The Land Breakers

by: John Ehle

Published by: Press 53 Classics

Reviewed by Diane Kasperski

First released in 1964, The Land Breakers is a historical fiction that spans from 1779 to 1784 when the first settlers went beyond Morganton, North Carolina to homestead in the Appalachian
Mountains.

Mooney Wright was the first to break ground to start a farm and a variety of others followed. He has big dreams and isn't afraid to work towards his goals. He is a tough man but feels things deeply

Tinkler Harrison comes with his family. Tinkler has his own ideas for the settlement, all the way down to its name, Harristown. In his vision, the only settlers that will be allowed in the area have to meet his standards. There will be no riff raff or deadbeats in Harristown.

Ernest Plover, Tinkler's brother-in-law, comes later with his family. He has a houseful of girls and his oldest, Belle, is Tinkler's second wife. Ernest isn't exactly the 'right' kind of man to have at the new settlement. He doesn't really fit the bill--but he's family.

Many others follow despite the hardships. These people are united in one goal, to keep their homes and to build something out of this wilderness. They come close to losing everything, but they stick with it with an eye toward the future

The characters are so genuine that it's easy to become involved in their fight for survival. The Land Breakers truly depicts the reality of settling this country. Some parts are almost poetic in their description of the beauty of the land. In other chapters the wonder in the birth of twin lambs and the joy a newly cleared field brings can be felt. There is also the crushing disappointment when bears or wolves kill some of the stock and the ongoing fight to prevent that from happening

Tinkler Harrison says it best, "it's harder here, but I care more here. It takes more work here, it takes a man's life here, it asks all a man has to give and a man gains as well as loses by joining in with land like that."

Armchair Interviews says: A heart-felt story of the first settlers.