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Look to the Mountain: A Novel
The million-copy bestselling novel of the New England frontier
One of the most popular and enduring novels of the last century, Look to the Mountain is the epic story of two young settlers who start a new life in the foothills of New Hampshire's White Mountains on the eve of the American Revolution. They learn to survive amid the struggle in what was then a harsh and unforgiving landscape, forging a bond between both them and their adopted homeland. A critical and commercial success when it was first published in 1942, LeGrand Cannon, Jr.'s novel was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and translated into numerous languages throughout the world. It has sold over one million copies through various editions and has never been out of print. Seventy-five years on, Look to the Mountain is still a definitive American novel, offering a captivating glimpse of life at the edges of the original colonies, and the grit and determination of the earliest New Englanders.
One of the most popular and enduring novels of the last century, Look to the Mountain is the epic story of two young settlers who start a new life in the foothills of New Hampshire's White Mountains on the eve of the American Revolution. They learn to survive amid the struggle in what was then a harsh and unforgiving landscape, forging a bond between both them and their adopted homeland. A critical and commercial success when it was first published in 1942, LeGrand Cannon, Jr.'s novel was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and translated into numerous languages throughout the world. It has sold over one million copies through various editions and has never been out of print. Seventy-five years on, Look to the Mountain is still a definitive American novel, offering a captivating glimpse of life at the edges of the original colonies, and the grit and determination of the earliest New Englanders.
496 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 5, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 7, 2021
Loved it! This was a massive door-stopper of a book (478 pages), but once I got past the opening chapters, I couldn't put it down.
To me, this was mainly a romance. Whit and Melissa live in NH in the 1770s, just before and during the Revolutionary War. They meet, fall in love, and overcome personal and societal obstacles to get married. The chapter where the local preacher manages to convince the town to "bend" the rules to allow this to happen was a favorite of mine.
Then, the fun begins: Whit and Melissa pack up a canoe and head up the river to homestead on a property Whit has managed to pick out and acquire, 100 miles to the north. I was riveted by their pioneering story. They overcome all odds to make it work, along with the help of some wonderful neighbor characters. They develop as individuals and as a couple, while they manage to build a home, clear the land and plant crops, and bring up a small family. I had no idea we had such pioneers in New England during this time period.
The author put a huge amount of research into the story, and he used it well. I also loved that the main antagonist during the beginning of the story [spoiler alert]
comes in at the end, but not in the way that I expected him to. This was a great ending!
To me, this was mainly a romance. Whit and Melissa live in NH in the 1770s, just before and during the Revolutionary War. They meet, fall in love, and overcome personal and societal obstacles to get married. The chapter where the local preacher manages to convince the town to "bend" the rules to allow this to happen was a favorite of mine.
Then, the fun begins: Whit and Melissa pack up a canoe and head up the river to homestead on a property Whit has managed to pick out and acquire, 100 miles to the north. I was riveted by their pioneering story. They overcome all odds to make it work, along with the help of some wonderful neighbor characters. They develop as individuals and as a couple, while they manage to build a home, clear the land and plant crops, and bring up a small family. I had no idea we had such pioneers in New England during this time period.
The author put a huge amount of research into the story, and he used it well. I also loved that the main antagonist during the beginning of the story [spoiler alert]
comes in at the end, but not in the way that I expected him to. This was a great ending!
September 12, 2025
This is a wonderful book ! The dialogue is true to the era and the place. The locations are beautifully described - simply and in matter-of-fact Yankee fashion. The story is strictly contained and doesn't bring in too many historical events.It follows a young man and his young wife, as they leave tough family situations near Bedford, NH in the mid-1700's and make a home for themselves in the area of Tamworth, NH, near Mt Chocorua. This is the age of settlement; the area is just being settled after the violence of the French and Indian War. Whit and Melissa settle in and work hard to clear, plant, harvest, log, and build on their land. Then, the civil unrest leading up to the American Revolution begins to filter into the frontier. The family must decide, does Whit become involved or stay on his land nad hope the war passes them by, whatever the results? Great book ...
October 23, 2022
Loved the book, although it was sometimes to hard to understand the vernacular of the 1700’s speech. We live in New Hampshirite and recognized all the locations in the book.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews