In time, he would assist in exposing the brains of the Mafia's most brilliant international cartel. The major players included the infamous mobsters Joseph Bonanno, Meyer Lansky, and John Charles Piazza III, all with solid links to the Five Families.

Under the combined aegis of the DEA and the FBI, Morgan unraveled the most sophisticated money-laundering scheme in the history of international crime and cost the Mafia a documented half-billion dollars.

In the end, he would also hear a London confession on who killed Pope John Paul I and why. Pope John Paul I died after just one month as pope. He knew too much.

Morgan waited this long to reveal all in an attempt to avoid sure hits on his now grown daughter's life. ... Read more

Product Description

Stories of the most favorite and beloved seasonal hymns of faith.

Don't look for a dry recounting of boring historical fact, the devotional-style stories in Then Sings My Soul show the emotion and drama behind the hymns of faith that have changed many lives throughout history. Designed to be personally reflective, these stories speak to the soul and add depth to a meaningful worship time with God through song.

Recounted are stories of the people whose faith led them to write these wonderful seasonal hymns and the people whose faith was affected by reading, hearing, and singing the songs.

• Includes words and music to each hymn
• Special, softcover, French flap cover design
• Ivory paper with brown ink
• Jagged edged paper, giving it a classic feel
• Complete with hymn index
• Use for devotionals, teaching illustrations, introductory remarks for song leaders and music ministers

Customer Reviews (2)

THEN SINGS MY SOULSPECIAL EDITION
A VERY UP LIFTING BOOK.WRITTEN IN A CONSICE FORMAT WITHOUT A LOT OF VERBOSITY.ENJOYABLE AND ENLIGHTENING REGARDING STRONGLY DEVOTED CHRISTIAN PIONEERS THAT TO A LARGE DEGREE ARE PUT ASIDE IN TODAYS CHURCHES IN FAVOR OF CURRENT REPEATED WORD SONGS.

Fantastic for Reference or Personal Devotions
Beautifully bound edition with durable cover and rough fronts.150 favorite hymns and the stories behind them, including special sections for Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Patriotic occasions.Also comes with CD of Christmas songs.Great for personal devotions, or for those times when you're asked to share a devotion with others.Knowing the stories behind the writing brings new richness and depth to the songs.Highly recommended! ... Read more

Product Description
Jessica Ronky Haddad Style WeeklyTransports readers directly to the wild and forgotten mountains of North Carolina and to the secret, hopeful places in a young man¹s heart. From the author of Gap Creek?the international bestseller and winner of the Southern Book Critics Circle Award for fiction?comes the gripping story of two brothers struggling against each other and the confines of their 1920s Appalachian Mountain world. Muir and Moody Powell are as different as Jacob and Esau. Muir is an innocent, shy young man with big dreams and not the slightest idea of what to do about them. Moody, the older, wilder brother, takes to moonshine and gambling and turns his anger on his brother. Through it all, their mother, Ginny, tries to steer them right, while dealing with her own losses: her husband, her youth, and the fiery sense of God that had once ordered her world. When Muir discovers his purpose in life, the consequences are far-reaching and irrevocable: a community threatens to tear itself apart and his family is forever changed. This Rock is the most ambitious and accomplished novel yet from an author whose sentences ³at their finest . . . burn with the raw, lonesome pathos of Hank Williams¹s best songs² (The New York Times Book Review).³Homespun pleasure.² ?Nelson Taylor, Providence Journal³Hell-bent and excellent . . . I can¹t shake the first scene. . . . resonant . . .moving.² ?Katherine Whittemore, The New York Times Book Review³Morgan¹s prose is sharp and saturated with details . . . [imbued] . . . with a sort of lyrical sheen . . . both moving and spiritual.² ?Michael Paulson, Bookpage Robert Morgan, the author of the award-winning novel Gap Creek, is a native of the North Carolina mountains, where he was raised on land settled by his Welsh ancestors. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

