A Diary's House in Ask C.David Murphy

Sep 28, 2012 Niki rated it it was amazing

What a great book, in plays in the early 1900's in North Carolina.
It tells you about a boy called Landon and his family and friends. They are convinced that to proof they become man to do a very dangerous river trip. it is a wild river with a waterfall drop.
They do have help from a man building their float who appeared later to be a ghost. A insane priest is around and he is so weird and sort of funny in a way too.

You learn about Cherokee history and the trail of tears, when they make the danger ...more

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Aug 06, 2012 adam-p-reviews rated it liked it

Shelves: adventure, historical, general-fiction, romance

A Diary’s House, Where True Love Endures is based in the late nineteenth century in North Carolina and tells the tale of Landon Hampshire, a young boy on the verge of manhood. Landon and his two friends; Jonathan and Thomas set out on an adventure to make them rich, famous and above all into men. Their idea to become these three things is to journey down the dangerous and infamous Randola River to Sebastian’s Island where it is rumoured a pirate’s treasure is hidden! But to get there they need h A Diary’s House, Where True Love Endures is based in the late nineteenth century in North Carolina and tells the tale of Landon Hampshire, a young boy on the verge of manhood. Landon and his two friends; Jonathan and Thomas set out on an adventure to make them rich, famous and above all into men. Their idea to become these three things is to journey down the dangerous and infamous Randola River to Sebastian’s Island where it is rumoured a pirate’s treasure is hidden! But to get there they need help. The three friends travel to the house of a mysterious old man called Montague, who has travelled down the Randola and lived to tell the tale.

Old Man Montague agrees to help the boys and builds them a raft to float down the Randola. However Landon is suspicious of Montague, believing that there is something not right with him, but Jonathan and Thomas are too excited to start their journey down the Randola and tell him to 'stop fussing' over his suspicions. The day of the voyage arrives and Landon’s suspicion is proved right, Montague backs out of his agreement to journey down the Randola with the boys and vanishes into thin air! It turns out Montague was a spirit who was killed in the Randola and wanted to lead them to their deaths! This is not a good omen for the boy’s voyage.

Their voyage is dangerous but by following the advice Montague gave them (before he disappeared) the three companions make it to Sebastian’s Island. But what they find there is not what they were expecting! The island is protected by Kituhwa, (the soul of a Cherokee Indian Legend) a fierce warrior who attacks Landon and his companions! In their attempt to lose Kituhwa, the boys are spilt up on the island, for safety Landon ventures into a forest full of ancient trees. Whilst in hiding, Landon uncovers an old dairy written over fifty years before, which tells the tale of a young girl’s emergence into adulthood. Landon is reunited with his friends and escapes the island with his life. He realises that he will not uncover the Pirate’s treasure but he now has to uncover the mystery of the diary; whose is it?

The diary reveals the story of two star-crossed lovers. One is the daughter of a wealthy, white business man (whose diary it is) and the other is a young Cherokee boy named U-no-le. The diary tells of how they met and how they both fell in love with each other. But because of outside influences, their love is not allowed to be. Landon becomes engrossed with the diary’s story of a love that was challenged at every chance. Landon soon finds that this diary is more than just an old love story but something much closer to him and his family and which will have a vital role in his future!

For me, this was a book of two halves (a bit of a cliché I know!). The first half was Landon’s journey down the Randola River and the second half was the story and mystery behind the diary. To be totally honest, I really didn’t like the first half of this book. I thought that it was beautifully written, but I also thought that most of the text didn’t need to be there! What I mean by this is that you’d be reading sentence after sentence of beautifully written text but it would be describing something like Landon’s breathing or him climbing in and out of a window. I felt all this description really slowed down the book making it hard to really get into! I also found the story of Landon sailing down a river to find a Pirate’s treasure unappealing, especially when there were ghosts and talking trees thrown into the mix! When I was reading it, I always seemed to think of the movie ‘Stand by Me’ for some reason or ‘The Goonies’. I just thought it was going to be like one of those movies; 'three kids on an adventure to find themselves!'

However this changed with the introduction of the diary. I really like the story of the girl and U-no-le (I would have liked to have gone into it more detail above but I didn’t want to spoil the ending!). I found it truly sad as these two people who loved each other were not allowed to be together. Coincide this with the events in Landon’s love life makes this half of the book really tug at your heart strings (which I really liked). I also loved the relationship that emerged between Landon and his Grandmother in the book. Again, I don’t want to give too much away but it is really sad because Landon doesn’t at first see much of his Grandmother but you can tell that they are so much alike and that his Grandmother really loves him. And most importantly, I liked how Landon became a man, not by conquering a famous river or by finding lost treasure but by solving the mystery of the diary and bringing his family closer together.

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Aug 15, 2012 Beth rated it it was amazing

Where to start with this reveiw? This book is unlike anything that I've read recently. It is the story of a young boy, Landon Hampshire, coming of age in turn of the century rural North Carolina. It is a complex story filled with well developed charaters. The writing style is unusual and almost has the meter of the dialect of North Carolina. At time it felt like I was reading Huck Finn. It is filled with beautiful descriptions, mysticism, ghosts, and Native Cherokee legends mixed together to for ...more

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Jul 31, 2012 David Murphy rated it it was amazing · (Review from the author)

When a writer comes to review their own work, it becomes a tenuous ground to stand on. Any relevant praise will be considered bias if but for the mere lack of constructive criticism that a normal review may ultimately garner. A balanced, even approach is quite often required to fully encapsulate such a work in its correct lighting.

