| The Hornet's
Nest
by Jimmy Carter, 2003
In his ambitious and deeply rewarding
novel, Carter brings to life the Revolutionary
War as it was fought in the Deep South;
it is a saga that will change the way
we think about the conflict. He reminds
us that much of the fight for independence
took place in that region and that it
was a struggle of both great an dismal
battles and of terrible brutality, with
neighbor turned against neighbor, the
Indian’s support sought by both
sides, a nd no quarter asked or given.
The Hornet’s Nest follows a cast
of character and their loved ones on
both sides of this violent conflict-including
some who are based on the author’s
ancestors.
At the heart of the story is Ethan Pratt,
who in 1766 moves with his wife, Epsey,
from Philadelphia to North Carolina
and then to Georgia in 1771, in the
company of Quakers. On their homesteads
in Georgia, Ethan and his wife form
a friendship with neighbors Kindred
Morris and his wife, Mavis. Through
Kindred and his young Indian friend
Newota, Ethan learns about the frontier
and the Native American tribes who are
being continually pressed farther inland
by settlers. As the eight-year war develops,
Ethan and Kindred find themselves in
life-and-death combat with opposing
forces.
With its moving love story, vivid action,
and the suspense of a war fought with
increasing ferocity and stealth, The
Hornet’s nest is historical fiction
at this best, in eh tradition of such
major classics as The Last of the
Mohicans.
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