Customer Reviews

The Little Shepherd Of Kingdom Come

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I was 7 years old, my Mom packed my brother and I in our station wagon and drove us from Florida to Texas to live with my grandparents. Along the way and during our stay in Texas, she read to us every night from a book that has become one of my all-time favorites -- "The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come." As a child, I recall loving the relationship between Chad, a waif of a shepherd boy, and his faithful dog, Jack. But as an adult, I have fallen in love with the rich, descriptive language with which John Fox fills every page. Each character rings true, and I have found myself anxious to see what lies around each bend in the storyline. Now, as a parent, I am reading the book to my own 8-year-old daughter. She doesn't quite grasp all of the rich prose, but she is already falling in love with Jack, and she's hoping that Chad and Melissa will one day marry. As much as I enjoyed the book as a child and as an adult, it's a privilege to introduce it to the next generation of my family. I highly recommend it as an unsung classic of the early 20th century.

My 75-year-old father remembered this book from when he was a teenager--it made an unforgetable impression! I highly recommend this novel for several reasons: lovalable and believable characters (although the lead can do no wrong to an exaggerated point), well-flowing and interesting story that you can't predict (I like suspensefulness), beautifully described setting, historically set in Civil War Kentucky. I bought a copy for myself and then bought one to share with my family and another for a friend. I will save this for my pre-school aged children to read when they are older.

These are two of the best books ever written, I have been reading them over for many years and always find something new, like so many others , I cry over Chad and his dog, they should be required reading in every school.

There are so many great works of literature by Kentuckians, and I've read many of them, but even though my mother has had a copy of this book on her shelf my whole life, I had never read it till last week. What a mistake in waiting so long. It takes its place right up there with Still's River of Earth, Berry's Memory of Old Jack and Warren's All the King's Men as true Kentucky classics.

This book was written not long after the end of the Am. Civil War. My mother was fond of the book and it was part of my growing up, so I think i am a little biased about it. It is probably not Great Literature, but it is well-written and entertaining. It tells the story of a Kentucky mountain-boy (from the little "town" of Kingdom Come) who finds his way into an affluent, slave-owning blue-grass community just before the Civil War breaks out. It is historical fiction and offers some insights into both the period of the Civil War and human nature in general --from a late 19th century point of view. Lots of sterotypes here: the uneducated but pure mountain boy; the beautiful, untamed moutain girl; the polished and fragile southern belle; etc, and these can seem simplistic and maybe offensive to modern readers, but the steriotypes are part of the point of view that makes the book an interesting historical statement, in my opinion.

My Dad (80 years old) read this when he was a boy, and then read it to me when I was little. He is housebound now but enjoys hearing this book so much. I'm so glad it is still in print.

This book is an excellent read. The character depth brings the reader into the period with the protagonist and lets you feel his longing for both his past and his desire to grow.

I will keep this in my library and would recommend it highly.

The little shepherd of Kingdom Come

I first read this book as a teenager. Written by John Fox. Jr. in the late 1800s, the author was very familiar with the area and its residents who remembered the Civil War. I read this to all three of my children, who now have children of their own. When my youngest daughter was nineteen, she came home from college for the summer. One night when I was sitting on the couch, she laid her head in my lap and said, "Mommy, please read to me 'The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come.'" One is never too old to read and appreciate this moving story of a young boy who has a genuine love and understanding of everyone he meets in his journey from youth to manhood.

The Trail of the Lonesome Pine takes place in the Kentucky mountains, bordering Big Stone Gap, Virginia. It is a story of love, as well as change. At the heart of this novel are the Tolliver & Falin families, who have been in a feud with one another for as far back as anyone can remember. The story begins as life in the mountains is beginning to change..coal mining is starting to boom, and the oustide world is creeping into the simple ways of mountain life. A town is blossoming in Big Stone Gap Virginia..and the Trail of the Lonesome Pine connects the town with Lonesome Cove, home of the Tolliver family, and a pretty little mountain girl named June. When John Hale enters the Tolliver/Falin territory, June is immediately drawn to him. The entrance of this "furriner" will change June's life forever.

Not being from the region that the Trail of the Lonesome Pine is written about, I was definitely reading it from a "furriner" point of view. The Trail of the Lonesome Pine is really two stories in one. Part of this novel is a love story, centering on a young girl, June Tolliver & her love interest John Hale, the "furriner." The other side of this novel focuses on what life is like for the "mountain people" and the effects of the coal mining boom, and the influx of foreigners into their way of life. Both stories are very interesting and blend well together. At times though, I felt the writing was hard to get through and difficult to follow. The last 1/4 of the book really picked up, and by the time the story concluded, I was glad that I read this and look forward to reading more by John Fox, Jr.