The Quarry [Paperback]

Mildred Walker (Author), Ripley Hugo (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1995

In this family saga, generations mine the Vermont earth and come to rest in it. Lyman Converse is too young to fight in the Civil War, but he lives to see his own son enlist in World War I. Through all the years his closest friend is Easy, an escaped black slave who took refuge in his father’s house. Everything Converse values most is gradually lost to time, including the family-owned soapstone quarry. The Quarry invites readers to escape into private lives worth caring about—and to feel the national history that they could not escape.

 

Originally published in 1947 and considered one of Mildred Walker’s richest novels, The Quarry is introduced by Ripley Hugo, Walker’s daughter. Hugo edited, with James Welch, The Real West Marginal Way: A Poet’s Autobiography by Richard Hugo.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Both of these titles offer sagas of New England families in the 1800s. If a Lion illustrates a lack of communication as a young Massachussetts missionary couple attempt to convert Blackfoot Indians to Christianity. Preacher Marcus, however, falls in love with an Indian woman and must pay a hefty price (LJ 11/1/70). The Quarry (1947) traces several generations of Vermont miners from the Civil War to World War I.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

“A warm, moving book, a touch old-fashioned, and very American.”—New Yorker

(New Yorker )

“A satisfying piece of work, well constructed and well written. As a regional novel, it gives a convincing delineation of upstate Vermont in the period between the Civil War and World War One, and it also leaves the reader with the pleasing consciousness that maintaining a standard of conduct—such things as tolerance, integrity, and loyalty—can make good fiction material.”—Christian Science Monitor

(Christian Science Monitor )

“Walker has done a fine bit of documentation on what might be called the deflowering of New England.”—New York Times

(New York Times )

Product Details

• Paperback: 341 pages
• Publisher: Bison Books (August 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803297793
• ISBN-13: 978-0803297791
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #807,672 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Quarry, June 2, 2009

By 

Mrs. Naomi J. Cochran - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Quarry.

This is absolutely one of the best historical fiction novels I've ever read. Beautifully written. The ending is perfect, and unexpected; it actually sent shivers up my spine, in a good way. This is a book I treasure and share with my friends.

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Mildred Walker's best, but a solid effort, April 14, 2010

By 

Leah Darrow "Libro Lust" (Provo, UT) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Quarry (Paperback)

As a Mildred Walker fan, I've read pretty much every one of her books. "The Quarry" isn't quite as good as "Light From Arcturus", "Winter Wheat", or "The Brewer's Big Horses", but I'd say it easily ranks with "Fireweed" or "Medical Meeting".

"The Quarry" is one of Walker's only novels to feature an African American character, and considering it was written in 1947, the handling of "Easy" (Ezekiel) isn't too offensive. He is a real person with his own desires and agency, not just a tool to represent race relations or some kind of saintly victim or crass caricature.

The central romance is a little strange, since it centers around cousins, which was apparently a-ok in Jane Austen's time and somewhere in the middle ground during the time-period of Walker's novel.

The writing in this novel is as smooth and polished as ever, the characters relatable and the era expertly evoked.

My only gripe with "The Quarry" is that it is somewhat emotionally frustrating, never quite offering the payoff I was hoping for in any of the central conflicts. I mean, I don't need a happy ending, but give me something Mildred! But I guess I should have learned by now that most of her characters lead rather aborted, disappointing lives, and are often consigned to exactly the fate they struggled so vehemently against at the beginning of the novel.