A memorable and heartbreaking book full of perseverance and fortitude.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
SUMMARY
Tobias MacIvey moved from the overworked land of Georgia to the Florida wilderness in 1858. He was intent on building a house and carving out a better life with his wife Emma and their son Zechariah. A Land Remembered is the story of three generations of the MacIvey family in Florida, exhibiting the perseverance of pioneers as they battle a harsh and unforgiving environment. The MacIvey’s fight with bears, mosquitoes, confederate deserters, starvation, hurricanes and freezes. They manage to amass great wealth as a result of their hard work and determination to survive.
“All I’m trying to tell you is to be strong. Don’t ever let nothing get you down. Don’t be afraid or ashamed to love, or to grieve when the thing you love is gone. Just don’t let it throw you, no matter how much it hurts.“
REVIEW
A LAND REMEMBERED skillfully transports us with oxen and cart to a vision of South Florida in the mid-nineteenth century. To a time where horses and cattle ran wild and the land was untamed. The stories of Tobias, Zechariah and Solomon MacIvey were engrossing, unforgettable and at times heart-breaking. The many characters forming the MacIvey clan were courageous and memorable, and you couldn’t help but appreciate the unique friendships formed. My favorite part was the idealist manner in which the family would brush themselves off after each disaster and move on and start again.
Patrick Smith’s writing was descriptive and poignant, telling a powerful story of this family’s struggle with nature and with the development of the land. We watch as Florida is transform from swamps, forests and palmetto palms to condominiums, souvenir shops and fast food restaurants. It’s a bittersweet story. This is a must read for anyone who lives in Florida. As a native Floridian I savored every word and really didn’t want it to end.
In the annual statewide The Best of Florida poll taken by Florida Monthly Magazine, A Land Remembered has been ranked #1 Best Florida Book ten times. Patrick D. Smith is a 1999 inductee into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame. A native of Mendenhall, Mississippi, he holds a B.A. degree and a Master’s degree in English from the University of Mississippi. He moved to Florida in 1966 and passed away in 2014.
“Perhaps animals are smarter than men, he thought, taking only what they need to live today leaving something for tomorrow.”
Publisher Recorded Books
Published Audible - November. 29, 2011
Narrated. George Guidall
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com