Another Review at MyShelf.Com

Publisher: Publish America
Release Date: June 2004
ISBN: 1413712983
Awards:  
Format Reviewed: Paperback
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Genre:   Historical [1640s America]
Reviewed: 2004
Reviewer: Rachel A Hyde
Reviewer Notes:  
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One With The Land
By Preston L Gorbett


    Fort James settler Scott Walker befriends one of the nearby Powhatens, a young brave named Falling Feather. But during a hunting trip, things go disastrously wrong, and Scott accidentally kills his friend. Imagining that the tribe will soon be on his trail, he runs away and starts having adventures of his own as he explores the West, which has hitherto been unexplored by Europeans. He will meet the beautiful Shawnee Dew-on-the-grass-in-the-moon-when-the-leaves-fall, and the courageous Man-with-no-hair, fall in love, and live a free man in a new world.

     This is a simple story, and none the worse for this as it deals with simple but fundamental things. The author has written a paean of praise for the free, outdoor life in the unspoiled wilderness without making it seem easy or too idyllic. Hard work, solitude, and some troublesome neighbors are a few facts of life, along with hard winters and fierce animals, but the rewards are not inconsiderable. Reading about the wild and wide open spaces of 17th century America certainly made me yearn for what has been lost, and stories about people living in the great outdoors with Mother Nature as their neighbor are always uplifting. Preston L. Gorbett gives a convincing picture of those far-off times complete with several very different Native American tribes. His own love of wild places comes through on every page. This is not a period many authors choose to write about, so this book is well worth a look.