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Widder's Landing: Life & Love on the Kentucky Frontier
A young man loses his job and is forced to relocate. No one is hiring in such bleak economic times. America finds itself threatened by a world superpower firmly in control of global trade. Money is scarce, businesses fail, and the Bank of the United States closes its doors. The country will soon be embroiled in another war. This is not present day the year is 1811. Craig Ridgeway, a 21-year old gunsmith from Pennsylvania, rides a flatboat down the Ohio River and settles in Breckinridge County, Kentucky to try his hand at farming. Through an accidental association with a notorious widow (the past proprietor of a liquor vault and prostitution den), he inherits a patch of rich bottomland, embraces a nearby family, and falls in love with the abandoned wife of a violent outlaw. Overcoming inexperience and hardships, Craig builds a promising new life, learning how to raise corn, tobacco and hemp. Inspired by the Widder's recipe, he and his wife Mary manufacture bourbon whiskey, which he markets profitably in New Orleans. A new steamboat embarks on its first journey down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, ushering in a new economic era. But good fortune comes at a high price. The looming war with Great Britain disrupts the economy and soon overshadows Craig's life. He must make choices that affect others in times of conflict. Will he risk everything by fighting on the northern frontier? Will he use his special talents as a gunsmith and marksman to help his nation? After twice refusing to fight on the northern frontier, he has one last chance to join his fellow Kentuckians in the heroic defense of New Orleans. The epic battle on the sugarcane plantations below the city provides redemption for the young American nation and for Craig, as he returns home to continue his adventure in life with Mary. Widder's Landing is a story of life, love and survival set against the rugged Kentucky frontier.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
568 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
3 people are currently reading
126 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
May 26, 2013
Craig Ridgway leaves his well-educated home at the age of fifteen because he cannot imagine being in school another year. He moves from Philadelphia to Lancaster where he apprentices himself to the master-gunsmith Jakob Wetzel. When Jakob dies in January of 1811, twenty-year-old Craig loses his mentor. Grieving Wetzel’s death and the end of his job and his home, he decides to move west to Pittsburg.
There he stokes coal in one of the town’s new foundries. Craig needs the wide open spaces he fell in love with as he made his way over the mountains of Pennsylvania in the snows of January. He moves on down to the Ohio River to the rich farmlands of Kentucky. He disembarks at Widder’s Landing deathly ill with pneumonia. The Widder nurses him back to health exacting his promise to continue through the planting and harvesting seasons. So starts ten months of back breaking labor. Craig has much to glean from one of Cotton Bend’s infamous outcasts. He can do little more than notice, Mary, the beautiful daughter of the neighbor whom the Widder curses.
Setting the life and love on the Kentucky frontier in the years 1811 to 1814 provides a full time in American history. The years of initial statehood for Kentucky, Haley’s Comet, the New Madrid Earthquakes, and the War of 1812 provide the backdrop where Craig, wins and loses, and hopes to win again. In the process, he grows to love the land and its people. Farming suits his restless spirit. Catherine McDonnell suits his tender spirit. Life and love rest on a few hundred acres on the edge of the Ohio River. The small town of Cottonwood Bend bears intentional resemblance to the small town of Cloverdale in Breckenridge County.
Price’s vivid descriptions draw on all the senses and paint a vivid picture of a vivid time. His characters are each unique and will continue with the reader long after the 586 pages have flown by, like the great flocks of geese and passenger pigeons that show the change of seasons on this edge of the frontier. The characterizations are all well-rounded as the author develops them in the ways they relate to one another, and to the times in which they live.
Eddie Price’s love of history and the scope of his research will cause the reader to want Price to have been their history teacher when they studied the Great Westward Expansion, The War of 1812, Andrew Jackson, crops of Kentucky, and the mighty river systems that were the first roadways of America. Starting with a real farmhouse built in 1802 on the western edge of Breckenridge County, Price helps us visualize, taste, smell, hear and feel “What stories this old house could tell!” His research is well-grounded and presented in the Introduction and Acknowledgements.
