Customer Reviews

The Hornet's Nest

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

I was so incensed by the Missouri reviewer who thought this book was just a Revolutionary War history "textbook masquerading as a novel", and who thought that it wouldn't have been published if an ex-President hadn't written it, that I decided to write a rebuttal review, my first fiction review on Amazon. So first of all, let's be clear on what actually happened. The Revolutionary War in the south was hardly the stuff legends are made of, but it was certainly vicious. Here's an outline.

There was strong Loyalist sentiment in Georgia and the Carolinas at the start of the war. The British planned to exploit this when in 1778 they seized Savannah as their base in Georgia. The plan worked, for two years later, British forces commanded by Sir Henry Clinton, the top British general, could advance north and besiege the American-held city of Charleston in South Carolina. The city was defended by General Lincoln with 3000 men. But Clinton forced Lincoln to surrender, which put the whole region in British hands.

For all practical purposes, there were now no American regulars left in the south. Clinton then went back to New York, and left the subjugated south in the care of Lord Cornwallis. American Patriot forces, however, were still active in the region, and kept up a bloody guerilla campaign against British and Loyalist forces. (Had the word been invented back then, the British might well have called them terrorists.) Encouraged by their struggle, Congress eventually got around to sending a General Gates south with a force of 3,000 to help the Patriots fight Cornwallis and the Loyalists. But Cornwallis defeated him in August of 1780 at Camden, South Carolina.

Finally it was the turn of the Patriots. In October of 1780, a Patriot force of 1,000 mountaineers attacked and totally destroyed a Loyalist force of 1,000, in their stronghold of King's Mountain in South Carolina. General Clinton, when he heard of it, wrote that it was the first link in a long chain of "evils" that eventually led to the loss of America.

The American General Nathaniel Greene now marched south to help the Patriots' guerilla war against Cornwallis. Eventually, General Greene did battle with Cornwallis in the spring of 1881, at Guildford Court House in North Carolina. Neither side won, but Cornwallis retreated north with worn-out forces, and took charge of the vital British naval base at Yorktown. There, he was later besieged by 9,000 Americans and 30,000 French, and, as all the world knows, finally surrendered to George Washington in October of 1781.

The war in the south was thus mostly a guerilla war with many minor engagements, individually unimportant, but collectively playing a significant role in the eventual defeat of the British at Yorktown. So what kind of a book has Mr. Carter written about this war? Would it have been published if you or I had written it? Almost certainly not. But so what? A then unknown John Grisham couldn't get "A Time to Kill" published by a major publisher. Jimmy Carter is hardly unknown, but his novel deserves to be published because it brings expertise, devotion to historical accuracy, literary creativity, and a presidential viewpoint to the story of that southern war that nobody else could. That makes it unique, and worth reading. And besides, it's very good.

Is it a history textbook masquerading as a novel? Definitely not. But let's be candid on what kind of novel it's not. It's not anything like the tactical drama of the Gettysburg battle as told in Michael Shaara's classic "The Killer Angels", or the WW1 horror story depicted in Eric Remarque's "All Quiet on the Western Front", or the conflict of self-interest and honor in Hemmingway's Spanish Civil War novel "For Whom the Bell Tolls", or the chilling suspense of Ken Follett's WW2 classic "Eye of the Needle", or, to continue into the future, the suspense and surprise of Thomas Cronin's extraordinary USA/EU future conflict novel "Give Us This Mars". So certainly, if you buy the book expecting a classic literary masterpiece or riveting page turner, you could be disappointed. But I'm sure Mr. Carter didn't intend it to be any of those things. Instead, he has created a solid, interesting, eye-opening dramatization of the southern Revolutionary War. It needed doing, and Mr. Carter is just the person to do it. He has done an outstanding job of dramatizing the many interwoven events, even bringing in the local Indian tribes, which each side tried to exploit. This obviously well-researched novel, which includes a horrible massacre (fictional I hope) of Indians by whites, beats a history textbook every time.

Given the relatively minor nature of most of those far off events, we could expect that a history textbook about the campaign would be bed-time reading only for insomniacs. But war is never a minor matter for those at the front line, and Mr. Carter's novel brings the war in the south back to life. You experience it vividly through events in the life of Ethan Pratt and his friend and neighbor Kindred Morris, solid folk who have moved south to Georgia to live in a peaceful Quaker community. Many people, after reading this book, will probably be motivated to look up the history texts, as I was. If so, Mr. Carter will have succeeded admirably in bringing an important segment of American and world history to public awareness, a task befitting a respected American President.

I have one minor complaint. The writing style is good, but is not quite right for a novel. A bit on the academic side. Every so often, I wanted to alter sentences and paragraphs to speed things up. But what can you expect? Mr. Carter is over eighty and has written sixteen nonfiction books. You can't expect him to turn into a Dean Koontz or John Grisham overnight. Be thankful he has worked hard to create this very good novel, and enjoy it for what it is.

President Carter demonstrates that he was not only a wonderful President and man, but also a good researcher, writer and teller of stories with his first work of fiction. For someone who loves history and lives in Georgia, this was a fascinating look into a time in the history of our region about which very little is known or understood. I learned a lot and thoroughly enjoyed the story line, the characters and the history!!

I agree with some of the criticisms made by other reviewers who gave low reviews. The characterization tends to be shallow and inconsistent. The transitions between personal stories and historical accounts are jarring and sometimes frustrating. But, in spite of these problems, I still enjoyed the book. So, I feel three stars is appropriate. I learned a lot about the history of the Revolutionary War in the South and the people who lived through it and enjoyed learning about it in the context of fiction. Since such books are so rare (apparently this is the only one) these pluses alone made the book worth my time.

Let me begin by saying something I shouldn't have to - I think that Jimmy Carter was a fine president at a difficult time, and I think that any person in that office at that time would have had an equally difficult time. I also think that Mr. Carter is a fine, decent, honorable man, and the most scholarly of our ex-Presidents. I understand that he is a fine writer of non-fiction works.

That said... I was looking forward to this novel about a time and a place not often explored in literature. Most Americans (and Americans are virtually the only audience for historical fiction set in this time and place) know very little about the Revolutionary War in the American South; Mr. Carter had every chance to shine here, with few competitors. His name will bring people in to read the book, and he had a fine opportunity to educate as well as entertain. He knows his time, his place, and his subject well. I can tell he loves this subject, and this place. His scholarship shows on every page.

And therein lies the problem.

This is an extraordinary work of scholarship - I'd like to read it with the characters taken out as a survey of the Revolutionary War South.

It is an abysmal work of fiction, even by a first-time novelist. The characters are flat, the dialog is inexcusable, the transitions in time and place are poorly done. Speeches are put in characters' mouths intended primarily to educate us, the readers. Characters sound as if they are reading from 20th Century American history texts, breaking character each time. In real life, people don't (generally) lecture one another about current events; in novels the shouldn't either. Instead of a long lecture, the author should assume the other characters remember what is being discussed, and let the reader infer from the discussion.

I wanted to like this book very much; I couldn't get past the anachronisms, the speeches, the preachiness, the stilted way people, places, and things are introduced and described. I couldn't get past the way that the author transitioned from descriptive and narrative text. I couldn't get past the fact that the characters all spoke with the same voice.

There are far, far better works of historical fiction on this time, albeit not in the American South. Consider the works of James L. Nelson for the naval war in New England, or perhaps Dudley Pope for the British side of the same Naval War.

Please try again, Mr. Carter, but this time get a good editor who knows fiction, and who will help you to write better fiction. As a writer myself, I know how hard it is to change editors. I also know how much a good editor can improve my work.

I might not have read this book if I had not gone to a book signing by President Carter. I had not been particularly interested in the subject.

I gave it four stars rather than three for two reasons: President Carter's research is astounding, and the book did keep my interest throughout.

I do agree with most reviewers that it is a history book trying to be a novel. But I did not mind. I acually found Ethan, the fictional protagonist, to be a flawed but sympathetic human being, like most of us.

"The Hornet's Nest" shows the ugliness and brutality of the American Revolution. There aren't too many "heroes" here (a much over-used word anyway). It gives one pause for thought about who the American people really are.

I do hope President Carter writes a sequel or at least a history of the next 20 or 30 years in the South.

While not a Democrat or Carter fan, I read Carter's last book - Hour Before Light - which was wonderful and reminded me of growing up in rural Iowa in the 60s. I love history and this is history told through the story of a family in Georgia during Revolutionary War. While we are all familiar with what was happening in Boston and Philadelphia, this is the fascinating - and well researched - story of what was happening in the South. Highly recommend for students of history plus just a good read!

