Customer Reviews

As the Earth Turns

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This is one of my favorite books. I have re-read it many times and always find something new to admire about it. Mrs. Carroll knows this life and it shows-her characters really live on the page. Jen Shaw and especially her father Mark are beautifully drawn. Mark may seem almost emotionless, but one comes to understand that he loves his children and farm too deeply to express by mere words. This is a way of life that may no longer exist, but I'm so glad that it was chronicled. Mrs. Carroll was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for "ATET" but lost to Pearl Buck's "The Good Earth". Her books are all written from her heart about the Maine she knew so well, and are worth checking out if you can find them. Youll be glad you did.

This novel is a soothing and comforting story of farm family in Maine. The main character is Jen Shaw, a young woman lving with her family in a small community during the 1920's, I think.

This book is the Waltons meet Ethan Frome, depicting a year in the life of a family that more and more face the modern world of air planes, college educations, and city life.

The characaters are sympathetic, strong and human. The chronicle of farm living's chores, rituals, and tasks are fascinating.

Although this book was published over seventy years ago, the time frame doesn't detract from its reach and affirmation of the human condition. It tells in five sections (the fours seasons with winter repeated) of the Shaws' lives on a Maine farm. The heroine, Jen, is almost superhuman, unfortunately, but even so, the book is plainly written and positive throughout. I read it in two days (while working, too).

Highly recommended.

Although born in New Hampshire, Gladys Carroll spent most of her life in Maine (Berwick). Life in rural Maine communities was her major theme in her novels. In this book, her first, she writes about the Shaws, a farm family, and their trials and tribulations over the course of a year in the early 1920s. Her characters are well drawn and come to life.

She is often compared to Sarah Orne Jewett and Mary E. Wilkins, other Maine writers, but a better comparison would be to Mary Ellen Chase, a Maine novelist who is contemporary to Carroll and who also used similar settings to explore comparable themes. As late as the 1960s (I don't know about now), a play based on AS THE EARTH TURNS was performed every summer in Berwick. It was her most popular book, widely translated into other languages.

This book is an absorbing journey into the rhythym of life for a New England farming family in the early 1900's. Rich in detail of everyday life, and rich in characterization, this book allows the reader to enjoy watching the central character's lives unfold. The only flaw is that Carroll falls into stereotyping at times, which can make the characters seem a bit less believable. Nonetheless, reading this book gives you a sense of fullness in the family's conection with the earth, and a sense of the peace enjoyed by humble people living honest lives.

I have read this book as part of a seminar being conducted by the Maine Humanities Council and Margaret Chase Smith Library. We will discuss the book at our April 1999 meeting. What a delight to read about people during the time of the early 20s, and people who still exist in parts of Maine today. Some things never change, thank God . Most Maine-iacs can relate to the life of the Shaw family and no doubt can link to people in a certain place. I understand that the book was made into a movie by Warner Bros. in 1934. I wonder if it is available in a video?

This book is a timeless classic. A story of an interconnected family and neighbors on Maine farms in the late 1920's or early 1930's. Carroll uses a character "Jen" as the main thread that ties this wonderful story together. And yet the "Jen" character is no more important to a great degree than some of the other Shaw family members. It is a good device and used well. I would guess that most people who read this book will almost certainly re-read it again and again. The book reminds me of "Cache Lake Country". The story line is totally different but it has that same timeless quality. A keeper for sure!