This book makes history come alive. Readers will match Price’s book with renowned epic novels like Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth, Morgan Llywelyn’s Brian Boru, or Mary Renault’s epic historical novels of the 1960’s. The reader will come away not only with a book they will need to share and read again, but one that will stand the test of time, and teach more history than one could understand any other way.
United States History, 19th century, Historical Fiction, Kentucky, War of 1812
I reviewed this book for Readers Favorite
There he stokes coal in one of the town’s new foundries. Craig needs the wide open spaces he fell in love with as he made his way over the mountains of Pennsylvania in the snows of January. He moves on down to the Ohio River to the rich farmlands of Kentucky. He disembarks at Widder’s Landing deathly ill with pneumonia. The Widder nurses him back to health exacting his promise to continue through the planting and harvesting seasons. So starts ten months of back breaking labor. Craig has much to glean from one of Cotton Bend’s infamous outcasts. He can do little more than notice, Mary, the beautiful daughter of the neighbor whom the Widder curses.
Setting the life and love on the Kentucky frontier in the years 1811 to 1814 provides a full time in American history. The years of initial statehood for Kentucky, Haley’s Comet, the New Madrid Earthquakes, and the War of 1812 provide the backdrop where Craig, wins and loses, and hopes to win again. In the process, he grows to love the land and its people. Farming suits his restless spirit. Catherine McDonnell suits his tender spirit. Life and love rest on a few hundred acres on the edge of the Ohio River. The small town of Cottonwood Bend bears intentional resemblance to the small town of Cloverdale in Breckenridge County.
Price’s vivid descriptions draw on all the senses and paint a vivid picture of a vivid time. His characters are each unique and will continue with the reader long after the 586 pages have flown by, like the great flocks of geese and passenger pigeons that show the change of seasons on this edge of the frontier. The characterizations are all well-rounded as the author develops them in the ways they relate to one another, and to the times in which they live.
Eddie Price’s love of history and the scope of his research will cause the reader to want Price to have been their history teacher when they studied the Great Westward Expansion, The War of 1812, Andrew Jackson, crops of Kentucky, and the mighty river systems that were the first roadways of America. Starting with a real farmhouse built in 1802 on the western edge of Breckenridge County, Price helps us visualize, taste, smell, hear and feel “What stories this old house could tell!” His research is well-grounded and presented in the Introduction and Acknowledgements.
This book makes history come alive. Readers will match Price’s book with renowned epic novels like Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth, Morgan Llywelyn’s Brian Boru, or Mary Renault’s epic historical novels of the 1960’s. The reader will come away not only with a book they will need to share and read again, but one that will stand the test of time, and teach more history than one could understand any other way.
United States History, 19th century, Historical Fiction, Kentucky, War of 1812
I reviewed this book for Readers Favorite
November 17, 2012
My review of Eddie Price's novel can only be biased because I played a role in the completion of this fine work. I reviewed and edited one of the late manuscripts of his book and suggested some changes to it. Nothing major. When Eddie brought me the manuscript I sort of whinced because of the size of the box. I think it was over 600 pages. I explained to him that while I had edited other manuscripts, I had never done any work on a novel, except for re-typing a Zane Grey manuscript as a graduate student (that's a long story, no pun intended, by the way).
I'll be honest. Few people can write worthy prose. Writing is a difficult business, and it is difficult to acquire and hone the skill enough to pull of writing coherently for 600 pages. After Eddie left my house, I sat on the backporch with that big box of paper looming on our porch table. "What have I gotten myself into?" I asked.
After everything settled down that night, I sat at my desk and reluctantly picked up the first page of the manuscript."Jakob Wetzel died early on a Sunday morning." I read on wondering how in the hell I was going to help this man with a novel. Dissertations. Theses. Even a few full length histories. I had always proofed and edited stuff like that.