President Jimmy Carter's The Hornet's Nest is an exciting first novel. Carter introduces his reader to the Revolutionary War in the South, a subject rarely broached in most American History classes and texts, and tells the story of Ethan Pratt, a Philadelphian who sets out for the south to build a life.

Ethan Pratt is the novel's focal character, although the reader often loses sight of him among the other historical characters. The early events which culminate in the execution of Ethan's brother Henry in North Carolina seem oddly similar to Carter's autobiographical tale of governmental corruption in his earlier book Turning Point. Pratt moves from being a loyal British colonist to a concerned citizen opposed to colonial corruption to a militia member ready to execute British prisoners of war in an act of revenge.

The historical background is one which seldom has been told. Although the Battle of Kings Mountain is often noted in history texts, the fact that the Revolution in the South was largely fought American colonist against American colonist is rarely mentioned. Execution of prisoners, rape and pillage and murder, terrorist actions are all part of the scene in this novel.

Carter tells the story well and introduces lots of new material. The cast of characters reads like a list of counties in Georgia and South Carolina--probably because the counties are named for these individuals.

Now, the complaint . . . the work needed a better editor. So many individuals are introduced that it is often difficult to keep track of the action. Occasional errors enter into the text, for example, on page 437 General Andrew Pickens mysteriously morphs into Pickett (the Civil War General?) at the bottom of the page and then changes back to Pickens. This is a minor error, but there is so much action and so many characters that small errors can quickly cause confusion. Ethan Pratt is often left out of lengthy sections of the story, leaving the reader wondering where Pratt has gone. Finally, there are times when Carter uses a page to traverse several years of action and other times when a similar amount of space is used to describe Ethan's construction of a chair--a case of too little detail, followed by too much detail.

Still, this is an admirable work for Carter. Should he choose to write another novel, I'll read what he writes and I am certain I'll find something there worth my time!

As a genealogist with ancestors who were in Georgia and the Carolinas before and during the Revolutionary War, I was interested to see what perspective Jimmy Carter would bring to the topic. I found this to be an excellent historical perspective that personalized the events of the day and made me understand why people, whether settlers, Indians, or slaves, made the choices they did. While I have read some "history" books and articles, they tend to be more abstract. This book gave me understanding of the people and their motivations in relation to the war and the times. If I had wanted to read a love story, I would not have chosen a book by Jimmy Carter. (Perhaps Nora Ephron or even Nora Roberts!)

However, this book gave a thorough accounting of the political events, the battles, and the kinds of people involved at each stage. Some incidents, like that of the slave Quash Dolly, were individual stories that stood alone--except that it showed why some--and perhaps many slaves--chose to support the British rather than the American revolutionaries. The treatment of the Indians, and the lengthy development of the personality and activities of the British Indian agent and spy, Thomas Brown, showed why the Indians threw their lot in with the British. Personalities of many of the Georgia and Carolina revolutionary leaders were drawn out effectively (example, Elijah Clarke) as well as many other wartime leaders.

Hornet's Nest is a great read if you are interested in history of the beginning of this country from a perspective that is different from that of the usual "founding fathers" approach. It also portends many of the problems that we faced years later with the political issues leading to and following the Civil War and later settlements farther west.

I have already started going to other reference books and pure "histories" to find out more about some of the people and the events described in this book. That kind of inspiration signals a good book to me.

This is an interesting story concerning events in the Carolinas and Georgia before and during the American Revolution. It is mainly written in the third person in a documentary fashion, with some sections of dialog. It will appeal more to people interested in the history of the era than to people just looking for a novel.

(...) The novel covers the details of the American pre-war objections to English policies, and the problems with government officials operating far from the mother country (people familiar with "law west of the Pecos" will understand this).(...)

This novel provides a different perspective of the war using a fictional family that is trying to survive during difficult times. It gives a good picture of the different segments of society ranging from subsistence farmers to plantation owners and merchants. The differences in attitudes between the people on the eastern seaboard and in the western uplands is also covered in "Cold Mountain" in a Civil War setting.

This is a great read for readers who love history and are interested in their patriot ancestors. The history is amazing and well researched but the prose is not what we are used to in historical novels. Give President Carter a chance - this is his first novel!
I have researched Georgia and South Carolina history for over 20 years and this book does a great job with a very complicated subject. I highly recommend this book.