Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.
Loading... The Hornet's Nest: A Novel of the Revolutionary War (edition 2004)by Jimmy Carter (Author)Picked up this historical fiction by Jimmy Carter because of my interest in the Revolutionary War. Carter focuses on the happenings in the American South, particularly Georgia (not surprisingly, as we all know he hails from there). In spite of the incredibly stilted speech between characters, I stuck with this one because Carter includes a lot of background information of actual events and I have less knowledge of the American Revolution events in the South compared to, say, Boston or Philadelphia. But it was a slog to read -- as much as I admire Jimmy Carter the person and his earnestness -- and now am in search of actual non-fiction works to learn more. I wanted to like this book-I have liked Carter's non-fiction-but I could not finish this. It seemed like Carter had a story to tell, but I could not invest myself in the characters, in fact they had very little personality. All of the characters except one spoke like history professors, even the Indians. It all seemed very clinical, maybe especially the parts about sex. The back story was heavy handed...although asuredly exactly correct. I did not care for this book, but I am anxiously awaiting Diana Gabaldon's upcoming book on the same subject. Carter manages a mass of characters who struggle to survive the revolutionary war. From wives hoping to be reunited with husbands, to Quakes and other pacifists trying to keep peace at all cost, to those who "just want to be left alone" and Torries loyal to the crown and tarred and feather for their belief (and latter return the favor 100 times over). And of course Indians playing the game best they can in hopes of one day returning to the ways of the ancestors. This audio book was "interesting." I really enjoyed Jimmy Carter's non-fiction work, so this lead me to try out his one fiction writing. This piece of historical fiction is attempted to be written like his non-fiction pieces, sort of in a memories mode. This is odd for fiction, as it is trying to get decades worth of fictional information into a story only several hours long. Also unlike most fiction works, there is not real central character, the story jumps back and forth, and its likely readable as such in print form, but much more hard to follow in audio only. Also this story, like many fiction writings of the 21st century, has far too many unnecessary sexual sense written in it. Add to that image, the idea that this is written not only by an old white man, but one who used to be the POTUS. ITs just weird. But the story was interesting and worth following, and like all good historical fiction made me want to learn more about the facts behind it, to determine how much was history and how much was fiction. Often I felt more like I was hearing a civil war story than a revolutionary store, with a frequent thought that for an Georgian in his 70s the Civil War is still not far enough that we can talk about it candidly, but then again I'm reminded that if Washington would have lost, our Revolutionary war may well have been referred to as the British Civil War. Well-researched and interesting POV of the chaos among families before and during American Revolution. Some statements about the King's government and the objections of the colonists ring true today, same old story: the rich and powerful take take take, appoint cronies to manipulate banking and "justice," and to silence the masses. Picked up the Simon & Schuster audio book on clearance (read by Edward herrmann), and didn't manage to finish it. It sort of gets bogged down in the military details (including the torture/execution details), which I guess shouldn't surprise me, being by a military/political male. But it did really disappoint me in failure to understand its women characters or even round them out. They didn't even have 'steel magnolia' depth. I'm glad this man I admire tried, but I wish he could have tried a little harder. Jimmy Carter's gift does not lie in the realm of fiction. I felt that should be established straight off. The former US president has written a historical novel detailing the Revolutionary War as it was fought in and by the men of the Deep South and primarily in his home state of Georgia. To do this Carter follows men from both sides - notably militia leader Elijah Clarke and the captain of the Florida rangers Thomas Brown - as well as homesteader Ethan Pratt who wants nothing more than to be left alone to tend to his farm. Where Carter deals with the former two (I assume the characters are actual men from history), he is at his best. He has clearly researched the period thoroughly - the detail is impressive and, at least in Part II, does not tend to bog the story down too much. Carter shows atrocities committed by both sides until violence and terror becomes a way of life even for the formerly peaceful and as the war numbs both sides to suffering and fans hatred. I was impressed by the even-handed approach as such novels are usually rousing pro-patriot affairs. In the description of battles and intelligence Carter brings the history to life fairly well - he should have stuck to writing an engaging history book. For Carter's main characters are flat cardboard cutouts. Especially in Part I they have little substance and seem to serve only as mouthpieces to spout long paragraphs of rhetoric for one side or the other. Dialogue is stiff and implausible, and Carter falls into the tell rather than show trap of describing his characters' feelings - when, that is, he knows what those feelings and motivations are. Mostly he seems to have no idea and any talk of their private lives is awkward and jarring. The 'moving love story' does not materialize until the last 50 pages ande is - to put it bluntly - lame; the resolution of the love triangle is pure cop-out. The novel also seemed rather harsh toward the Quakers - surprising as they are usually treated sympathetically in such novels. Carter, however, showed the intrusiveness of the religion and the mercenary exploitation of the protection granted their community to make as much money as possible from the war. Not that this was necessarily characteristic of all Quaker communities, but it certainly seems plausible that some used their protected status. All told, I'm glad I read this as I feel I learned a good deal about the Revolutionary War in the South, but I hope that Carter writes nonfiction in the future. I would buy it. Not bad for a first-time historical novelist. Also shows how you can use your own family's genealogy as the basis for a historical novel. I read this as a companion piece to E. L. Doctorow's "The March." "The March" covers the civil war in the same three states as Carter's historical novel about the revolutionary war. My own many-great grandfather fought in the revolutionary war in North Carolina and was killed by Loyalists in a reprisal raid of his home much like the raids described by Carter. The revolutionary war in the South was much different than that in the North. Most of the British Army in the South was recruited from local Loyalists and it led to a situation of neighbor against neighbor not at all unlike what is going on in Iraq today. |
Current DiscussionsNonePopular covers
Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
Is this you?Become a LibraryThing Author. |