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Moccasin Trace
…it was about the land.
It is July of 1859, a month of sweltering dog days and feverish emotional bombast. Life is good for widower Rundell Ingram and his hazel-eyed, roan-haired son, Hamilton. Between the two of them, they take care of Moccasin Hollow, their rustic dogtrot ancestral home, a sprawling non-slave plantation in the rolling farming country outside Queensborough Towne in east Georgia. Adjoining Ingram lands is Wisteria Bend, the vast slave-holding plantation of Andrew and Corinthia Greer, their daughter Sarah, and son Benjamin.
Both families share generations of long-accepted traditions, and childhood playmates are no longer children. The rangy, even-tempered Norman-Scottish young Hamilton is smitten with Sarah, who has become an enticing capricious beauty—the young lovers more in love with each passing day, and only pleasant times ahead of them.
…but a blood tide of war is sweeping across the South, a tide that might be impossible to stand before.
It is July of 1859, a month of sweltering dog days and feverish emotional bombast. Life is good for widower Rundell Ingram and his hazel-eyed, roan-haired son, Hamilton. Between the two of them, they take care of Moccasin Hollow, their rustic dogtrot ancestral home, a sprawling non-slave plantation in the rolling farming country outside Queensborough Towne in east Georgia. Adjoining Ingram lands is Wisteria Bend, the vast slave-holding plantation of Andrew and Corinthia Greer, their daughter Sarah, and son Benjamin.
Both families share generations of long-accepted traditions, and childhood playmates are no longer children. The rangy, even-tempered Norman-Scottish young Hamilton is smitten with Sarah, who has become an enticing capricious beauty—the young lovers more in love with each passing day, and only pleasant times ahead of them.
…but a blood tide of war is sweeping across the South, a tide that might be impossible to stand before.
- GenresHistorical
242 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
48 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 11, 2014
I received a free copy of the book from the author for my honest opinion.
Hamilton Ingram and his father, widower Rundell both take care of their plantation that was built by their ancestors and not by slaves. Hamilton and Rundell both have their own jobs that they have to do to keep the plantation running smoothly and they both jump in and get it done. They work from sun up til sun down out in the fields, planting their crops and taking them to market. Their plantation, Moccasin Hollows boarders the Wisteria Bend a slave run plantation owned by the Greer's, Andrew and Corinthia along with their daughter Sarah, and son Benjamin.
Hamilton and Sarah have been sweet on each other for a very long time. They have been slipping around being with each other for a while. Oh they think they are being sneaky and keeping their little adventures a secret from everyone but they are sadly mistaken. But the ones that know don't have a problem with it. Both of their families can't wait for them to get married and have a baby.
Hamilton loves Sarah very much as she does him and he finally gets up the nerve to ask her to marry him and of course she says yes. Sarah and her mother plan a wedding for the fall after harvest season is over. Hamilton and Sarah think that married life is going to be nothing but fun as they will be together all the time and every night of course. But they have a few disappointments and grievances that kind of put their lives on hold for a while which may tear them apart. Hamilton and Sarah both are hurt so deeply that they may never be able to put their lives back together again. The Greer's and the Ingram's are all going through a lot of heartbreak and hardships during the civil war as the army makes its way across Georgia. Taking whatever they please and with orders to burn people's homes as they travel through Georgia leaving lots and lots of people with a home that they and probably even their ancestors help them to build with a lot hard work and sweat.
The Greer's and the Ingram's were all very good people and would fight until the death for each other. When Hamilton and Sarah married they all became one big family. Sarah, Hamilton and Ben as well as Bessie's' son Sam all grew up together. If they weren't playing at Wisteria Bend they could all be found at Moccasin Hollows. They may not have all been blood related but they were family in every way that made someone family.
If you like reading and learning about the civil war, two families that cared a lot for each other and also a boy and girl who has spent most of their lives with each other and ended up falling in love as adults then I recommend Moccasin Trace.
Hamilton Ingram and his father, widower Rundell both take care of their plantation that was built by their ancestors and not by slaves. Hamilton and Rundell both have their own jobs that they have to do to keep the plantation running smoothly and they both jump in and get it done. They work from sun up til sun down out in the fields, planting their crops and taking them to market. Their plantation, Moccasin Hollows boarders the Wisteria Bend a slave run plantation owned by the Greer's, Andrew and Corinthia along with their daughter Sarah, and son Benjamin.
Hamilton and Sarah have been sweet on each other for a very long time. They have been slipping around being with each other for a while. Oh they think they are being sneaky and keeping their little adventures a secret from everyone but they are sadly mistaken. But the ones that know don't have a problem with it. Both of their families can't wait for them to get married and have a baby.
Hamilton loves Sarah very much as she does him and he finally gets up the nerve to ask her to marry him and of course she says yes. Sarah and her mother plan a wedding for the fall after harvest season is over. Hamilton and Sarah think that married life is going to be nothing but fun as they will be together all the time and every night of course. But they have a few disappointments and grievances that kind of put their lives on hold for a while which may tear them apart. Hamilton and Sarah both are hurt so deeply that they may never be able to put their lives back together again. The Greer's and the Ingram's are all going through a lot of heartbreak and hardships during the civil war as the army makes its way across Georgia. Taking whatever they please and with orders to burn people's homes as they travel through Georgia leaving lots and lots of people with a home that they and probably even their ancestors help them to build with a lot hard work and sweat.
The Greer's and the Ingram's were all very good people and would fight until the death for each other. When Hamilton and Sarah married they all became one big family. Sarah, Hamilton and Ben as well as Bessie's' son Sam all grew up together. If they weren't playing at Wisteria Bend they could all be found at Moccasin Hollows. They may not have all been blood related but they were family in every way that made someone family.
