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A Land Remembered Volume 2
FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY.
200 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2001
90 people are currently reading
337 people want to read
About the author
Patrick D. Smith
39 books210 followersPatrick Smith is a 1999 inductee into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame, the highest and most prestigious cultural honor that can be bestowed upon an individual by the State of Florida.
In May 2002 Smith was the recipient of the Florida Historical Society’s Fay Schweim Award as the “Greatest Living Floridian.” The one-time-only award was established to honor the one individual who has contributed the most to Florida in recent history. Smith was cited for the impact his novels have made on Floridians, both natives and newcomers to the state, and for the worldwide acclaim he has received.
Smith has been nominated three times for the Pulitzer Prize, in 1973 for Forever Island, which was a 1974 selection of the Reader’s Digest Condensed Book Club and has been published in 46 countries; in 1978 for Angel City, which was produced as a “Movie of the Week” for the CBS television network and has aired worldwide; and in 1984 for A Land Remembered, which was an Editors’ Choice selection of the New York Times Book Review. In the 2001 The Best of Florida statewide poll taken by Florida Monthly magazine, A Land Remembered was ranked #1 Best Florida Book. The novel also ranked #1 in all the polls since then. Smith’s lifetime work was nominated for the 1985 Nobel Prize for Literature, and since then he has received five additional nominations.
In 2008 he was honored with a Literary Heritage Award at the 1st Annual Heritage Book Festival in St Augustine. FLorida's Secretary of State Kurt Browning presented the award.
In 1995 Patrick Smith was elected by The Southern Academy of Letters, Arts and Science for its highest literary award, The Order of the South. Previous recipients include Eudora Welty, James Dickey, and Reynolds Price. In 1996 he was named a Florida Ambassador of the Arts, an honor given each year by the state of Florida to someone who has made significant contributions to Florida's cultural growth. In 1999 Smith was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame, which is the highest and most prestigious cultural honor the state bestows upon an individual artist. Prior inductees include writers Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Zora Neale Hurston, and Ernest Hemingway.
In October 1990 he received the University of Mississippi’s Distinguished Alumni Award and was inducted into the University’s Alumni Hall of Fame. In 1997, the Florida Historical Society created a new annual award, the Patrick D. Smith Florida Literature Award, in his honor.
Thousands of people of all ages have enjoyed his books and his talks. With his new DVD, A Sense of Place, you can spend an intimate hour with this soft-spoken author and gain an insight into the creative processes that resulted in his beloved books.
Patrick lives in Merritt Island, Florida with his wife Iris and his beloved cats.
In May 2002 Smith was the recipient of the Florida Historical Society’s Fay Schweim Award as the “Greatest Living Floridian.” The one-time-only award was established to honor the one individual who has contributed the most to Florida in recent history. Smith was cited for the impact his novels have made on Floridians, both natives and newcomers to the state, and for the worldwide acclaim he has received.
Smith has been nominated three times for the Pulitzer Prize, in 1973 for Forever Island, which was a 1974 selection of the Reader’s Digest Condensed Book Club and has been published in 46 countries; in 1978 for Angel City, which was produced as a “Movie of the Week” for the CBS television network and has aired worldwide; and in 1984 for A Land Remembered, which was an Editors’ Choice selection of the New York Times Book Review. In the 2001 The Best of Florida statewide poll taken by Florida Monthly magazine, A Land Remembered was ranked #1 Best Florida Book. The novel also ranked #1 in all the polls since then. Smith’s lifetime work was nominated for the 1985 Nobel Prize for Literature, and since then he has received five additional nominations.
In 2008 he was honored with a Literary Heritage Award at the 1st Annual Heritage Book Festival in St Augustine. FLorida's Secretary of State Kurt Browning presented the award.
In 1995 Patrick Smith was elected by The Southern Academy of Letters, Arts and Science for its highest literary award, The Order of the South. Previous recipients include Eudora Welty, James Dickey, and Reynolds Price. In 1996 he was named a Florida Ambassador of the Arts, an honor given each year by the state of Florida to someone who has made significant contributions to Florida's cultural growth. In 1999 Smith was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame, which is the highest and most prestigious cultural honor the state bestows upon an individual artist. Prior inductees include writers Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Zora Neale Hurston, and Ernest Hemingway.
In October 1990 he received the University of Mississippi’s Distinguished Alumni Award and was inducted into the University’s Alumni Hall of Fame. In 1997, the Florida Historical Society created a new annual award, the Patrick D. Smith Florida Literature Award, in his honor.
Thousands of people of all ages have enjoyed his books and his talks. With his new DVD, A Sense of Place, you can spend an intimate hour with this soft-spoken author and gain an insight into the creative processes that resulted in his beloved books.
Patrick lives in Merritt Island, Florida with his wife Iris and his beloved cats.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
October 7, 2022
Volume 2 was very underwhelming after reading Volume 1, which I awarded 4.5 stars. Volume 2 is just too fast paced. The characters are introduced within one chapter, and then in the next you’re supposed to regard them as fondly as old friends! The author also skips such large periods of time. There’s like, two paragraphs per year at one point.
