Gap Creek

by Robert Morgan

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Gap Creek

by
Robert Morgan

book data

2089 ratings, 3.42 average rating, 269 reviews (more data...)

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published

October 2000 by Turtleback Books Distributed by Demco Media

binding

Unknown Binding

isbn

060619942X (isbn13: 9780606199421)

description

Oprah Book Club® Selection, January 2000: Robert Morgan's Gap Creek opens with one wrenching death and ends with another. In between, t...more

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All ratings | 5 stars (284) | 4 stars (630) | 3 stars (756) | 2 stars (258) | 1 star (60) | avg 3.42

all | this edition

Alisa

Alisa rated it:

(review of isbn 0743203631)

04/13/08

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

It's amusing that this novel is recommended by the Oprah Book Club juggernaut alongside Faulkner, because Morgan is trying for the Faulkner unreliable narrator, first-person regional dialect. I don't think he's entirely successful, though.

The dust jacket let us know he's from North Carolina mountain stock, and the setting feels pretty authentic. I think it's late 1800s or around the turn of the ce...more

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Christine

Christine rated it:

(review of isbn 1565122429)

01/14/08

Read in January, 2008

This book was not so bad but it wasn't as intriguing to me as the other books I read. I don't like to read about any sort of books containing rural background.
I really enjoyed how Julie, the main character just gets things done whether she wants to or not. I, on the other hand, cannot be like her because at home when I'm assigned to do chores, I do them when I'm done with my homework or if I really don't like doing it, I don't get it done at all.
Julie is a hard working woman who, had seen ...more

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Suzanna

Suzanna rated it:

(review of isbn 0743203631)

08/05/08

Read in August, 2008

recommends it for: Brigitte

I loved this book. I selected it to read because my public library's website said that if you liked "These is My Words", you would like this one. However, between requesting it from there and starting it, I read some Goodreads reviews and thought, ugh, I picked a bummer. Not so! In that light, I want to address some of the negatives I read on this site from other readers.

This book is, indeed, written by a man. And it is told from a young woman's perspective. But I found the a...more I loved this book. I selected it to read because my public library's website said that if you liked "These is My Words", you would like this one. However, between requesting it from there and starting it, I read some Goodreads reviews and thought, ugh, I picked a bummer. Not so! In that light, I want to address some of the negatives I read on this site from other readers.

This book is, indeed, written by a man. And it is told from a young woman's perspective. But I found the author to be extremely insightful, and I'm sure if he had used a woman's penname I would never have guessed his gender. Not only does he grasp what it is to be a woman, he has the naïveté of what it is to be a newlywed, young woman, down pat. He also understands how women perceive men, and how the actions of a husband affect a wife. And he showed insight into how one grows in the beginning of marriage. So, as far as I am concerned, the author's gender is not a problem.

Another issue I noticed in several reviews is that some readers feel this book is depressing. Now this is going to sound harsh, but it's how I feel. Either they are reading from an unsophisticated, naive or very young perspective, or they read the Cliffs Notes version and didn't get everything out of it they should have. Yes, the main character is this novel faces some terrible times. That's life, and it was certainly how life was at the turn of the 19th century for the average working person in the mountains of America. People on farms then, and similarly now, dealt with death on sometimes a daily basis, at least in some form. And at that time, illness was terrible and people died from things that don't kill normally healthy people now. What apparently was lost on these readers is the strength and perseverance of the main character, Julie. Julie is a powerhouse of courage and hope. She gets handed lemons in life, and she makes lemonade every time, even when she doesn't feel like it. She delights in the small joys of life - such as the blueness of the summer sky and frost on morning grass, and birds in the trees. When she reaches that point that a trial is over, she feels cleansed or strengthened. And no matter what happens or how bad things get, she never gives up, and always clings to hope - whether for herself or for someone she loves. And the book ends with that very sentiment - hope.

The last of the concerns expressed by other readers I want to address was the graphic details of some of the events, such as a hog killing and butchering. I did not feel it was indulgent. It was graphic, but why wouldn't it be? I'm not sure hog butchering is something you can effectively sugarcoat. And I doubt that the average reader would grasp what a chore it is for a woman to help with hog killing and butchering without some details. Like other events in the book, it's explained in a manner that makes the reader understand it, and in a way that I think a woman who had to go through it might actually explain it.

I'll wrap up by saying one of the things I loved about this book is that it is not terribly romantic, at least in the traditional sense. I don't like books (or movies for that matter) that are fluff. Real life is about people hanging onto each other and relationships through what is described in wedding vows - for better or for worse, in sickness and in health. Julie falls in love with her husband just like so many women do. He is physically attractive to her, he appears to be strong in character, and he appears to be ready to do anything in the world to make her happy. But when he disappoints her, and when life is rough, and that "sickness" and "worse" come into play, they learn how to hang onto each other, and how to make a life together - in spite of differences and difficulties. If you need fluff to make you happy, this book is not for you. ...less

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Beth

Beth rated it:

(review of isbn 156511387X)

01/24/08

Read in January, 2008

recommended to Beth by: Oprah's Book Club

I went to Oprah's book club to find some new reads and happened on Morgan. I was attracted to this because it takes place in the Appalachians.

His writing is very poetical and descriptive, with an almost musical lilt to some of his writing. Add to that the country way of speaking that lends a charm of it's own.

"The ground was deep in fresh-fell leaves, and leaves sparkled like they was waxed and oiled. I kicked up a cloud of leaves. I kicked up a fog of new-fell leaves. I kicked away the leaves in front of me like deep fresh snow. Leaves swarmed around my head, clicking as they touched. I waved my arms and swatted them away. I danced with the leaves and made them swirl faster. I laughed out loud and laughed at the top of my voice. I caught leaves in my apron and pitched them away." ...more

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Heather

Heather rated it:

(review of isbn 0743203631)

11/30/08

bookshelves: inspirational

Read in November, 2008

recommends it for: anyone who enjoys early 1900's fiction

Gap Creek takes you back in time to Julie Harmon's life at the turn of the century. She grew up helping her father and mother run their house and farm. Julie watches her brother and then her father die, and is the one the family depends on to care for these two as they are ill. Events take a quick turn after these deaths when Julie meets Hank Richards, and marries at the young age of 17. Robert Morgan takes you through the day to day struggles of life and ends the tale emotionally with yet anot...more

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Gretchen

Gretchen rated it:

(review of isbn 0743203631)

11/25/08

recommends it for: tim

finally, a book i can recommend to dad! a grim, brutal life in the valleys of north carolina, early 1900s. one of the most beautiful, poignant and heartwrenching stories i've read in years. the writing is straight from the mouth of a young uneducated woman who grew up on a farm as the caretaker of her family and now is newly married. also, i loved hearing about the lifestyle back then, how much work is involved just to make it through one day. after i finished i made some biscuits and tried a bo...more

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Disa

Disa rated it:

(review of isbn 0743203631)

09/17/08

This book tells a story of a strong women who does everything during her day and time. I want Erica to read this one when she is age appropriate.

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Edith

Edith rated it:

(review of isbn 0743203631)

12/02/08

recommends it for: Michelle

I read this quite awhile back but just recently pulled it off the shelf to look at it again since Michelle asked about it. And yes, Michelle, I do think this is a good read for you. It is about a young girl who begins newly married life in the Appalachians amidst a ton of hard work. It is actually amazing to me that a man can write so well about a young woman! This book leaves you with a real sense of just how difficult and exhausting it was to make a living off the land in the Appalachians, giv...more

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Tricia

Tricia rated it:

(review of isbn 0743203631)

08/15/08

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

I picked up a nice copy of this book from my library book sale for 10 cents awhile back. I decided to read it this week as my final book for the Southern Literature Challenge because it won the Southern Book Critic Circle Award.

However, it is also an Oprah book. Next time I pick up an Oprah book, somebody please just slap me. This book is more depressing than a sunless day in January. How depressing? Read on...

***Spoilers***

Set in 1899, the book opens with 17-year old protagonist Ju...more

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Kylie

Kylie rated it:

(review of isbn 0743203631)

08/24/08

Read in August, 2008

Cons:

I love the prose in this book. Robert Morgan is a poet and it's obvious. However, poets don't always make the best novelists, and I don't think that this novel is as great as it's cracked up to be.

Julie, Hank and all the minor characters appear quite flat, and I never cared that much about them. I've recently read another novel by a poet and found the same problem.

