I read a book a while back called "Gap Creek" about a young couple in the late 1800's trying to get by. The book talks a great deal about things we discuss here all the time.

Anybody know of similar books?

-- Paul Wheaton (paul@javaranch.com), January 22, 2002

Answers

Response to Gap Creek

I really enjoy what I call "survival" type novels, not necessarily taking place in the past. One of my favorites is set in modern times, about some folks who are on an island off the coast of Washington state when they are hit by a tsunami. The rescue helicopter go over the site and finding it demolished figure there are no survivors. The 8 people have only what debris was left by the tidal wave and the formal evening clothes that they had on. No electricity, no running water and not even any tools to make anything with. In essence they were practically cast back into the stone age, except they had their intellegience and knowledge. The name of the book is Phoenix Island. Other "survival" type novels I emjoy are "Alas Babylon" and "Malevil."

-- MissJudi (jselig@clemson.edu), January 22, 2002.

Response to Gap Creek

A series of books I enjoy A LOT is Jean M. Auel's "Earth's children" books (starting with "Clan of the Cave Bear"). Theology (such as it is) is a bit suspect, but she thoroughly researches the archeology of everything in this story of people journeying through and living in Ice-Age Europe.

Examples: you want to know the difference between making Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon flint tools - she describes the processes, and explains why the Cro-Magnon enjoyed an enormous industrial advantage with no startling technological breakthrough. You want to know how people could live year-round in a restricted range with Ice-Age winters - she tells you. Plausible scenarios for discovery of flint- and-iron fire-making or taming dogs or taming horses - you got it. Ways people could did live through winter in close proximity with the great polar glaciers with no more than a couple of days worth of what we would recognise as fuel - it's there. Mechanisms for ideas to travel from one side of the Eurasian continental mass to the other, regardless of language differences, in less than a decade (say the invention of ceramics, or an improved way of hunting) - simple! Or between the African and European continents in a generation. Invention of booze - right there (Yeah!). Natural healing and biological pharmocopaea - willow bark, wild cherry, comfrey, natural hormonal birth-control, others - all there.

Highly recommended - a good read. I just wish that her thorough research didn't mean we had to wait so MANY years between volumes.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), January 22, 2002.

Malevil was one of thoses books I could keep reading over and over but I guess it was just to good of a book as of all the books I had in storage at one time it was the one the mice ate. So if you know of where a copy can be had I would like to know. Also a nice lady who lived about 15 miles from here wrote the litte house on the praire series which does give some information on how the lived. My favorite was not in the series but on living in Wright county missouri.

-- gail missouri ozarks (gef@getgoin.net), January 22, 2002.

Loved that book. The flood was a pretty grusome scene though. Have you ever real Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier? What a wonderful book, it is long but well worth reading. Especially when you get to the women making it on their own in the mountains during war times and how successful they were. There is some interesting information to be gleened from this novel too!

-- Susan northern MN (nanaboo@paulbunyan.net), January 22, 2002.

I loved Cold Mountain. Read Gap Creek about a year ago, also very good. On a slightly different note, have you seen Songcatcher? It's a movie about a woman collecting ballads in the appalachians. very interesting movie, very good soundtrack (almost as good as the "o brother where art thou" soundtrack!)

-- Elizabeth (Lividia66@aol.com), January 22, 2002.

I remember reading "Gap Creek" a while back. If I'm not mistaken it was one of Opra's books. I enjoyed it except all the bad luck they had. I kept waiting for their lives to get better and it just never happened. The book does give one an idea of what life was really like in those days.

-- Lee in sw MO (larnold88@hotmail.com), January 23, 2002.

Iloved the book "Shiloh Autumn" by the author Brodie..first name escapes me. I believe it was set in the 30's on a farm/homestead. I laughed and even cried... when a book can bring on allthese emotions, I rate it well.Michele.

-- MicheleRaePadgett (michelesmelodyfarm@yahoo.com), January 24, 2002.