This Rock
This is a much better book than the sales shows.But, the reader has to care about family, the depression, and history.I've always taught that history reading contains facts and figures; while this type of historical fiction contains facts, figures and feelings!It is one of my all time favorites along with the Grapes of Wrath.I spoke to Robert Morgan about this book and what an impact it had had on me and he replied that it was also one of his favorites (he has written).He said it took about 8 years to finish.Also, as a teacher I purchased a classroom set (30)for my English students.Morgan, Earl Hamner, Jr., and Jesse Stuart have provided me with a sound foundation for my new book:What "Back Then" Was Like: and stories passed on by ancestors What "Back Then" Was Like and stories passed on by ancestors.Roger C. Elliott

Do you not know gold when you have it in hand?
Anything Robert Morgan writes is eloquent and well thought out with every dot and tittle in place. If you don't know much about appalachian life, you can learn about it as long as you pay close attention as you read Morgan's beautiful work.

Morgan Revives 1920s Appalachia
I knowed this be a gud book (English teachers cringing, the bad American English and spelling is intentional).Robert Morgan, author of the bestseller "Gap Creek," transports us to a 1920s Appalachian Mountain town in "This Rock."

The story takes place over a three-year period and focuses on the polar-opposite Powell brothers, Muir and Moody.Muir is ambitious and quiet.Moody is an appropriately named, unstable character that runs moonshine and gambles.

Morgan uses the perspective of Muir and Ginny Powell, the brothers' widowed mother, to narrate the brothers' conflicts.Remarkable details are laid out for the reader to behold and enjoy like gems.Morgan paints the beautiful landscape of the mountains, a feast for the mind's eye.The drama echoes stronger due to Morgan's inclusion of mountain dialect.It's as if the author time-traveled to the locale and used the Edison gramophone to record the hillbilly speech.

The story builds nicely as Muir's decision to build a church atop the mountain has ripple effects throughout the community, most notably his brother Moody."This Rock" is a page-turner illustrating the common and difficult aspects of 1920s Appalachia life. In fact, I bet after you've reached the last page, the cool morning dew will be lingering on your hands.

Bohdan Kot

Sequel??
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).

A hard life in the outback of the South.
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. ... Read more

Product Description

Amazing stories of faith from twenty centuries of church history.

From the Roman Empire to the Reformation, St. Valentine to St. Francis, Martin Luther to Billy Graham, On this Day introduces readers to a parade of preachers, popes, martyrs, heroes, and saints from 2,000 years of Christianity.

This introduction to 365 of the most interesting men and women of faith brings a year's worth of inspiration and spiritual challenge and offers an enjoyable glimpse into church history. Each day includes a related Scripture reading and a simple, colorful story about history-making events in the lives of people who loved God wholeheartedly.

Product Description
As the War for Independence wore on into the 1780s, unrest ruled the Carolinas. Settlers who had cleared the land after the Cherokees withdrew were being mustered for battle as British forces pillaged their hard-won farms. Robert Morgan's stunning novel tells a story of two people caught in the chaos raging in the wilderness.

After sixteen-year-old Josie Summers murders her abusive stepfather, she runs away from home disguised as a boy. Lost in the woods, she accepts a young preacher's invitation to assist in his itinerant ministry. Eventually her identity is revealed and affection grows between the two. But when the preacher is kidnapped by British soldiers, Josie disguises herself once again and joins the militia in a desperate attempt to find him.

Brave Enemies is a page-turning story of people brought together by chance and torn apart by war—a story of enduring love and of the struggle to build a homeland. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Highly readable novel with a pacifist philosophy
This historical novel takes place in 1780 and 1781 in the Carolina border country, where the American Revolution was a veritable civil war that raged for years. Rebels burn down the houses of Tories, lynch Tory men, and rape the women; Tories return the favor. A 16-year-old girl named Josie Summers is caught up in a nightmare of her own. A strong, stoic, and thoughtful farm girl, Josie is becoming a woman, and attracting the unwanted advances of her worthless stepfather. When their relationship finally explodes into terrible violence, Josie is forced to run away into the countryside. To survive, she disguises herself as a boy, and in that guise meets another young person, John Trethman, an itinerant Methodist preacher.