It's taking me a long time to get through this short book. I just don't really care what happens to Julie or Han...more

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Rebekah

Rebekah rated it:

(review of isbn 0743203631)

06/14/08

bookshelves: library-books

This is the other book that I blindly grabbed from the library and the librarian tapped her foot and banged her keys on the counter waiting to go home at 6:01 p.m. And I honestly don't know how a book written against everything my English teacher ever taught me got printed, but here it is. And it is a book recommended by Oprah's Book Club. The author (who is a man) is writing from the point of view of a teenage girl. The family is very poor, the Pa is very sick, and one daughter steps up to d...more

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Jordan

Jordan rated it:

(review of isbn 0743203348)

07/03/08

bookshelves: fiction

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in July, 2008

I picked this book up from the second-hand bookstore near where I work on a particularly rainy and grey Sunday. Since I haven't been reading like I used to, I wanted something easy to get me back in the groove, and this book, and the snippet of review from the NYT on the cover, caught my eye.

It's interesting enough, and the first 50 pages or so drew me in like crazy (hint: gruesome death), but as I neared the end, I realized that there wasn't really ever going to be any story or any real re...more

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treehugger

treehugger rated it:

(review of isbn 0788748912)

05/31/08

bookshelves: audiobooks, popular_lit

Read in May, 2008

This book was really a series of horrible events that makes me glad I live in North Carolina NOW rather than 100 years ago. Listening to it may not have been the way to go, as the narrator had the most annoying accent (NOT NORTH CAROLINA) and the most awkward timing of any narrator I have ever heard.

The dialog in this book between characters can be described as strained at best, and a lot of the meaning of the relationships between the characters comes from reading between the lines.

Bu...more

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Lucy

Lucy rated it:

(review of isbn 0743203631)

10/29/07

Read in October, 2007

recommends it for: people who think marriage is and always will be hard

The title is Gap Creek: The Story Of A Marriage. I had to keep reminding myself that this was a book of perspective. All books are, but I was so annoyed at the hard, bleek perspective the author chose to give us, that I wanted to shout out loud at the characters. Be nice! Say Thank You! Find a job!

Of course, their life WAS hard...which made their marriage hard. But, mostly, it was their lack of opportunity that made it so unbelievably difficult. Their lack of education and vision a...more

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Sandie

Sandie rated it:

(review of isbn 0743203631)

07/15/08

Read in July, 2006

In general, I usually do not buy "Oprah" books since most of them are "downers" featuring disfunctional families or folks with so many problems you come away from the read in need of Prozac. I thought I would attempt one last Oprah book. Unfortunately, it was Gap Creek! Just how may bad things can happen to one character? This novel is permeated with detailed descriptions of difficult and unpleasant chores performed by Julie, the main character, interwoven with the unrelentin...more

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Luisa

Luisa rated it:

(review of isbn 0743203631)

11/21/08

This had nice writing. It was sad but also hopeful. For an Oprah book, not too dark and depressing. It made me grateful for the conveniences I enjoy. I really liked the main character. In general the characters were very real and full. Mostly bad things happened but it still was hopeful and that was a reflection of the main character. It can relate to today. It wasn't a page turner but I got through it fast because I was invested in the characters.

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Jenijo.lyn

Jenijo.lyn rated it:

(review of isbn 0743203631)

07/10/08

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mary

Mary rated it:

(review of isbn 0743203631)

11/23/08

bookshelves: 2008

I got tired of the dialect and absolutely everything going wrong. Wish I had read that the author loosely based the story on his maternal grandmother's first year of marriage at the turn of the century before I started reading rather than after I finished. Somehow I think I might have been a bit more patient with the story.

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Debbie

Debbie rated it:

(review of isbn 0743203631)

11/22/08

bookshelves: loved-but-cant-remember

Read in December, 2003

recommends it for: all

i read this before goodreads came into my life. when i see a book i loved in the reviews it inspires me to give a rating of my own. a book that just helps you appreciate how hard it was just to stay alive a century ago, how few oppurtunities peope had for friendship and how isolated people were from eachother.1 loved it.

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Val

Val rated it:

(review of isbn 0743203631)

03/28/08

Read in March, 2008

I listened to this on audio, unabridged. It was alright. It made me think in an annoying southern accent though.

I don't think I have ever read a book that used the word "said" so much. She said, I said, she said, I said, he said, they said, said, said, said. I'm sure the author did it on purpose for rhythm or something, but I gotta say, it was annoying for me.

Sort of spoilers below, nothing major.

It was the kind of book that made me really hate one of the characters. Hank...more

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