Also, this is supposed to be pretty kid friendly, (not super young kids but maybe nine year olds) and I think there is just too much mention of death, gambling, and miscarriage in pregnancy. When I read that Glenda had a miscarriage, I remember thinking that was just about the dumbest judgement a pregnant woman could have made, getting involved in a long, tiring journey resulting in a gunfight! Did she even care about that baby girl in her stomach at all? I know she did, but the author makes her sound logical at times, and really insensitive and naive at others. Glenda’s too much of a wild card.
My next complaint is that characters start getting killed off all at once. It almost seems like the author realized the book was getting a little too lengthy and didn’t bother to go back and shorten the boring parts. Instead, he simply began moving the plot along too quickly, by killing about a person a chapter…he could’ve put a bit more thought into Volume 2 in general. Also, once they begin to die, sometimes the living characters are heartbroken, while other times they’re ready to move on by the next day. For example, when Glenda passes, Zech grieves for pretty much the rest of his life. When his unborn daughter dies, he cares more about his smelly old horse! How is that supposed to make sense? And I get that sometimes death doesn’t make sense, but if in a book, it never makes sense, that’s not a coincidence anymore. It’s just poor writing.
I loved Volume 1 so much, and this book was a huge disappointment to me in comparison. Maybe I’d read it again, but it doesn’t feel worth it quite yet when Volume 1 is awaiting with open arms. *sigh*
Also, this is supposed to be pretty kid friendly, (not super young kids but maybe nine year olds) and I think there is just too much mention of death, gambling, and miscarriage in pregnancy. When I read that Glenda had a miscarriage, I remember thinking that was just about the dumbest judgement a pregnant woman could have made, getting involved in a long, tiring journey resulting in a gunfight! Did she even care about that baby girl in her stomach at all? I know she did, but the author makes her sound logical at times, and really insensitive and naive at others. Glenda’s too much of a wild card.
My next complaint is that characters start getting killed off all at once. It almost seems like the author realized the book was getting a little too lengthy and didn’t bother to go back and shorten the boring parts. Instead, he simply began moving the plot along too quickly, by killing about a person a chapter…he could’ve put a bit more thought into Volume 2 in general. Also, once they begin to die, sometimes the living characters are heartbroken, while other times they’re ready to move on by the next day. For example, when Glenda passes, Zech grieves for pretty much the rest of his life. When his unborn daughter dies, he cares more about his smelly old horse! How is that supposed to make sense? And I get that sometimes death doesn’t make sense, but if in a book, it never makes sense, that’s not a coincidence anymore. It’s just poor writing.
I loved Volume 1 so much, and this book was a huge disappointment to me in comparison. Maybe I’d read it again, but it doesn’t feel worth it quite yet when Volume 1 is awaiting with open arms. *sigh*
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 4, 2019
Picking up where Volume 1 left off, A Land Remembered Volume 2 follows the MacIvey clan as they continue to struggle for survival in Wild Florida. Now land owners and established cattlemen, the family begins its foray into orange groves. As their family grows, with Zech married to Glenda and Skillet married to Pearlie Mae, they face big decisions and new dangers. Even as family dynamics are changing, so is the landscape of Florida.
A Land Remembers does a phenomenal job of weaving one family's fortune into the rise of development (and the fall of nature) across the peninsula. It is hopeful and heartbreaking, with times of great joy and times of the deepest despair, and it leaves me melancholy for all that was lost. The author has pulled in so many real life events (the hurricane of 1928, for example), the authenticity of his story is unsettling. This is a poignant memoir of the state written through the eyes of a fictional family who could very well represent many that followed this exact path.
A Land Remembers does a phenomenal job of weaving one family's fortune into the rise of development (and the fall of nature) across the peninsula. It is hopeful and heartbreaking, with times of great joy and times of the deepest despair, and it leaves me melancholy for all that was lost. The author has pulled in so many real life events (the hurricane of 1928, for example), the authenticity of his story is unsettling. This is a poignant memoir of the state written through the eyes of a fictional family who could very well represent many that followed this exact path.
September 22, 2011
What a awesome book! I tell alot of people about this book. I even cryed in parts of it.
May 28, 2020
Found this & Vol. 1 when organizing some of my boys childhood books. They had been given to us by dear friends when we lived in JAX. My friend read these books to her son's 4th grade class when studying FL history in 2006. I don't know how we never read them as the boys loved all things adventure & this certainly fit the bill! Written for students, there are some missing adult details, but I loved the books as an adult & certainly picked up a lot of FL history along the way. Couldn't write a better synopsis than what has already been written so will include for my own purposes... This is the story of three generations of MacIveys, a Florida family who battle frontier hardships to rise from a dirt-poor Cracker life to the wealth and standing of real estate tycoons. Tobias MacIvey arrives in the Florida wilderness in 1858 eking a new life with his wife Emma & infant son Zech. The saga ends in 1968 with Solomon MacIvey, who realizes the land has been exploited far beyond human need (of which he took part in). The rugged Florida history features crusty Crackers, Skillit, Frog, & Bonzo, & Seminole Indians including Towanda. Battling wild animals, rustlers, Confederate deserters, mosquitoes, starvation, hurricanes, and freezes the family carves a cattle ranching & orange grove kingdom out of the swamp. The most formidable adversary of the MacIvey family becomes greed by the third generation when Sol reaps the benefits of his father & grandfather's lifetimes of hard work. There is love, tenderness, hope & passion in each new generation, friendships with persecuted blacks & Indians, & respect for the land and its wildlife. Liked the first volume a little better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 2, 2025
So this book is a quick read and I see why they use it in schools. But it’s poorly written by today’s standards. It reads like a biography of some sort jumping around to all different POVs.
