The Kentuckians [Paperback]

Janice Holt Giles (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 4, 1988

"The Kentuckians of Janice Holt Giles's title were that hardy band of angels who straggled through Cumberland Gap in the 1770s and carved their farms from the wilderness of Virginia's westernmost country. In her historical novel, first published in 1953, Giles invited the reader to experience the danger and beauty of life on the American frontier.Many of the frontiersmen were hunter in search of escape from an ever advancing civilization, seeking freedom and space. Such a man was David Cooper, who had hunted the Kentucky wilderness with Daniel Boone before the first settlers crossed the Appalachians. No love of land or home or woman had been strong enough to hold David -- until he met Bethia. It was for her that he cleared his patch of forest, planted crops, and built a cabin. Too late, he learned that the girl he had dreamed of marrying was the wife of his enemy.David and Bethia belonged to a generation that never knew or expected security, and the background of their story is one of outnumbered and ill-equipped, were hard put to defend their forts. And, although united in war against the British and their Indian allies, the settlers were at odds among themselves. May, including Boone, held land grants from Judge Henderson's Transylvania Company. Others, like David, based their claims on the authority of Virginia. Few today realize how close Henderson came to winning out.In her research, Giles studied the journals of the early Kentuckians and has retold their story in their own easy-flowing, cadenced prose. Only the three central characters are fictional. All subsidiary characters and historical events are authentic, set against the background of a country the author knows and loves.Janice Holt Giles (1905-1979), author of nineteen books, lived and wrote near Knifley, Kentucky, for thirty-four years. Her biography is told in Janice Holt Giles: A Writer's Life."

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A saga of rugged hardship and danger, as the first Kentuckians opened up the frontier." -- Ashland Independent

Product Details

• Paperback: 285 pages
• Publisher: The University Press of Kentucky (January 4, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813101778
• ISBN-13: 978-0813101774
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #94,056 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Kentuckians, Janice Holt Giles, April 13, 2000

By 

Marta V. Guagliardo (Lexington, Kentucky) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Kentuckians (Paperback)

This is absolutely one of the finest books about the early pioneering in our country. Giles writes in a low-key manner, but brings vivid pictures to the mind as the reader follows the travels and travails of one of those pioneers as he makes his way through the wilderness of the Appalachian Mountains into the "wilds" of Kentucky and a new life. As a new-comer to Kentucky in my middle twenties, back in 1957, "The Kentuckians" was a great introduction to the strength and character of those earliest developers of this State.

My first meeting with Ms. Giles' novels actually came through her third novel in this particular series: "The Believers", wherein the granddaughter of those first settlers becomes involved with the Shaker Community in Kentucky. THAT was so beautifully written, that I HAD to go back to read about the protagonist's parents ("Hannah Fowler") and then on back to "The Kentuckians". Each book was better than the first!

And each book drew me in so closely to the people and places involved that I felt as though I was right there and each left me hating to leave their presence! If the Kentuckians ever is reprinted in hardback, I'll be the first in line!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A first person narrative that's right on target., March 5, 2005

By 

Susie Delk (Cave City, Ky USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Kentuckians (Paperback)

I am a great fan of Janice Holt Giles. I personally think that the story of meeting Henry, falling in love and marrying him, moving to Spout Springs, hunting for the logs and building their home is a beautiful romance. I regret that I never got to meet her, although my husband did actually meet her and also talked at length with Henry when once he was called to their home to repair a refridgerator. My favorite books by Janice, are therefore, the autobiographical ones. "Hanna Fowler" takes the number one spot in my heart for her fiction, however, coming in a close second is now "The Kentuckians" I think some of JHG's books are very well written, and others are not, but "The Kentuckians", written in the first person, rings so true to me that I wish I could drop her a line and tell her how very much I enjoyed it. I am a Kentucky native, almost 60 years old and I remember when I heard people talk the same way that she had the main character revealing his story to us in this book. I felt as if my grandfather were sitting in a rocker on the front porch telling me his life story. I think she did an exceptional job in getting the dialect down just right, especially considering she was not a native. It's also nice to know, when reading her books, that they are historically correct. She made a great effort to learn our quirks and way of speaking and in "The Kentuckians" she got it down pat. Thanks, Janice, wherever you are.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, July 24, 2005

By 

J. C. Mayor "bigtimereader" (Monroe, NC United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Kentuckians (Paperback)

Giles should be better known; her multi-volume set of historical fiction is genuinely excellent. This is the first of the series and one of the best; the second, Hannah Fowler, I think is the best. That is followed by The Believers, also a very good read. Anyone who likes to read will love these books.