River Of Earth | 
| Author: James Still
Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
Buy Used: $5.69
You Save: $14.26 (71%)
New (22) Used (28) Collectible (3) from $5.69
Avg. Customer Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 234303
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.6
ISBN: 0813113725
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.52
EAN: 9780813113722
ASIN: 0813113725
Publication Date: December 31, 1978
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Some wear on book from reading, spine creases, wear on binding and pages, we guarantee all purchases and ship all items via USPS mail.
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Product Description
First published in 1940 and now reprinted with a perceptive foreword by Dean Cadle, James Still's novel River of Earth has become one of the classics of Appalachian literature. It is the story, seen through the eyes of a small boy, of three years in the life of his family and their kin. He sees his parents pulled between the meager farm with its sense of independence and the mining camp with its uncertain promise of material prosperity. In his world privation, violence, and death are part of everyday life, accepted and endured. Yet, withal, it is a world of dignity, love, and humor, of natural beauty, which Still evokes in sharp, poetic images. No writer has caught more effectively the vividness of mountain speech or shown more honestly the trials and joys of mountain life.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
Poetry September 14, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
It's no wonder the author was named Poet Laureate of Kentucky; this is sheer poetry. Took my battered used copy, which I'd never gotten around to reading, to a Kentucky state park one weekend and read it in two sittings on the balcony overlooking the lovely Kentucky hills; you can't get much better than that. Simply one of the most beautiful and sublime books I've ever read. You'll find the characters hard to forget.
Engaging story - beautifully written in authentic language October 14, 2006
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
It's been a few years since I read this book, so I can't be as detailed as I would like. The book was first published to critical acclaim the same year as Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath. If I remember Cadle's introduction correctly, Still's book actually got better reviews than Steinbeck's. The narrator is the family's 9-year old son. (As an aside, the narrator's name is mentioned only once, so be sure to note it. As I got further into the book, I forgot his name & could not find it.)
The story is set in Appalachia in the 1920's or 30's. The father, Brack, works in the coal mines; each time a mine closes, the family move to another one (provided there is work available). Although the father is a hard worker who loves his family, he's an extremely soft touch; even though the family is on the verge of starvation, he still helps anyone who asks. His optimism and his sense of duty to others make him and his family vulnerable; he allows three male relatives to move in with the family. All 3 are moochers who make no attempt to contribute to the family; they are seemingly unaware of or indifferent to the fact that they are straining the family's resources to the breaking point. Fortunately, the mother is resourceful; when the father will not stand up to his relatives, she takes matters into her own hands. To avoid spoiling the story, I'll just say that the way she handles the situation is unusual, but effective. I'll leave you to judge whether her solution was morally appropriate.
The story is quite sad in places, but there's a good deal of humor in the book. The core family come across as good people who are coping reasonably well with the challenges they face.
The writing is top-notch and the language is beautiful and authentic. I don't remember there being a single false note in the book. (The portrait of Uncle Samp is perhaps a bit underdeveloped, but he is a peripheral character.) Some of the characters are eccentric, but no character is eccentric through and through. The major characters ring true; they are real people who react in understandable ways to the circumstances of their lives.
If I remember correctly, Cadle comments in his introduction that Still's voice is remarkably unobtrusive. (I'm probably understating what Cadle actually says). Perhaps I should have refrained from coloring the events with my own moral perspective. Be that as it may, Still let the story speak for itself and left readers to draw their own conclusions. This allows the story and the quality of the writing to pull the reader in.
To get a taste of the story and the writing, check out the excerpt and the "surprise me" option. The latter took me immediately to an excerpt, but the actual excerpt option didn't work at first. After a few tries, I was able to get the excerpt to appear.
leboutime February 24, 2005
7 out of 11 found this review helpful
I loved this book! It was easy to read,I couldn't put it down.
The language and times were captured perfectly, the story line well written and believable. I highly recommend this book.
The heart and soul of Appalachia December 16, 1999
23 out of 26 found this review helpful
James Still has exquisitely and intricately chronicled what it is like to be born, live, and die in the hills of eastern Kentucky. Natives of the region will read the book and feel attached to the book if by nothing else but the geography. Others will be drawn into the book by the sincerity and realism of the characters. Still, the poet laureate of Kentucky, beautifully relates the attachment of eastern Kentuckians to the mountain soil in spite of the poverty and hard living that they must endure. More than that, however, it is a story of inspiration and coming of age. I highly recommend it to anyone.
Simply wonderful... October 5, 1999
17 out of 17 found this review helpful
In my opinion, River of Earth deserves to be celebrated among the best works of 20th century fiction. James Still not only evokes the setting in depression era Kentucky, but he also captures the spirit of the people and the point of view of his young narrator. This is not a sentimental rendering of an idealized past but rather a pure slice of life cut down to the bone with a real sharp knife. The story is full of humor and hard times, and the language is akin to poetry. "Where ARE we bound on this river of earth?"
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