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Piney Ridge
The Enduring Hills
Originally published in 1950, The Enduring Hills was Janice Holt Giles's first novel. It is based in part on her own courtship and introduction to the Kentucky mountain country. Here, Giles introduces Hod and Mary Pierce and begins her Appalachian trilogy.
Hod Pierce, a boy not unlike Henry Giles, who grows up on Piney Ridge, where generations of Pierces have made a living from the stubborn soil. Hod loves his people and the land but longs also for wider horizons, for more education, and for the freedom he imagines can be found in the outside world. It takes World War II to carry Hod away from the Ridge and out into the great world, and it is a long time before he comes back. After the war is over, Hod settles into marriage and a factory job in the city. Finally it is Mary, his city-bred wife, who sees at last that to Hod, Piney Ridge will always be home.
In her preface to the second edition, Mrs. Giles wrote, "I believe [the story] is timeless and as the hands of the clock have turned and turned, people are turning back to the earth, knowing now that saving this earth is the most important work in the world, that we must all become, as Hod and Mary Pierce did, a man and woman with faith in the earth."
Janice Holt Giles (1905-1979), author of nineteen books, lived and wrote near Knifley, Kentucky, for thirty-four years. Her biography is told in Janice Holt A Writer's Life .
Hod Pierce, a boy not unlike Henry Giles, who grows up on Piney Ridge, where generations of Pierces have made a living from the stubborn soil. Hod loves his people and the land but longs also for wider horizons, for more education, and for the freedom he imagines can be found in the outside world. It takes World War II to carry Hod away from the Ridge and out into the great world, and it is a long time before he comes back. After the war is over, Hod settles into marriage and a factory job in the city. Finally it is Mary, his city-bred wife, who sees at last that to Hod, Piney Ridge will always be home.
In her preface to the second edition, Mrs. Giles wrote, "I believe [the story] is timeless and as the hands of the clock have turned and turned, people are turning back to the earth, knowing now that saving this earth is the most important work in the world, that we must all become, as Hod and Mary Pierce did, a man and woman with faith in the earth."
Janice Holt Giles (1905-1979), author of nineteen books, lived and wrote near Knifley, Kentucky, for thirty-four years. Her biography is told in Janice Holt A Writer's Life .
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1950
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265 people want to read
About the author
Janice Holt Giles
39 books47 followersJanice Holt Giles was an American writer best known for her series of pseudo historical novels focusing on life on the American frontier, particularly within Kentucky.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
June 9, 2015
While reading this novel I could not help but think of it as Appalachia's answer to George Eliot's 'Adam Bede'. Both novels depict the lives of humble folk in rural communities. Giles's novel is set in Twentieth Century Kentucky around the time of the first World War when America was undergoing its slow but steady transition from an agricultural to an industrial society, while Eliot's novel takes place in nineteenth century England long before the advent of the automobile. Both novels have as their central characters young men of high integrity and a strong work ethic who are betrayed by the people they love and trust the most. Where the two charaters differ is in the degree to which they accept their respective lots in life. While Adam Bede seldom questions his place in the universe, being content to stay in the village of his birth, practicing the trade he loves, and hoping to marry a local girl and continue the tradition to which he is born, Hod Pierce in "The Enduring Hills" is forever yearning for something more than the humdrum life of a tobacco farmer in the Kentucky hills. While Adam Bede leaves the confines of his rural village only to search for his lost love and hopefully bring her back home, Hod Pierce manages through his own determined striving, to break free, travel the world, and grow rich and successful in the new, industrial society of America.
Another similarity between the two novels is that both heroes have very strong, rather eccentric and colorfully drawn mothers. Hod Pierce's mom, Hattie, is one of few literary characters who could ever match the unforgettable Lisette, Adam's mother, in Adam Bede. Conversely, the fathers are very forgettable in contrast to the mothers.
It is often said in literature that "there are no new stories". Indeed the story of the backwoods youth who leaves the humble country of his origin in search of a more meaningful and exciting life "out there somewhere"---only to find the fulfillment he was seeking is either not the panacea he expected, or was there at his fingertips all along in the place he called "home"---has been told many times over in novels such as "You Can't Go Home Again," "How Green Was My Valley" and "Marjorie Morningstar", to name a few. "The Enduring Hills", due to its strong characterization, its beautifully depicted setting, and the richness of the language, belongs among the best of them.
Another similarity between the two novels is that both heroes have very strong, rather eccentric and colorfully drawn mothers. Hod Pierce's mom, Hattie, is one of few literary characters who could ever match the unforgettable Lisette, Adam's mother, in Adam Bede. Conversely, the fathers are very forgettable in contrast to the mothers.
It is often said in literature that "there are no new stories". Indeed the story of the backwoods youth who leaves the humble country of his origin in search of a more meaningful and exciting life "out there somewhere"---only to find the fulfillment he was seeking is either not the panacea he expected, or was there at his fingertips all along in the place he called "home"---has been told many times over in novels such as "You Can't Go Home Again," "How Green Was My Valley" and "Marjorie Morningstar", to name a few. "The Enduring Hills", due to its strong characterization, its beautifully depicted setting, and the richness of the language, belongs among the best of them.
December 9, 2012
I loved this book! I loved Hod's character, and the way he thought so deeply about things in a place where most people accepted life for what it is. The conflict that he felt between the love of his home and it's traditions, and the feeling that there is more out there in the world was fascinating to me.
My grandfather comes from a very similar background. He was one of the first to leave the ridge his family lived on. There is a strong sense of heritage and a connection to the past in places like Piney Ridge. One of my favorite quotes in the book comes early as Hod is developing a sense of who he is,"A person wasn't ever by himself, then, Hod thought. He was himself, and his father, and his grandfather." This is a great example of the way the mountain people are tied to their ancestors.
