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Title: Gap Creek: A Novel by Robert Morgan ISBN: 1-56512-296-8 Publisher: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill Pub. Date: 18 January, 2000 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $22.95

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Average Customer Rating: 3.64 (331 reviews)

Rating: 4
Summary: A Remarkable Story
Comment: I found this novel to be a wonderful read despite it being a little slow going at the start.

Julie Harmon Richards is a young woman, at the turn of the 20th century, learning to deal with life and love in the Appalachian mountains. She marries Hank at the tender age of 17 and begins to learn the true meaning of hardship and suffering. They leave her family behind and start fresh in Gap Creek. Julie and Hank must fend for themselves in every aspect of their lives. They face con artists, death, floods, fire and childbirth. Starvation and loneliness also enter into the picture.

Julie has always known hardship and hard work, her work ethic is unbelievably strong. Her unending courage and determination throughout the book inspired me. She grows from a young girl into a young woman at a fast pace during the first year of her marriage to Hank. Her love for him never wavers and in the process her spirituality grows as well.

The ending left me wanting more ~ did they ever find the happiness that they so deserved? Will life get easier for this pair who struggled with so much? Mr. Morgan leaves it to us the reader to decipher the true ending...in my mind it's a happy one. They get to start anew.

Rating: 4
Summary: Interesting read
Comment: I read this once before years ago and when I discovered that it is on Oprah's booklist, I decided to read it again. It's beautifully written and I enjoyed it more so the second time around ~~ especially since I had gotten married since the first time I read it. However, like a lot of Oprah's other selections, it is rather depressing. Ok, maybe depressing is the wrong word to use. It is very realistic look at life in the early 1900s when life is still tough and hard, especially for mountainfolks who have no money for medicines and knowledge.

Julie is a hardworking woman who meets Hank and agrees to marry him. They moved to Gap Creek where Hank got a job in a mill. They rented a house with Mr. Pendergast where Julie's job is to take care of the house and their landlord. Through a series of unfortunate mishaps, Mr. Pendergast dies, Hank loses his job and Julie gets pregnant. Together, the naive couple struggle to survive the harsh winter ~~ where a huge flood destroyed most of their food crops that they had saved for winter ~~ and together, they find an inner strength they didn't know they had. They basically grew up, as most newlyweds do when they leave home for the first time.

It is a realistic look at life. Marriage is not about roses and sweet dreams coming true. It really is a marriage of two minds melding together in spite of obstacles placed in their ways. This is a marriage about survival. They needed one another to survive that first year. And together, they will beat the odds for as long as it takes.

I enjoyed it ~~ even the rather descriptive details about farm life and having to butcher your own animals for meals. However, that time wasn't too long ago that we haven't forgotten it. It's a rich look into life that once was and reminds us of how good we have it now.

1-30-04

Rating: 1
Summary: Ridiculous!
Comment: I checked out the audio version and could not get past CD 4. The constant "I said/he said..." drove me crazy. However, the worst thing about it was the unbelievably dreary story line and how unrealistically mature and introspective Julie was. Her character, for all she went through, was actually one-dimensional and predictable. All the book amounted to were detailed descriptions of country life and too many down home southern sayings. It was one trial after another with ridiculous "tough" insights by Julie. This was not realistic! Do not waste your time on this book.