I'm not a big fan of "girl disguises herself as a man" stories, because I don't find them credible. But true to the conventions of this kind of storyline, Trethman is pretty slow on the uptake. When he finally does realize that Josie is a girl, they (not surprisingly) fall in love. Soon, however, their budding life together is destroyed when John is arrested by British troops as a rebel organizer and taken away. A pregnant Josie is on the run again, and eventually falls in with the rebel militia under Dan Morgan, the legendary "Old Waggoner." She becomes a soldier and the young couple eventually wind up on opposite sides of the epic Battle of Cowpens.

The good: The depiction of this unknown (to me, anyway) part of the war made the story of the American Revolution seem fresh and new. Josie and John are wonderful characters, thoughtful young people with much to learn. Simple rich language.

The bad: I still can't buy the idea that a guileless young pregnant woman could fool a bunch of soldiers into believing she was a man. Sometimes tiresomely literary. A pacifist philosophy, well articulated, that didn't appeal to this reader -- your mileage may vary.

Reviewer: Elizabeth Clare, co-author of the historical novel "To the Ends of the Earth: The Last Journey of Lewis & Clark"

I really wanted to like this book but...
It was tedious. I was hoping that the story would get interesting at some point, there might be some sort of passion or driving force but the characters just got swept along. There was nothing to make me care about any of the characters; they were all generic, taken from "central casting". The book was violent and ugly without a strong moral center. It was truly a struggle to finish.

GRITTY, REALISTIC, POWERFUL
Comparisons to COLD MOUNTAIN are in order. BRAVE ENEMIES, too, is a love story set during the brutality and misfortune of a civil war. Here it is the American Revolutionary War with patriots and loyalists hanging each other and burning down each other's homes as well as the militia and redcoats doing battle. But while CM is burdened and slowed by literary pretensions, BRAVE ENEMIES is a fast-moving and entertaining tale, without heavy-handed symbolism or repeated flashbacks, of sixteen year old Josie Summers and John Trethman, a young itinerant Methodist minister, who fall in love and then are separated by the war. Being a history buff, I liked the realistic feel of the novel. The descriptions of the time and place, the clothes, food, weapons, homes, all seemed well-researched. And the battle of Cowpens was presented brilliantly. I feel like I was there. My only complaint is that the description of John's religious services went on too long in a couple places but that is a minor quibble. This is a gritty, realistic book, well-written, full of action and with a couple powerful sex scenes from the woman's point of view. Robert Morgan scores a double with BRAVE ENEMIES in that this is a novel I think both men and women will enjoy. Five cannonballs out of five.

Tedious and repetitive
While the author is obviously a competent writer and excels at description, he is overly reptitious. The pacing was slow and tedious, which did litle to create tension or anticipation. The only thing I anticipated was the end of the book. The characters seemed one dimensional. I never felt like I knew them or particularly cared about them. Whereas we are subjected to lengthy observations of the settings, we are seldom exposed to the emotions and feelings of the characters. We are told that John falls in love with Josie, but nothing other than proximity even hints at the reason why. I didn't like Cold Mountain either but will admit that it was technically well written, as is this book.

visceral and eloquent
Set in the backwoods Carolinas in 1781, this brutal, tumultuous story centers on the narrator, 16-year-old Josie Summers, who murders her rapist stepfather and flees in men's clothing. Rescued (as Joseph) by an evangelical, itinerant preacher who's aghast when he discovers her deception, but then secretly performs a marriage ceremony, Josie embraces religion and love.

But calamity is never far away in the war-torn colonies as roving bands of redcoats vie with vigilante patriots in cruelty towards their enemies. When the preacher, John, is seized by the British and his cabin burned, Josie flees again and - still dressed as a man - joins the North Carolina militia, where (as we know from the prologue) she is wounded and her disguise revealed.

The story's near-constant fever pitch of danger and desperation is disrupted from time to time by a switch to John's point of view, and a man tormented by his own human frailties is not nearly as interesting as a girl marching to war in the freezing mud without boots, or even shoes.

Josie's period-perfect voice and the eloquent immediacy of Morgan's ("Gap Creek," "This Rock") descriptive prose keep the reader immersed in a world of hurt and hardship. The battlefield scenes are a riveting mess of confusion, blood, terror and bewilderment, and the love scenes are transporting. A visceral story, elegantly told. ... Read more