I wasn't even going to let myself get involved in the story. I had a mission. Edit the man's manuscript. The first thing I came to that caught my editor's eye was a phrase in German. At this moment I can't remember what it was, but I wrote a note in the margin to the author recalling Frau Hazzard at Louisville Male High School criticizing the German in "Hogan's Heroes." I also had German neighbors in my Louisville neighborhood. I wrote, "A German would more likely say "Gott in Himmel!" in this situation than...whatever it was in the manuscript.
Nothing stirs a man soul like editing another man's writing. That's a paraphrase of a quote I read long ago. So, I read the first seventy or so pages of the book without a pen in my hand. I wanted to get a sense on whether or not it was worth my effort.
I went to bed that night and told Dana, "This guy's got some talent." I decided to pour my effort and historical knowledge and research skill into Eddie's manuscript. Before long I realized that his captivating prose and the pace of the book had me reading the story instead of looking for errors. I often had to go back and re-read several pages while I turned off my reader's eye and activated that of a proofreader and editor.
Eddie Price's book "Widder's Landing" is a fine piece of historical fiction set in a dynamic time in Kentucky's history. His descriptive ability leaves the reader with vivid images of the hideous and the sensuous. The pace of the story is fantastic. Readers will not be able to put down the book while feeling like they are part of an epic tale. It is epic, recounting the adventures of Craig Ridgeway from Pennsylvania to Breckinridge County, Kentucky, and to New Orleans and back. All the while, Ridgeway transforms a Kentucky farm from wasteland to a first rate Upper-South, antebellum plantation.
I highly recommend this book. I'm biased, but there's a reason I'm that way beyond having been one of the book's editors.
I'll be honest. Few people can write worthy prose. Writing is a difficult business, and it is difficult to acquire and hone the skill enough to pull of writing coherently for 600 pages. After Eddie left my house, I sat on the backporch with that big box of paper looming on our porch table. "What have I gotten myself into?" I asked.
After everything settled down that night, I sat at my desk and reluctantly picked up the first page of the manuscript."Jakob Wetzel died early on a Sunday morning." I read on wondering how in the hell I was going to help this man with a novel. Dissertations. Theses. Even a few full length histories. I had always proofed and edited stuff like that.
I wasn't even going to let myself get involved in the story. I had a mission. Edit the man's manuscript. The first thing I came to that caught my editor's eye was a phrase in German. At this moment I can't remember what it was, but I wrote a note in the margin to the author recalling Frau Hazzard at Louisville Male High School criticizing the German in "Hogan's Heroes." I also had German neighbors in my Louisville neighborhood. I wrote, "A German would more likely say "Gott in Himmel!" in this situation than...whatever it was in the manuscript.
Nothing stirs a man soul like editing another man's writing. That's a paraphrase of a quote I read long ago. So, I read the first seventy or so pages of the book without a pen in my hand. I wanted to get a sense on whether or not it was worth my effort.
I went to bed that night and told Dana, "This guy's got some talent." I decided to pour my effort and historical knowledge and research skill into Eddie's manuscript. Before long I realized that his captivating prose and the pace of the book had me reading the story instead of looking for errors. I often had to go back and re-read several pages while I turned off my reader's eye and activated that of a proofreader and editor.
Eddie Price's book "Widder's Landing" is a fine piece of historical fiction set in a dynamic time in Kentucky's history. His descriptive ability leaves the reader with vivid images of the hideous and the sensuous. The pace of the story is fantastic. Readers will not be able to put down the book while feeling like they are part of an epic tale. It is epic, recounting the adventures of Craig Ridgeway from Pennsylvania to Breckinridge County, Kentucky, and to New Orleans and back. All the while, Ridgeway transforms a Kentucky farm from wasteland to a first rate Upper-South, antebellum plantation.
I highly recommend this book. I'm biased, but there's a reason I'm that way beyond having been one of the book's editors.
August 30, 2014
I loved the first half of this book, especially the descriptions of how the Kentucky pioneers in the early 1800s cleared their fields, planted tobacco and corn and cooked over the fireplace. The descriptions were so vivid that I could imagine everything. I also loved the main character and the way he overcame so many obstacles to have his own farm and marry a wonderful wife. Great love story. However, I lost interest in the story as the book progressed and could barely make it through the War of 1812 and the Battle of New Orleans. The writing was equally descriptive, but the story wasn't for me. I must have been asleep when they taught that part of U.S. history in school. I knew absolutely nothing about that war. Price does an excellent job of portraying how brutal war actually was and I detected a hint of antiwar sentiment. I think the book is worth reading, especially for those of us who live in or near Kentucky.
June 12, 2023
3.5 stars for me. The first three quarters of the book was a fast paced and pretty interesting story. The last part meh I could’ve done without. It was okay but it dragged the book longer than I feel it should’ve went. Craig makes a name for himself in many ways and shows the true grit of being an Kentucky farmer. Overall it was a decent read. Also Goodreads has the wrong amount of page numbers. 😑
December 28, 2013
This was an unbelievably great book. There might be people who read this review thinking I'm biased because Eddie Price both taught me in school and worked alongside my father in the same school system. I assure you I'm not; Eddie was relatively new teacher when I was in school from 1981-1984 and at that time in my life very few of my teachers made any kind of impact upon me. I remember him as being kind and enthusiastic about his subject (history). It was not an enthusiasm I shared at the time unfortunately.
When my father offered me his copy to read, saying that it was an excellent story, I was, quite frankly, not that enthusiastic. My assumption was that knowing my father he was simply doing a friend a kindness; he's like that. I cannot tell you now how thrilled I am that he did. So much so that the first night I started reading it I was swept away by both the story and the incredible descriptions of how both things were built and money/credit were managed in the early eighteen hundreds. It is an astonishing book and that first night I read it until SEVEN-THIRTY A.M!! I was unable to put it down. I cannot recommend this story enough; if you want a better idea of from whence we came and how we arrived at this point in time READ THIS BOOK!!!
Dave Cowden, Jr.
Evansville, IN
December, 2013
When my father offered me his copy to read, saying that it was an excellent story, I was, quite frankly, not that enthusiastic. My assumption was that knowing my father he was simply doing a friend a kindness; he's like that. I cannot tell you now how thrilled I am that he did. So much so that the first night I started reading it I was swept away by both the story and the incredible descriptions of how both things were built and money/credit were managed in the early eighteen hundreds. It is an astonishing book and that first night I read it until SEVEN-THIRTY A.M!! I was unable to put it down. I cannot recommend this story enough; if you want a better idea of from whence we came and how we arrived at this point in time READ THIS BOOK!!!
Dave Cowden, Jr.
Evansville, IN
December, 2013
July 15, 2014
I very much enjoy historical fiction, especially very accurate works like this one. It could use more editing in places and trimming, the book is long. However, it's about a time and place that is largely forgotten in historical fiction, and the characters are compelling. I loved the Widder, in particular. A dense book.
December 24, 2025
Characters: a little flat; Mary is the perfect woman, Craig is the luckiest man alive; McDonnell attracts prosperity like honey attracts flies. No real nuance to the characters. Fairly formulaic. The only interesting character is the Widder.
Plot: Engaging. Young man crosses Allegheny mountains and lands in Kentucky during its early years and builds a life, family, and community on the frontier. Full of historical and other details that make for sustained interest throughout the first 2/3 of the book, and than wanes somewhat.
Credibility: Zero. Craig walks across the mountains in January and thrives. He almost dies upon arriving in KY at “Widder’s Landing” but is found by the widder, a known criminal, and taken under her wing, where he also thrives. Then he inherits her farm after knowing her only briefly, marries the gorgeous, talented, hard working girl next door (damsel in distress for an added trope), gets a smokehouse, cabin, spring house, and barn built by the neighbors in about a week so he is totally set up on a valuable piece of land with an incredible array of brand new, top of the line buildings that materialize virtually overnight. Nope. Just nope. Frontier life was brutally hard and prosperity was a battle against all odds. This was too easy and just not credible. And Mary living with the slaves IN HER CABIN when Craig was gone??? In Kentucky in 1811???? Becoming best friends with the enslaved woman who was just recently on the Auction block with her husband and child? This is so far beyond credulity I almost quit reading over this.
Pace: The tedious descriptions of farming were awful. I grew up on a tobacco farm and what is worse than working in tobacco? Reading about Craig Ridgeway working in tobacco with his vast network of instant family that just materializes prosperity like fairy dust. The farming descriptions were odious. Once to set the stage and then STOP.
Overall, the book was interesting until it wasn’t and would have been better with more “grit” and less text. It could have been a decent 400-500 page book, but there wasn’t enough going on to justify 848.
Plot: Engaging. Young man crosses Allegheny mountains and lands in Kentucky during its early years and builds a life, family, and community on the frontier. Full of historical and other details that make for sustained interest throughout the first 2/3 of the book, and than wanes somewhat.
Credibility: Zero. Craig walks across the mountains in January and thrives. He almost dies upon arriving in KY at “Widder’s Landing” but is found by the widder, a known criminal, and taken under her wing, where he also thrives. Then he inherits her farm after knowing her only briefly, marries the gorgeous, talented, hard working girl next door (damsel in distress for an added trope), gets a smokehouse, cabin, spring house, and barn built by the neighbors in about a week so he is totally set up on a valuable piece of land with an incredible array of brand new, top of the line buildings that materialize virtually overnight. Nope. Just nope. Frontier life was brutally hard and prosperity was a battle against all odds. This was too easy and just not credible. And Mary living with the slaves IN HER CABIN when Craig was gone??? In Kentucky in 1811???? Becoming best friends with the enslaved woman who was just recently on the Auction block with her husband and child? This is so far beyond credulity I almost quit reading over this.
Pace: The tedious descriptions of farming were awful. I grew up on a tobacco farm and what is worse than working in tobacco? Reading about Craig Ridgeway working in tobacco with his vast network of instant family that just materializes prosperity like fairy dust. The farming descriptions were odious. Once to set the stage and then STOP.
Overall, the book was interesting until it wasn’t and would have been better with more “grit” and less text. It could have been a decent 400-500 page book, but there wasn’t enough going on to justify 848.
November 18, 2025
📕📚🤍I have recently completed reading this book, and I must say it is the most exceptional historical fiction I have ever had the pleasure of reading.
While visiting Augusta, Kentucky, on my birthday, I had the opportunity to meet the author at a street fair. He was captivating to listen to, and as a historical fiction enthusiast , my mother and I bought two of his books.
This book is remarkably well-written, with the author demonstrating a remarkable ability to bring the story to life. The descriptions are incredibly vivid, making you feel as though you can almost smell the surroundings.
The narrative is set in Kentucky in the early to mid-1800s, (My absolute favorite time period!) along the Ohio River.
The characters are so realistic that you wish you could have a conversation with them.
To say the least, the book is outstanding. I have begun reading the second book and hope it will be just as wonderful. If you are a fan of historical fiction, I strongly recommend this book; you will not be disappointed.📚📕���
#EddiePrice
#WiddersLanding
While visiting Augusta, Kentucky, on my birthday, I had the opportunity to meet the author at a street fair. He was captivating to listen to, and as a historical fiction enthusiast , my mother and I bought two of his books.
This book is remarkably well-written, with the author demonstrating a remarkable ability to bring the story to life. The descriptions are incredibly vivid, making you feel as though you can almost smell the surroundings.
The narrative is set in Kentucky in the early to mid-1800s, (My absolute favorite time period!) along the Ohio River.