I was reluctant to do as such for the aforementioned reasons above. I would press upon any reader/reviewer to relate and simply understand the immense task and require When a writer comes to review their own work, it becomes a tenuous ground to stand on. Any relevant praise will be considered bias if but for the mere lack of constructive criticism that a normal review may ultimately garner. A balanced, even approach is quite often required to fully encapsulate such a work in its correct lighting.

I was reluctant to do as such for the aforementioned reasons above. I would press upon any reader/reviewer to relate and simply understand the immense task and required thought process to weave, incorporate & invent a storyline as complex a novel as ‘A Diary’s House’ would entail. This is no ordinary novel…

You may often hear the terms ‘wordy’ or ‘long’ with some of the reviews, but hardly will you here the word ‘unjustified’ behind it. Simply put, to create and intertwine the vast nature of two worlds as I made an attempt to do so in this novel – it simply required such lengths in order to instill the gravity this particular story required.

Add to the flair a literary tone & narrative style (of a consummate ‘Victorian ingredient’) created and invented from this particular era in order to bring more realism to the story, it becomes a daunting task to achieve. As a writer, I have always pushed myself and challenged the nature of the written word – in order to create a world and vision unique to my ‘voice’. Most writers garner and value commercial success. I seek to bridge the quality of writing with imaginative elements to induce the common-day reader to join with me ‘for the ride’. Commercialism can give you a ‘vanilla’ taste, and in truth this may bring great satisfaction to many common readers of today. But I also want to press the reader as I press myself in writing mode & movement, to think alternatively to what they are used to; to invent their own imagination from a manifold they would not think of otherwise.

Look at the same reviews and in the end, the reader feels justified in making the effort to read this story, and also having a real & true satisfaction when the ending came. Abstract and/or art; verse & prose or relegated, toned-down word usage; the story still sits in the bed of these book covers. In the end, the story is what sweeps the reader to explore & indulge within those fantasies. I feel ‘A Diary’s House’ measurably prevails to give the reader such an engrossing tale to ‘snuggle into’ & grow within the story itself.

‘A Diary’s House’ can be conveyed in a thousand different ways and in a thousand different formats – each reviewer/reader has a specific & opinionated view on which best serves their ‘likes’ in reading styles & manuscripts. One that serves the ‘goose’ for one, will not serve the ‘gander’ for the other. It is simply impossible to please everyone’s likes and avoid their ‘dislikes’ in revealing a singular story. The parameter is just too large to evade criticism and incur praise all in the same moment. A paradox of variable reviews will ultimately ensue…

I ask the reader/reviewer to not be so enclosed, but to venture out a little and come out of their traditional comfort zone – in the end, I believe, you will be greatly rewarded. To harness constriction will only distort an enhanced & overall viewpoint that will ultimately evolve if one is exposed to such works.
Before there was a ‘Mark Twain’, was there a ‘Mark Twain’; had anyone heard of a ‘Mark Twain’? And if ‘Mark Twain’ had not made a difference in the world, would the world be a lesser place for it?

There are many great writers of the past, and for this reason alone we should hold their works in high regard; after all, they’ve stood the test of time and previous generations thought highly enough of such gifted writers to place with them a literary life which will endure.

My general consensus is we owe the current literary writers, who have true art in value with the written word, the identical care and consideration. After all, will there never be another ‘Mark Twain’ of ‘Jane Austen’ to rise in the current-day fields of the literary world – that is for us, as consummate readers, to manifest and cultivate for our generation, and for the ones to come…

If you feel compelled by the brief storyline of ‘A Diary’s House’, you will not be disappointed in the final outcome this novel creates. Rather, as one reviewer stated, it might bring to you the ‘Wow’ factor. If so, then your initial intuition will hold true. And you will find real value in reading ‘A Diary’s House’. As much value as I received in writing such an enduring story….

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Jul 31, 2012 Marlene rated it it was amazing

A Diary's House is unlike anything I have read recently. The author C.David Murphy has a writing style that is quite unique. He is able to bring every character to life with unprecedented detail. The novel was written as a tribute to his deceased son and the story reflects his passion. He definitely puts his heart and soul into every page. It is a story of adventure, true love, romance and coming of age. This is a must read for all.

Disclosure; My company Digital Publishing Expert owns the digita ...more

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Jan 29, 2013 Jerri Davis rated it it was amazing

I was given a copy of "A Diary's House: Where True Love Endures" in exchange for and Honest Review. I have to say this was and Excellent Book. The Paranormal Travels of a Group of Boys to find a vast amount of Interesting Ghost is A Great Read for this time of year Fall. The Group is Destined for Fear and Excitement all at the same time in there meetings with these Ghost. The Book Explains in detail each Ghost Personality and the effects that they have on the Boys. The Boys have a Zest for Ghost ...more

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Oct 02, 2012 Julie rated it liked it

I liked this book very much, but it was very wordy...I am really into descriptive nature passages, but this was a little too much description, to the point of distraction sometimes. I loved the story and characters, though!

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