Trials Of The Earth: The True Story of a Pioneer Woman - Hardcover

Hamilton, Mary Mann

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0316341398 ISBN 13: 9780316341394

Publisher: Little, Brown & Company, 2016

Synopsis

Near the end of her life, Mary Mann Hamilton (1866-c.1936) was encouraged to record her experience as a female pioneer. The result is the only known first-hand account of a woman thrust into the center of taming the American South--surviving floods, tornadoes, and fires; facing bears, panthers, and snakes; all while caring for her children, several of whom didn't survive despite her efforts. The extreme hard work and tragedy she faced are eclipsed only by her strength and faith in her husband, a mysterious Englishman, and by her sense of adventure. Written in frank and expressive prose, and withheld for almost a lifetime, Trials of the Earth speaks to the heart of our ability to endure and will resonate with readers of history and fiction alike.

About this title

Review

"To read Hamilton's autobiography is to experience an extraordinary life of courage and hardship...Hamilton, a born storyteller, has written a rich, simple narrative; her personal strength is surpassed only by the strength of her writing abilities." "Library Journal "(This text refers to an earlier edition of the book)"
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"A unique story."
"Crystal Goldman, "Library Journal"
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"A unique story."
Crystal Goldman, Library Journal
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Best Books of 2016, The Chicago Tribune--

"It's the backstory that will first grab a reader, but it's Hamilton's gift for storytelling in her blunt voice that makes this memoir such a standout. . . . Beyond everything else, this memoir impresses on readers just how easy it was to vanish in an earlier America.... How fortunate that the manuscript of Trials of the Earth didn't meet that same fate."--Maureen Corrigan, NPR's Fresh Air

"A riveting and instructive read.... Hamilton is a natural-born storyteller.... [Her] first-person accounts are important testimonials about what used to be."--Melanie Kirkpatrick, Wall Street Journal

"Magnificent. Told with precision and searing honesty, Hamilton's captivating and cinematic autobiography deserves to be a classic."--Ann Weisgarber, author of The Personal History of Rachel DuPree and The Promise

"Wherever there is men's work, you can bet women's work is happening invisibly in the background. Trials of the Earth is a firsthand account of this backbreaking labor.... It's impossible not to root for this woman."--Amy Gentry, Chicago Tribune

"A reminder of how punishing the physical struggle could be, and how unspeakably lonely a woman's life was when men were clearing the land."--Rosellen Brown, New York Times Book Review

"This compelling, no-frills posthumous memoir...reveals the hidden nature of late 19th century American life.... Mary's unsentimental story crackles with personality, putting a face on the unsung, nameless tillers of the soil."--Publishers Weekly

Book Description

Raw, vivid, and emotional--the 19th century first-person account of one woman's struggles and triumphs taming the Mississippi Delta.

About this edition

• Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0316341398
• ISBN 13: 9780316341394
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 336