The characters are so realistic that you wish you could have a conversation with them.
To say the least, the book is outstanding. I have begun reading the second book and hope it will be just as wonderful. If you are a fan of historical fiction, I strongly recommend this book; you will not be disappointed.📚📕���
#EddiePrice
#WiddersLanding
August 8, 2018
This historically based novel was a great read. When I first picked it up in May of this year (it was gifted to me) I thought, “Well I know what I’ll be reading the rest of the summer,” but surprisingly I finished all 848 pages by the end of June, and I did not have one bored moment reading about the daily lives of Craig Ridgeway and the McDonnell family, fictional early settlers in Kentucky along the Ohio River.
Widder’s Landing was not like other epic novels I have read, where the story spans generations and even countries (aka Ken Folletts’ trilogies) and there are so many characters that one has trouble keeping up with them. Instead Price’s story follows only two families, and takes place from 1811 – 1815, all very manageable. My favorite character was the cantankerous carpenter, Levi Matthews. The villains were few and far between, and vanquished before they caused too much damage. The real adversaries in this novel was nature, in the form of storms and earthquakes, which, by the way, really took place in 1811 and 1812 in the continental United States; and war, specifically the War of 1812.
I liked the way Price went into great detail about everything that a farmer had to do just to keep his land producing and his animals cared for. I was never left wondering, as I am prone to do when I read most novels, “How did they do that?” or “That wouldn’t work,” or my most common reaction “That don’t make sense.” Also Price is a skillful storyteller, weaving the thread of his tale through multiple places and people, causing the reader to be invested in each character. I had a hard time putting the book down each night. The novel never dragged or got boring, even during the last chapters when Craig and the McDonnells head down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to join General Andrew Jackson to fight the British in New Orleans.
And because Price is such a good teacher I actually read every page and every paragraph about the battles, (I am prone to skipping whole pages of battle descriptions) learning just how much I did not know about that war. For those who love a good long read with romance and adventure, great characters and no unnecessary graphic violence; a story that is historically accurate and full of facts, this book if for you.
Widder’s Landing was not like other epic novels I have read, where the story spans generations and even countries (aka Ken Folletts’ trilogies) and there are so many characters that one has trouble keeping up with them. Instead Price’s story follows only two families, and takes place from 1811 – 1815, all very manageable. My favorite character was the cantankerous carpenter, Levi Matthews. The villains were few and far between, and vanquished before they caused too much damage. The real adversaries in this novel was nature, in the form of storms and earthquakes, which, by the way, really took place in 1811 and 1812 in the continental United States; and war, specifically the War of 1812.
I liked the way Price went into great detail about everything that a farmer had to do just to keep his land producing and his animals cared for. I was never left wondering, as I am prone to do when I read most novels, “How did they do that?” or “That wouldn’t work,” or my most common reaction “That don’t make sense.” Also Price is a skillful storyteller, weaving the thread of his tale through multiple places and people, causing the reader to be invested in each character. I had a hard time putting the book down each night. The novel never dragged or got boring, even during the last chapters when Craig and the McDonnells head down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to join General Andrew Jackson to fight the British in New Orleans.
And because Price is such a good teacher I actually read every page and every paragraph about the battles, (I am prone to skipping whole pages of battle descriptions) learning just how much I did not know about that war. For those who love a good long read with romance and adventure, great characters and no unnecessary graphic violence; a story that is historically accurate and full of facts, this book if for you.
November 10, 2023
I was very impressed with the amount of research, and its subsequent knowledge, that the author incorporated in this book. He wrote easily of plants, animals, farming methods, gunsmithing, Andrew Jackson's battle for New Orleans, and more. This was not boring informational book. The author 's development of believable characters and their life stories drew me in and made me care about them. Its 848 pages were never plodding - always keeping me gladly pursuing the adventures of Craig, his family, and his friends.
December 28, 2018
One of the best books I have read in years. The story and characters were captivating and the description of life in early 1800's in Kentucky was absolutely fascinating. It made it even more interesting that this is the time period that my family left Virginia after 200 years and headed west, first to Tennessee and then Kentucky.
June 29, 2023
Enjoyed this book far more than I thought I would. It was very well researched and historically accurate. It was at some points a little too descriptive, making it seem to drag on somewhat. That didn’t stop me from continuing. Nor does it stop me from recommending it.
March 16, 2024
At 800+ pages and with far too many exclamation points, this book needed serious editing. Character voices all sounded the same and it was very white male pioneer saga. That said, I really enjoyed the story and it made the time period and place come alive for me.
April 13, 2025
This book was not only an interesting story but also I was intrigued by Mr Price's descriptions of the weapons, foods, farming equipment and so forth from this time in history. It made the story come alive and it was so easy to picture the characters as the story unfolded.
January 20, 2019
A very good fictional read. If you like history and historical events, you will like this book.
March 5, 2019
The history is written with vivid details. I liked the characters.
September 23, 2023
The journey was great and kept me reading!! I wish it did not end with 1812 war.
October 4, 2025
I love historical fiction books and I saw this and decided to read it I’m now reading the sequel “one drop a slave” and I’m hooked wonderful author and overall wonderful book highly recommended
November 13, 2021
Loved it! Makes me homesick for Breck County! ♥️ Well done!
August 5, 2014
WIDDER’S LANDING gives readers a view of what life was like on the American frontier from around 1810 to 1815. The major part of the story takes place along the Ohio River on the Kentucky side. It gives one a view of the prejudices of the day and how some people were ostracized by others in the community. It also shows people on both sides of the slavery issue that not too far in the future would lead to the Civil War.
The book follows young Craig Ridgeway, a gunsmith apprentice in eastern Pennsylvania, who loses his job and heads off west across Pennsylvania to Pittsburgh. After a short stop off there he heads down the Ohio on a longboat, becomes ill, and is dropped off at a place everyone calls Widder’s Landing. He is found in the woods by the Widder and is taken in and brought back to health. She is an outcast in the community but they befriend each other and he starts to help her with the farm and little by little she opens up to him.
She dies and she has willed him the land that he had started to farm. Being associated with her he is not looked upon in a good light by the community but several incidents prove to him that he might be a good addition to the area. He falls in love with a young lady from a prominent family and they pick up the lessons on farming that the Widder had started.
The story had a trading trip to New Orleans in it. A gathering of the Kentucky militia to cross the Ohio to end Indian incursions across the river. The War of 1812 occurs and decisions have to be made to fight or to stay on the farm with his growing family. Another trip to New Orleans to fight the British and then home to hopefully live peacefully and to continue gather in crops.
Mr. Price gives us a view of what life must have been like at this time in our history. His description of the farming methods and the crops that were grown are interesting and full of facts that many of us do not have in our knowledge base. He has given us a view of how and what people thought about the major issues of that time and how they reacted to various things that were occurring. Even the tax question is brought up in the book.
I found the book to be enjoyable to read and an easy to read. It is one of those books I wished would not end. An excellent job.
The book follows young Craig Ridgeway, a gunsmith apprentice in eastern Pennsylvania, who loses his job and heads off west across Pennsylvania to Pittsburgh. After a short stop off there he heads down the Ohio on a longboat, becomes ill, and is dropped off at a place everyone calls Widder’s Landing. He is found in the woods by the Widder and is taken in and brought back to health. She is an outcast in the community but they befriend each other and he starts to help her with the farm and little by little she opens up to him.
She dies and she has willed him the land that he had started to farm. Being associated with her he is not looked upon in a good light by the community but several incidents prove to him that he might be a good addition to the area. He falls in love with a young lady from a prominent family and they pick up the lessons on farming that the Widder had started.