If you like reading and learning about the civil war, two families that cared a lot for each other and also a boy and girl who has spent most of their lives with each other and ended up falling in love as adults then I recommend Moccasin Trace.
June 12, 2014
When I first began reading, I knew I would like the book, but I wasn't certain of the rating I would give it. I enjoyed the history, but it seemed rather typical in the beginning. I understood that the South was on the brink of war, but it seemed that no one was concerned. There was some minimal profanity (not worth mentioning), and there were some intimate scenes (no major details). Honestly, the discussion of sex within the book seemed rather misplaced. At least, that is what I initially thought.
It has been some time since I have said this, but I am so glad that I persevered in this book with an open mind. In time, I discovered that the opening made sense. Of course the Southerners would have had more important things on their minds than an upcoming war. And the discussion of sex made me think that maybe sex before marriage did occur more often back during that period than I might have realized. I had never thought about this before. Perhaps the book deserved a 4-star rating.
Well, as you can see, the book earned a 5-star rating! I appreciated that the author was realistic. He did not portray a romanticized view of the Civil War. Difficult things happened within the lives of the characters, and I truly connected with them. The ending left me somewhat hanging, but that is the author's prerogative. My gratitude goes to the author for writing a book about the Civil War that was educational and certainly captivating.
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.
It has been some time since I have said this, but I am so glad that I persevered in this book with an open mind. In time, I discovered that the opening made sense. Of course the Southerners would have had more important things on their minds than an upcoming war. And the discussion of sex made me think that maybe sex before marriage did occur more often back during that period than I might have realized. I had never thought about this before. Perhaps the book deserved a 4-star rating.
Well, as you can see, the book earned a 5-star rating! I appreciated that the author was realistic. He did not portray a romanticized view of the Civil War. Difficult things happened within the lives of the characters, and I truly connected with them. The ending left me somewhat hanging, but that is the author's prerogative. My gratitude goes to the author for writing a book about the Civil War that was educational and certainly captivating.
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.
January 30, 2015
Moccasin Trace, set around the time of the War Between the States, is the story of how the times affected two families. There's not a lot of page-turning excitement, but what draws the reader in is the relationship between the characters.
The romance between Sarah and Hamilton is sweet--the journey from childhood to engagement to marriage is lightly touched on and most of the book takes place after they are married. Their marriage is set before the backdrop of the worsening tensions between North and South. Tensions also occur in their marriage and threaten to destroy what they have.
The other secondary characters of the book-- most notably Corinthia and Bessie-- are also well-drawn. I would love to read the story of Rundell, Andrew, and Corinthia. It seems like there is a history there that might be intersting to peek in on.
Mr. MacKinney's Moccasin Trace is a good read for fans of historical fiction. It is clear he has done his research and the discussions the men have about the upcoming war ring true to life. The book does move a trifle slowly at times, but it is definitely worth pushing through those slower times.
There were a couple of threads left unresolved--I hope Mr. MacKinney is planning on revisiting these families in the future.
The romance between Sarah and Hamilton is sweet--the journey from childhood to engagement to marriage is lightly touched on and most of the book takes place after they are married. Their marriage is set before the backdrop of the worsening tensions between North and South. Tensions also occur in their marriage and threaten to destroy what they have.
The other secondary characters of the book-- most notably Corinthia and Bessie-- are also well-drawn. I would love to read the story of Rundell, Andrew, and Corinthia. It seems like there is a history there that might be intersting to peek in on.
Mr. MacKinney's Moccasin Trace is a good read for fans of historical fiction. It is clear he has done his research and the discussions the men have about the upcoming war ring true to life. The book does move a trifle slowly at times, but it is definitely worth pushing through those slower times.
There were a couple of threads left unresolved--I hope Mr. MacKinney is planning on revisiting these families in the future.
May 3, 2015
It is the 1860s and the country is in turmoil. We've seen the big picture, but this novel is how those times affected not only the nation but the individual. It begins after the war--times are harsh, people have been hardened and lost not only their belongs but a sense of who they were. It begins in near despair--then travels back in time to happier days and shows you how two once proud families came to the circumstances in which they find themselves.
The author has done a wonderful job at recreating the times before the Civil War. Whenever men would gather, they would discuss politics and the changes they saw looming. Hotheads vied with those who urged a more guarded approach.
And, behind them all stood the women-- and it's in these characters Hawk MacKinney really stood out, creating some memorable characters... characters this reader came to care for deeply. Especially the two mother-figures in the novel--they are different yet the same in one very important way--their strength and their deeply rooted love for their family.
There is a romance of a sort--but it's not the "omg are they going to get together" kind of story--when the novel starts, Hamilton and Sarah are already married. It is, instead, the poignant tale of how two people who love each other can come together after disaster hits.
Even if you aren't normally a fan of Civil War era stories... give this one a try. 4 stars.
The author has done a wonderful job at recreating the times before the Civil War. Whenever men would gather, they would discuss politics and the changes they saw looming. Hotheads vied with those who urged a more guarded approach.
And, behind them all stood the women-- and it's in these characters Hawk MacKinney really stood out, creating some memorable characters... characters this reader came to care for deeply. Especially the two mother-figures in the novel--they are different yet the same in one very important way--their strength and their deeply rooted love for their family.
There is a romance of a sort--but it's not the "omg are they going to get together" kind of story--when the novel starts, Hamilton and Sarah are already married. It is, instead, the poignant tale of how two people who love each other can come together after disaster hits.
Even if you aren't normally a fan of Civil War era stories... give this one a try. 4 stars.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews