Customer Reviews

The Unquiet Earth

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

 

 

This was one,if not the only, book that I was forced to read in college that I came away from adoring. The story, which is based on real events (national coal strikes, and the Buffalo Creek Disaster)with a small fictional liberty, is a wonderful piece of American literature that I believe can cross cultural and geographical lines of America. I loved how it followed the lives of two generations during sweeping national events and how it effected everyone, even in a little hamlet in West Virginia. I believe this movie is excellent potential for a movie adaptation. If you want to see a MOVIE that relates to this book, watch John Sayles "Matewan".

One of the best reads I've experienced. The story line and characters make this a hard book to put down. Have loaned it to family and friends and all have had same comment. Be sure to read Storming Heaven first. The families and events follow those of Storming Heaven. What a treat to be able to continue the struggles of this minning community from the 1800's into the present.

Denise Giardina is a novelist who sets her stories around fictionalized versions of historical events in West Virginia. _Storming Heaven_, her version of the Mine Wars of the 1920s, is perhaps her best known, but I like _The Unquiet Earth_ better. Covering decades, it's about two cousins growing up in the middle part of this century in a small town that is ultimately devastated by a flash flood when a dam bursts. The characters are compelling, the touches of Appalachia ring true without either romanticizing or denigrating the people of the area.

I loved The Unquiet Earth... I loved the relationships and determination of the characters.... After I read this book, I wanted to read it again and again.... There is one thing I suggest you do before you read this one... I suggest you read Storming Heaven.... Storming Heaven is about Dillon's mother and father, and about Tony Angelelli's mother.... If you read this one first you can get their background.... But, Unquiet Earth is hands down my favorite book!! I highly recommend reading this book! The way it is written is really good to understand what each person is thinking during each situation.... You should definitely buy this book! I hope this persuaded you to buy this book...

This true story takes place in the area where I grew up; I was familiar with its happening. My father was involved in these events. Although I cannot say I enjoyed the book, ( because it was so realistic and tragic), I found it very ,very well written and so moving I lived with it for weeks. It is written entirely from the miners view, and is therefore one sided, but is nevertheless accurate in content. It is obvious that the author knew these people. I would recommend it to anyone interested in the history of this area. katydid

I really liked this book. Did I like it as much as it's predecessor 'Storming Heaven'? No. But for a sequel, it was very good, and it takes you right into the lives of the offspring of the main characters from the first book.

In fact...this book is much like the first, just in more recent times. It spans from the 1930's to 1990. But to really understand the depth and tragedy of this town, you have to have read 'Storming Heaven' first. It will help you to understand just how long the fight has been going on, where Carrie, Rachel, Dillon, and Jackie all came from, and just how much this town has already been through.

Overall, I'm very glad I found these books. It was interesting to read about the coal strikes, the floods, and all the heartache that plagued the people of this small Appalachia coal mining town. If your at all interested about life in the mountains, and how these folks lived, then definitely pick these up. Ms. Giardina grew up in a town much like the one she portrays in her books, so you can be certain she knows what she's talking about. These may be fiction books, but they're a very real look at coal miners and their families, and all the hardships they had to face.

Found this book in a hotel, old and with lots of creases. Despite being on vacation in a beautiful place I kept reading this book. The characters are so life like. The plot so intense. The struggle of life so much that I can relate to. Get this book! I think the writer watched How Green Was My Valley a few times before writing it. Lots of similarities between the two.

After the wonderful Storming Heaven I was so excited to read this book, and then so disappointed. The plot is melodramatic, the characterizations cardboard.