The story had a trading trip to New Orleans in it. A gathering of the Kentucky militia to cross the Ohio to end Indian incursions across the river. The War of 1812 occurs and decisions have to be made to fight or to stay on the farm with his growing family. Another trip to New Orleans to fight the British and then home to hopefully live peacefully and to continue gather in crops.
Mr. Price gives us a view of what life must have been like at this time in our history. His description of the farming methods and the crops that were grown are interesting and full of facts that many of us do not have in our knowledge base. He has given us a view of how and what people thought about the major issues of that time and how they reacted to various things that were occurring. Even the tax question is brought up in the book.
I found the book to be enjoyable to read and an easy to read. It is one of those books I wished would not end. An excellent job.
May 26, 2013
This book serves to remind us all that anyone can have a book published.
Price only evident skill is historical research. It becomes very clear throughout the book that he has spent a great deal of time studying the era. I will admit that it is interesting to read about the construction of homes, barns, rafts, and farming instruments to an extent.
As for the poor parts of this book. First of grammar wise. There is "!" nearly every time some one speaks. As a reader this annoys me! Is everyone yelling at each other!? This is an unforgivable blunder that got old on page 20 and continues through the end of the book!
Second, the story is bad. Ever wanted to be a fortune teller? Well here's your chance. The book is as subtle as a blow to the head. Theres foreshadowing and them there's this.
Next, price's details on love scenes are either too creepy or too pedestrian. From extreme to the other it is all very bad writing.
I could go on and on but it jus makes me more and more angry to think about. Price should turn to textbooks. Stick with the facts and leave fiction to those with English degrees.
Price only evident skill is historical research. It becomes very clear throughout the book that he has spent a great deal of time studying the era. I will admit that it is interesting to read about the construction of homes, barns, rafts, and farming instruments to an extent.
As for the poor parts of this book. First of grammar wise. There is "!" nearly every time some one speaks. As a reader this annoys me! Is everyone yelling at each other!? This is an unforgivable blunder that got old on page 20 and continues through the end of the book!
Second, the story is bad. Ever wanted to be a fortune teller? Well here's your chance. The book is as subtle as a blow to the head. Theres foreshadowing and them there's this.
Next, price's details on love scenes are either too creepy or too pedestrian. From extreme to the other it is all very bad writing.
I could go on and on but it jus makes me more and more angry to think about. Price should turn to textbooks. Stick with the facts and leave fiction to those with English degrees.
January 2, 2015
I was helping at the Encampment at Ft. Massac State Park in Metropolis, Illinois. The author, Eddie Price, was set up beside the booth I was working. One read of the flap, and I was intrigued. The size of the book was daunting but well worth the time. The book was very uplifting. Unlike some books, this one dealt with the goodness of people. Neighbor helping neighbor, and the power of loyalty. I passed on to a friend to read so it receives my recommendation.
April 9, 2015
I really enjoyed the book and particularly all the details of the time period. Being set mostly in KY is what drew me to the book. The great characters, particularly, Craig and Mary, are what kept me reading. The Battle of New Orleans, seemed more real than any other reading. I do love Historical Fiction and this book did not let me down.
July 14, 2014
Very well written and even included some of my ancestors! A nice look back to what many consider a simpler time but instead is a time of hard work and praying the next crop comes in and can be sold.
July 10, 2016
A splendid, sensory expedition into Kentucky farming life in the early 19th century. Well worth the journey.
May 9, 2014
Girls of atomic city
April 8, 2017
I've always preferred history with an emphasis on story. Eddie Price has done his homework, and having met him in person at a living history event adds to the enjoyment of this book for me. As a newcomer to Kentucky, this helped me connect personally with the rigors of frontier life, tobacco farming, the interpersonal side of religious revival during the Second Great Awakening, the War of 1812, and the politics of river commerce on the Ohio and Mississippi, all the way to New Orleans. I recommend this book to anyone interested in deepening their sense of Kentucky as home.
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