Robert Morgan (1) (1944–)

(2007)Pretty good bio of Daniel Boone written in almost a novelistic style. Didn't finish but did read 250 of the 462 pages. (PW)Many historical figures are more interesting in reality than in myth. Daniel Boone was one of them. Brilliant explorer, trapper and pathfinder, renowned marksman and revolutionary militia officer, he was also a loner, parent, legislator, settler and failed speculator. Poet and fiction writer Morgan (Gap Creek) portrays Boone in lively prose but also in excessive detail. Must we know of Boone's life week by week or of favored Shawnee coital positions? And must he give us references to Emerson, Thoreau and Faulkner? Morgan is a trustworthy, up-to-date authority who needs no support from others. Boone comes fully alive in his pages. Morgan's objectivity gives us a completely realized man, the greatest pioneer of the Trans-Appalachian west, who helped open Kentucky to settlement but kept going, settling eventually in Missouri. His luck was as legendary as his deeds, given what he seems to have escaped. Yet Morgan skillfully assesses and often questions the validity of all the tales of good fortune and heroism attached to Boone. Most appealing today, Boone was deeply respectful of the native tribes, a respect returned by the Indians, many of whom he befriended even when he was in conflict with them. If only others had possessed his wisdom and character.… (más)

OMG, how Morgan does go on. This 20-hour audio book could easily have been 15 hours if an editor had managed to restrain Morgan's verbosity. Points raised over and over again, sometimes in anticipation of their place in the timeline, then at their occurrence, are then pointed back to at some later point in the narrative. I particularly had to laugh when Morgan accused some 19th-century biographers of Boone of indulging in purple prose, only to turn to it himself in the very same chapter. Morgan also seems oddly comfortable saying that whether or not some particular story about Boone really occurred does not matter; that it nonetheless reveals such-and-such about Boone's character.
I simply cannot recommend this book, but neither can I point you to some alternative. Wikipedia, perhaps?
[Audiobook note: Especially at first, narrator James Jenner seemed to me to take much-too-long pauses between sentences and paragraphs. Later, he either sped up or I had become accustomed to his rhythm.]… (más)

Written as a tribute to his grandmother, author Robert Morgan wrote, Gap Creek, the story of the first couple of years of a young couple’s marriage. They lived in Appalachia around the turn of the century when money and jobs were scarce and this young couple had to try and live off the land. Julie is a strong young woman who is trying to make a home for herself and her new husband, Hank. When Hank loses his job and their live-in landlord dies, life changes for them. It doesn’t help that Julie is pregnant and Hank feels inferior in that he can’t seem to support them.

The author paints a vivid picture of life in the Appalachian high country. Hank and Julie must face a number of difficulties such as fires, floods, a drunken neighbour, and grifters. They struggle with nature, with work and with their disappointments in themselves and each other. But the author is always respectful of his characters making sure that this story of sufferings and misfortunes is delivered with compassion and hope.

I was totally engrossed by their life and I am very thankful that I live in the ease of a modern times. Gap Creek is a book that I will long remember, with it’s strong sense of place, gripping story and the amazing character of Julie. Resourceful, strong, brave and industrious her self-sufficiency was admirable especially considering her isolation from others. With his simple yet descriptive writing, I was often reminded of old-time country music and I will certainly be looking for more from this author.… (más)