Rating: 
Summary: Amazing
Review: I was given this book when I was fifteen by my father to read and my eyes rolled into the back of my head thinking it would be one his boring historical novels. Much to my pleasant surprise it turned out to be one of the best books I have ever read (and I have read quite a few). Not only does it give many historical truths about the land (which I can verify having family settled in FL in the 1820's) but it also gives a mix of every virtue that makes a book great-friendship, love, adventure, tragedy, and substance. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone given non-FL natives, men, and women alike can relate to this book.
Rating:
Summary: One of my favorites
Review: I grew up in Florida but have lived out-of-state for several years. This book made me pine for my home state. I remember big sprawling cattle ranches like the book described. My dad used to take me hunting on some property he owned with several men. The palmettos, boar, gators, deer, armadillos were common place. Like the setting of A Land Remembered. Every time I go back to visit I see another piece of "old Florida" being swallowed up by developments, malls and sprawl. This book was so enlightening too. I never thought about how the early Florida settlers lived. This book also reminded me of The Yearling. I have bought several as gifts for my Florida friends.
Rating:
Summary: A fine book for anyone interested in Florida Crackers
Review: I am not a fiction reader first off. I was sitting next to another Florida native on a plane and we were talking about how we gre up in Florida, the real Florida, not part of the huge subdivision that has swept up most of our state. I read some of the other reviews and while I realize that everyone gets something different out of a book, I was surprised to read some of the content of negative reviews. Sure, this book isn't written for someone that is reading it to make sure it has all of the elements of a style guide for writint a book, but I thoroughly enjoyed the book and did not feel like anything was left undone.There may not be a detailed character development, but that was fine for me. I'll fall asleep half the time when someone is giving me every detail about a person or a scene. I like to use my imagination and picture a charater for myself. What this book has is content of character, not filler describing characters. I know exactly what Tobias, Emma, Frog, Bonzon, Sol, Skillet, and all of the others look like. Thay will probably be completely different for you, but to me that is what makes this book worth reading. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I think you would too.
Rating: 
Summary: A Bitter Disappointment...
Review: First off before I get to what turned me away from this book I will give the book credit on its very few good points. You can learn a lot about Florida's early history in this book. You can learn a lot of SLANG words, even when a character isn't speaking, in the author's description of places and such, and you can become a better sleeper! That's it!
I was forced to read this book in my Economics class. What the teacher expected us to learn about world Economics in this book is beyond me. Anyway, I have never seen a book written so ridiculously farcical as this one. It's a disgrace to me because when someone reads this book to learn about Florida, a state I'm proud to be from, they will think we are just a bunch of idiot cow farmers. ON THE CONTENT-- The start of every chapter it seems starts in a cow pen. In the first half of the book all they do is round up cows and sell them. There is no description of the characters, very little character development. If you have read this book please tell me what Emma looks like? Was she tall, short, fat, skinny? Ho about Bonnie? She had a blonde pony tail right? What else do you know about her? She was introduced, then killed like in the next chapter...WHYYYY?
Most people who enjoyed this book have never read anything else so they don't have anything to compare it with. The plot is harrowing. The author obviously didn't know what his plot was at the beginning. He started off describing Florida then at the middle, or the beginning of the end of the novel he totally went off track and the novel was about death.
I have never seen such disastrous love scenes. The romance in this novel..well I hate to be so blunt but it [disappointed]! What was the point of the Indian Tawanda and Zech's relationship. He meets her for like 5 minutes and they are already kissing etc etc. Again there is no description of what she even looks like. Was she a fat Indian, or was she tall. How about Zech? Do I have to say more...A 10 year old could have wrote this book if he had a history book on Florida in front of him.
I know a lot of you may have enjoyed this book but when you delve deep into it the book really isn't that great. All it takes is a few character names and a little knowledge on Florida and you could probably write something better than this.
Rating: 
Summary: All problems solved quickly
Review: This book is interesting for the details of early days of Florida. It is unrealistic in that all problems and conflicts are resolved in about three spoken sentences. Indians living deep in the swamps speak good English. People live in malarial Florida for years before getting the disease. Still, the story gallops along and the characters are interesting enough that you want to know what happens. If "Cold Mountain" is a 10, "A Land Remembered" is a 5.
Rating:
Summary: What a disappointment!
Review: Don't turn to this book for an easy way to learn Florida history. Sure, it's an easy read, but it only looks at 100 years in the lives of American pioneers in central Florida. Forget 300 years of Spanish settlements. Forget the Seminoles. As far as this book is concerned, they didn't exist. If you're black, you may also be offended as I was by the author's portrayal of the few black characters. The Indians were portrayed with dignity; the black characters were either servile or buffoons. Unfortunately, my white "friends" saw no problem with this. This book has been suggested in some Florida communities as one book everyone should read as a community project. I think "A Land Remembered" is a poor choice.
Rating:
Summary: What a great way to learn Florida history!!!
Review: Being a native Floridian with real "Crackers" in my family tree, I found this book mesmerizing. I didn't want to put it down. I have a greater respect and sense of awe of what the pioneers endured back then. You will not be bored with this book! I believe that the Florida schools should include this as required reading for the Florida History classes.
Rating:
Summary: A Sweeping Saga of Old Florida
Review: This is a great book. It chronicles three generations of the MacIvey family, beginning with Tobias MacIvey's arrival in Florida in 1858 and ending with Solomon MacIvey's realization in 1968 that much of the original Florida is gone. In that time span, the MacIveys suffer through tragedy and bask in success, as the family rises from poverty to great wealth. The book's strongest characteristic is Patrick Smith's ability to describe the Florida that was - the Florida before developers and retirees and rockets and theme parks. I'm not certain that the Florida pictured so well by Patrick Smith exists anywhere in today's Florida, but it makes wonderful reading.
Rating:
Summary: A LAND REMEMBERED
Review: I'M NOT MUCH OF A READER, BUT I COULD'NT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN! I'VE LIVED IN FLORIDA ALL MY LIFE AND IT WAS SO INTERESTING TO BE ABLE TO RELATE TO THIS BOOK. I RECOMEND ANYONE WHO HAS LIVED IN FLORIDA, OR WHO WOULD LIKE AN INSIGHT INTO THE OLD TIMERS FLORIDA, TO READ THIS BOOK.
Rating:
Summary: Can Not Put This One Down
Review: You will be glued to this book's amazing story. You will learn about life in Florida for Indians then the coming of white settlers, the civil war, the land rushes, the wilderness and the incredible hardships of early Florida life. Once you read it, you will probably immediately read it again.
|