Another favorite of mine occurs around the same time in the book, "A man was a reservoir into which his people poured the stream of their living, and then it went on out of him, and through him, down on into time not yet lived." I love the image here of each generation being tied to the next. Life flows threw us but moves on past us like the flowing water. We take a little of our past and it makes us who we are and then we pass that on to future generations.
My grandfather comes from a very similar background. He was one of the first to leave the ridge his family lived on. There is a strong sense of heritage and a connection to the past in places like Piney Ridge. One of my favorite quotes in the book comes early as Hod is developing a sense of who he is,"A person wasn't ever by himself, then, Hod thought. He was himself, and his father, and his grandfather." This is a great example of the way the mountain people are tied to their ancestors.
Another favorite of mine occurs around the same time in the book, "A man was a reservoir into which his people poured the stream of their living, and then it went on out of him, and through him, down on into time not yet lived." I love the image here of each generation being tied to the next. Life flows threw us but moves on past us like the flowing water. We take a little of our past and it makes us who we are and then we pass that on to future generations.
April 1, 2018
This is a new author for me and she writes beautifully and i thoroughly enjoyed it!
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March 10, 2009Fascinating look into the appalachain way of life and values. The pure simplicity of their lives pulls me in. My mother is from this area and I feel the draw.
August 23, 2018
Though I have never been to Kentucky if I were to go I would recognize it by her wonderful descriptive writing of people and places.
September 10, 2022
I wasn't sure about this book at first, because the lifestyle, writing, and setting are so different than my own experience, but I LOVED it! The book was cozy and comforting, while still moving the plot forward without slogging along. The themes stand the test of time--asking and reflecting upon some existential questions that many can relate to. The characters felt believable and familiar...like the setting that the author was trying to mirror. Will read more from Giles!
February 25, 2022
This is the second book I have read by this author. She pulled me into the Piney Ridge. The peacefulness and beauty of the Piney Ridge seemed so soothing while the folks who lived there had all sorts of problems but had a strong sense of community.
September 29, 2022
This is Giles first novel. The writing is good, but not as great as her later works. I believe I read this book many years ago. I like the story, but it does not develop the characters like her later works.
August 7, 2018
Maybe objectively it’s a 3.5 stars but it’s about my home state and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was published the year I was born: 1950, so that was a bit special to me, too.
June 21, 2025
An enchanting book. Highly recommend.
July 17, 2015
This is the story of Hod Pierce, a young man growing up in rural Kentucky just before WWII. In this book Hod struggles with his desire to travel to far away places and become more than just a tobacco farmer. What he finds in the end is that what he was seeking was right in front of him the whole time; the people you can depend on, the ones who work hard for their living, the richness of the land and the enduring hills. Janice Holt Giles has a wonderful way of writing that is plain and honest just like her characters. This is the third book I have read by this author, and they have all been good. I feel like her characters just come to life and the descriptions of the settings are true and make you feel like you are part of it.
April 29, 2008
This is the first book by Janice Holt Giles and it had been on my "to read" shelf for 5 years. A friend in KY gave my all of this author's books when we moved from Paducah.
I loved the characters in the book--they are warm, interesting, and real. This book is the first in a trilogy about Hod Pierce and his family, who has lived on the same tobacco farm in Appalachia since the Revolutionary War. Traditional values vs. the "modern world" of post-WWII are one of the themes of the book. It may have been written in 1950, but the struggles are still relevant.
I liked the book a lot--it took me a bit of time to get "in" to the book, but it is a rich narrative and it was worth the effort!
I loved the characters in the book--they are warm, interesting, and real. This book is the first in a trilogy about Hod Pierce and his family, who has lived on the same tobacco farm in Appalachia since the Revolutionary War. Traditional values vs. the "modern world" of post-WWII are one of the themes of the book. It may have been written in 1950, but the struggles are still relevant.
I liked the book a lot--it took me a bit of time to get "in" to the book, but it is a rich narrative and it was worth the effort!
May 20, 2016
This story is loosely based on Janice Holt Giles and her husband, Henry (well, mostly it is about Henry, "Hod" is the main character, "Mary" doesn't come along until near the end). Their courtship was a unique one, they spent two days on a bus together, then spent two years writing each other letters while Henry was overseas during WWII. They married upon his return - sometimes truth is stranger than fiction! A great read, as are all of her books.
March 12, 2016
Many hours I've spent engrossed in an excellent Giles' novel. Typically she is a master of character development. This novel does not top my list of favorites. I tried to appreciate Hod Pierce and what he represents in every human soul- the wandering longings for more, for completion, for satisfaction. While Hod is hard-working, diligent and self-sacrificing, at least for the majority of the story, I found myself expecting more from him.
November 5, 2012
The Enduring Hills, Giles' first novel, was not as good as Miss Willie. I enjoyed reading the story of how Hod Pierce, lured into the wide world from his native Kentucky hills, eventually came full circle and realized Piney Ridge was indeed where he belonged. The ending waxed a bit long for me, though. Giles' certainly improved her art with Miss Willie.
October 19, 2009
The enduring hills by Janice (Holt) Giles (1971), 2d ed
April 11, 2010
Janice Holt Guiles is one of my favorite authors.Her books are in my local library So I reread them every couple years.
August 31, 2010
A consistently good author. I enjoyed every one of her books that I read. This one is about Hod Pierce and his family.
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December 5, 2012excellent
May 29, 2022
I loved this book...the people are so real and easy to identify with. Oh, my! I have discovered a writer that I L-O-V-E!
May 15, 2020
Read in 2007
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September 2, 2013"Pasadena library has this and many more historical novels by her"
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews