''The Land Breakers'' is a 1964 American historical novel by
John Ehle
John Marsden Ehle, Jr. (December 13, 1925 – March 24, 2018) was an American writer known best for his fiction set in the Appalachian Mountains of the American South. He has been described as "the father of Appalachian literature".
Life and c ...
. It is the first book in Ehle's seven-volume Appalachian cycle.
Plot
''The Land Breakers'' chronicles the settling of an unnamed, uninhabited, remote
Appalachia
Appalachia () is a cultural region in the Eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York State to northern Alabama and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Newfoundland and Labrador, Ca ...
n valley by several pioneering families. The valley is located in mountainous country between
Watauga County
Watauga County ( ) from the North Carolina Collection's website at the and the towns of Morganton and Old Fort in western North Carolina. The book’s action takes place from 1779 to 1784 and relates the families’ struggles with harsh weather, wild animals, economic pressures, and interpersonal conflicts.
Characters
* Mooney and Imy Wright are a young Irish immigrant couple who are the first to settle in the valley.
* Tinkler Harrison is an elderly, wealthy plantation owner from Virginia who aspires to dominate the new settlement. He is accompanied by his family and several slaves.
* Lorry Pollard is Tinkler's daughter, who is raising her young sons Lafayette and Verlin alone after being abandoned by her husband Lacey. She and her sons are part of the Harrison party.
* Inez and Ernest Plover are Tinkler Harrison’s sister and brother-in-law, who follow the Harrisons to the valley with their large family, all daughters. The eldest is Pearlamina. Before leaving Virginia, their teenage daughter Belle weds Tinkler Harrison.
* Nicholas and Anna Bentz are a German immigrant couple who settle in the valley with their son Felix.
Reception
Upon its release, the book received positive reviews from critics for its believable relationships among the characters and its authentic portrayal of life in the American frontier.Hal Borland, in a review for ''The New York Times'', praised Ehle's eloquent writing and dialogue, as well as the dramatic narrative underpinning its exploration of life in the "pioneer past." He wrote that the "story moves—even when it seems to pause for sights and sounds and smells that taunt the senses, even when it deals with herbal lore." ''
Kirkus Reviews
''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...
'' wrote that it "reads with the authentic regional sound of a folk song recorded by lanLomax."
Reprintings and retrospective reviews
''The Land Breakers'' was reissued in 2006 after decades out of print. About the reissue,
Harper Lee
Nelle Harper Lee (April 28, 1926February 19, 2016) was an American novelist best known for her 1960 novel ''To Kill a Mockingbird''. It won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize and has become a classic of modern American literature. Lee has received numero ...
wrote "John Ehle's meld of historical fact with ineluctable plot-weaving makes ''The Land Breakers'' an exciting example of his masterful storytelling. He is our foremost writer of historical fiction." In 2009, Michael Ondaatje wrote of the reissue "''The Landbreakers'' (sic) is a great American novel, way beyond anything most New York literary icons have produced."
The book was reprinted again in November 2014 by New York Review Books. Donna Meredith, in the ''Southern Literary Review'', wrote that the book was a classic and praised its "universal insight into the nature of relationships." B.J. Sedlock reviewed the book for the
Historical Novel Society The Historical Novel Society (HNS) is a nonprofit international literary society devoted to promotion of and advocacy for the genre of historical fiction.
Definition of historical fiction
There are varying definitions as to what types of literature ...
in 2015, noting its use of "simple, spare prose" to convey its central themes of community and survival.
On November 24, 2021, Valerie Stivers published a blog post exploring the historically accurate food of ''The Land Breakers'' in '' The Paris Review''.