A Land Remembered

infobox Book |
name = A Land Remembered
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption =
author = Patrick D. Smith
illustrator =
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country = United States
language = English
series =
genre = Historical fiction
publisher = Pineapple Press
pub_date = 1984
english_pub_date =
media_type = Print (Hardcover)
pages = 403 pp
isbn = ISBN 0910923124
preceded_by =
followed_by =

"A Land Remembered" is a best-selling novel written by author Patrick D. Smith, and published in 1984 by Pineapple Press. It is a historical fiction set in pioneer Florida, and its story covers a century of Floridian history between the time period of 1858 to 1968.

Plot summary

"A Land Remembered" focuses on the fictional story of the MacIveys, who migrated from Georgia into Florida in the mid-1800s. After settling, this family struggles to survive and runs into a bit of fortune during changing times.Patrick D. Smith, a multiple award winning author, was born in Mendenhall, Mississippi, and later moved to Florida in 1966. He wrote "A Land Remembered" in 1984. This was his sixth published novel, following The River Is Home, The Beginning, Forever Island, Allapattah and Angel City.

This book is normally available as one volume but is commonly given out in Middle Schools for projects and such in two separate volumes.

Characters

Tobias: The 1st generation's main character who had a wife (Emma) and son (Zechariah). He became rich from cattle herding and later an orange grove. He gets malaria from an attack of several hundred thousand 'skeeters', but is healed (temporarily) by Miami Billie, an Indian medicine man. Died near the end of Zech's piece of the book when he became too weak from the cold to fight his malaria when he tried to save orange trees from a freeze. He is the last ghost to appear to Solomon.

Emma: Tobias's wife. Her main occupation is cooking for all the men with the help of Pearlie Mae and Glenda. She never complains. Everybody loves her. She dies from a heart attack a few years before Tobias does.

Zech: The 2nd generation's main character. He lived a somewhat lonely life away from other children and had two dogs and a horse. He marries Glenda and has the son Sol. However he has an affair with a former Indian lover and has Toby Cypress. Zech is an experienced gunman and horserider and kills several bandits. When getting revenge his foot is shot and he is weaker till his death. He has another affair with his former Indian love causing her death from birth difficulties. He dies when,riding through the water, he falls out and his bad foot is stuck in the saddle, drowning him.

Glenda: Zech's wife. She seems more of a tomboy in her adulthood and gives birth to four children throughout her life, three of which died at birth. Sadly she dies near the end of Zech's life when she's impaled by a bull, which Zech shoots out of rage.

Solomon: The 3rd generation's main character. He lived a sad life of power. After his father's death he became powerhungry, wanting to leave a mark with his money and business his family started. He calls himself, "the least of the MacIveys". Eventually he finds Bonnie, a young waitress, and changes. After her death in a hurricane and a reunion with Toby he eventually changes his ways. In a press conference, while in his 50s, he makes his hate for what he's done known. Later on his death day, around his 80s, he sees his brother one more time and tells about later events in the book that happened (the events of his death day before he dies happened after this). He has a weak heart and when he suffers a heart attack he realizes that he'd rather die so he can be with his family than live another day of misery.

Bonnie: Soloman's love interest. She's the daughter of an abusive father and is hired by Solomon as a fake housewife. The two live the same lifestyle for almost seven years. When they finally admit they want to get married she dies when her and Solomon (or Sol) are trapped in a hurricane. Their house is carried away by the storm surge, and, as Patrick Smith says, explodes. She is ripped away from Sol and is never found, whereas Sol later dikes the lake which carried the house. In the end, where Sol has a heart attack, Bonnie sits next to him when he was going to get his pills.

Skillit: A black former slave. He is encountered by Tobias after slavery was banned, wearing only a pair of feed sack pants. He had nowhere to go, and was on the run when Tobias' dogs found him hiding in a hole. He was a great help in catching cows, since he is much stronger than all the other cattle drovers. He eventually marries a former slave who is half his age, and has almost ten children. He leaves later to start a farm, calling himself Skillet McIvey on the land deed. Skillit only appears two more times in the book. When he returns for Emma's funeral and when Sol's life runs through his eyes. His fate is unknown.

Pearlie Mae: A black former slave. She marries Skillit early in the book. She gives birth to many children. Only appears a few times with Skillit. Went to Zech and Glenda's wedding. Half Skillit's age. Frog: A hired worker, former town drunk. Bonzo and he began working for Tobias for their first successful mission. Frog was seen as almost a brother to Tobias and he was always a help. He died from being impaled by the same bull that killed Glenda. His death took longer, however. Frog was buried next to Tobias and Emma, his gravestone read "Frog MacIvey".

Bonzo: A hired worker, former town drunk. He had few speech lines compared to Frog and was known as the first "real" death. He died from malaria which Tobias was able to get a cure for. His death was early in the book.

Tawanda: Zech's mistress. She was a former lover to him when he went to the Indian village. He only sees her three times. The first time when they deliver the cows and while Tobias is being healed, the second when Zech comes to get two new horses (there he sleeps with her), the third when he visits the village and gets her pregnant again. Her death in the timeline is unknown. It happened before Tobias's death because her parents inform Zech, at the funeral, that she died in labor. Zech takes her grave and buries it with the rest of his family, when before it was resting in the Seminole way (casket on top of the ground).

Toby: A part of the 3rd generation but only appearing four times. He was born from an affair between Tawanda and Zech. He was picked on because he had no father in the village but was respected by adults because of his MacIvey blood. He is first met when Zech visits the town and the two bond. When he is 15, he sees Zech again, now with his other son, Sol. Here the two brothers start to bond. He later becomes the village chief and has three children. He hates Sol for ruining the forest and the two avoid contact for almost half a century. He sees Sol again when Sol is about to die, making his peace with his step-brother

Lester: He appeared as a replacement for Bonzo. He is barely mentioned until the end as a withered old man who can barely move.

External links

* [http://www.patricksmithonline.com Official "A Land Remembered" site at www.patricksmithonline.com]