If You Love A Good Story, Read “A Land Remembered”
A Couples Reading Together review of Patrick Smith’s A Land Remembered. Here’s why almost everyone in our family has read it multiple times.
I can’t remember who was the first in our family to read A Land Remembered.
I think it was recommended to me while we were homeschooling our two younger children. The student version of the book has long been a part of the state history curriculum for fourth graders in many Florida schools where we live. It’s a popular resource among homeschoolers as well.
After we were introduced to the novel, it was passed from one member of our family to another until almost everyone had read it. Even a number of out-of-state relatives and friends we recommended it to enjoyed it.
But the truly remarkable thing about this book is that most of us have read it multiple times. I can’t think of too many other books you could say that about.
A Land Remembered is an epic tale about the lives of three generations of the McIvey family.
The story begins with Tobias McIvey, his wife Emma, and son Zech trying to establish a homestead in Florida in 1858. From the very first scenes, you are drawn into their struggles. You quickly find yourself rooting for this hard-working, tenacious family as they deal with one obstacle after another.
Following the saga of the McIvey family through the decades, the history of Florida is brought to life.
Author Patrick Smith weaves in true historical details in a way that makes the history of the state exciting. His narrative is anything but dull or boring. Reading this book will give you a whole new perspective on the history of Florida before Disney World and all of the tourism came to be. You will also gain a greater understanding of and appreciation for Florida’s awesome beauty and ecological diversity in areas most tourists never see.
A Land Remembered is more than historical fiction.
The story of the McIvey family includes a little of everything, from action to suspense to romance. A Land Remembered is around four hundred pages long and covers over one hundred years from 1858 to 1968, yet we all wished there could have been more to the story. Young or old, male or female, Floridian or not, this book seems to appeal to everyone. We highly recommend it as an excellent book for Couples Reading Together. Watch and see – you’ll be talking about it long after you finish reading it.
Bob says:
I particularly love how this book goes through three generations of the McIvey clan. First Tobias, then his son Zech, and onto his grandson Sol – it’s hard to decide which character is your favorite. Even the animals in the story have a special place in your heart while reading it. All I can say is that you will laugh, you will cry, and you will love this book. It is so well written it carries you back in time to a place in Florida that was still untouched and raw. I’ve read this book four times, and love it more every time. You will not be able to put it down once you start reading!
Liz says:
If I had to pick my top ten favorite books I’ve ever read, this would definitely be one of them. The story isn’t complex or pretentious, but it draws you in and holds you to the very last page. This is really the story of countless families in the history of Florida – actually in the history of our country – who made a life for themselves from nothing when everything seemed to be against them. It’s fascinating to read about who they were and how they lived. Maybe it’s because we connect so deeply with the characters, maybe it’s the way the author describes the settings so vividly, or maybe it’s because it’s a story that’s so well told. Whatever it is, this is a classic book you don’t want to miss.
Have you read A Land Remembered? What was your favorite scene? Who did you think was the most memorable character and why? We’d love to talk about it in the comments!