There’s a lot of violence and death. I read this thinking I’d give it to my 12 year old nephew but I don’t think he needs to read it yet.
There’s also no feelings in the characters. Sol is just like oh ok here’s my half Indian brother I never knew about and now I’m gonna play with him.
Or Zech just goes and kills a gang.
And then everyone kinda dies abruptly and violently.
Interesting read about the development of South Florida though.
There’s a lot of violence and death. I read this thinking I’d give it to my 12 year old nephew but I don’t think he needs to read it yet.
There’s also no feelings in the characters. Sol is just like oh ok here’s my half Indian brother I never knew about and now I’m gonna play with him.
Or Zech just goes and kills a gang.
And then everyone kinda dies abruptly and violently.
Interesting read about the development of South Florida though.
May 12, 2021
Pioneer Tobias MacIvey and his sons Toby and Solomon illustrate and exemplify the pioneer spirit from 1858 to 1968 in the state of Florida. Incredibly simple, clear yet developed characters, dialogue, background and historical fact. It's as though you're there walking through it yourself. Beautifully done, no holds barred reality, emotion (and the lack thereof necessary in those hard times.)
August 15, 2018
A Land Remembered, Volume 1 and 2
One of the best historical novels I have read in a long time.
I love the tale of early Florida pioneers and the changes wrought over the past century.
One of the best historical novels I have read in a long time.
I love the tale of early Florida pioneers and the changes wrought over the past century.
August 29, 2018
A Compellng Family Sagz
A mere 175 years ago Florida was the eastern most wild West. Follow the Macivey clan through 3 generrations of heartbreak and triumph and heartbreak again. A solid story well told and unforgettable.
A mere 175 years ago Florida was the eastern most wild West. Follow the Macivey clan through 3 generrations of heartbreak and triumph and heartbreak again. A solid story well told and unforgettable.
January 6, 2020
I'm torn on this one - I didn't enjoy it as much as the first volume, but I did like it. The ending is... not Disney-esque, we'll just put it that way. That's completely realistic and I've been thinking about it a lot, but it seems a sad end to the MacIvey story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 25, 2024
Excellent book that continues the story of the MacIvey family. This book had the best ending of all books I've read. This was one of two books that made me cry. Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxes was the other book.
January 18, 2020
Still one of my favorite books but this volume gets a bit dark and depressing. Possibly a bit dark for using in the classroom but a great read none the less.
January 19, 2023
Good read
A very good storyline and great characters. A very easy read and very interesting. An emotional ride through history. Would enjoy more.
A very good storyline and great characters. A very easy read and very interesting. An emotional ride through history. Would enjoy more.
October 17, 2024
My students loved this book as a classroom read-aloud so much that their parents wanted to read the "adult" version. Highly recommend for Florida historical fiction.
February 7, 2025
There's no better book series to chronologically cover the evolution of the destruction of Florida's natural state. The book is quite tragic.
February 13, 2008
This is an exciting story told in the time period of Old Florida down to the modern era. It chronicles three generations of early settlers in Florida. My entire family loved it. I recommend this student version to adults, especially if they would appreciate a little language editing and removal of "amoral behavior." The original adult version is a bit gorier and I prefer this softened version.
January 12, 2008
This is a fantastic book! My son was asked to read it for school so it is simply written, a young adult novel, but really, really good, particularly if you are a Floridian. The story takes place in Central Florida and begins in the early 1800's but takes you through the hardships of one family through 3 generations of living and surviving in Florida. It's a quick read so READ IT.
July 13, 2015
This is an excellent book about a families struggles, in the 1800s of Florida. You can really get a feel, after reading this book, about old Florida and how it used to be, before all the modern technologies of today.
One of the best books, I have ever read.
Has anyone else read this?
One of the best books, I have ever read.
Has anyone else read this?
March 5, 2008
a little better than the first, but i still hate A Land Remembered.
November 6, 2008
second best book ive ever read
March 4, 2009
Excellent read
June 16, 2010
A great book for teaching Florida history
August 2, 2012
A great sequel to volume 1.
January 21, 2013
It is a bit depressing, although it is a good bok
Want to read
May 30, 2014How do u read a book?
February 2, 2015
An Old Florida story. I loved it!
July 11, 2016
i like the book
April 26, 2017
Great book
This is one of the best books ever. I hope you read it sometime this was the best book I ever read.
This is one of the best books ever. I hope you read it sometime this was the best book I ever read.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews