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The Mayfield Trilogy #1
The Surface of Earth
Published in 1975, The Surface of Earth is the monumental narrative that charts the slow, inextricable twining of the Mayfield and Kendal families. Set in the plain of North Carolina and the coast and hills of Virginia from 1903 to 1944, it chronicles the marriage of Forrest Mayfield and Eva Kendal, the hard birth of their son, Eva's return to her father after her mother's death, and the lives of two succeeding generations.
The Surface of Earth is the work of one of America's supreme masters of fiction, a journey across time and the poignantly evoked America of the first half of our century that explores the mysterious topography of the powers of love, home, and identity. In his evocation of the hungers, defeats, and rewards of individuals in moments of dark solitude and radiant union, Price has created an enduring literary testament to the range of human life.
The Surface of Earth is the work of one of America's supreme masters of fiction, a journey across time and the poignantly evoked America of the first half of our century that explores the mysterious topography of the powers of love, home, and identity. In his evocation of the hungers, defeats, and rewards of individuals in moments of dark solitude and radiant union, Price has created an enduring literary testament to the range of human life.
512 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1975
4 people are currently reading
224 people want to read
About the author
Reynolds Price
218 books122 followersReynolds Price was born in Macon, North Carolina in 1933. Educated at Duke University and, as a Rhodes Scholar, at Merton College, Oxford University. He taught at Duke since 1958 and was James B. Duke Professor of English.
His first short stories, and many later ones, are published in his Collected Stories. A Long and Happy Life was published in 1962 and won the William Faulkner Award for a best first novel. Kate Vaiden was published in 1986 and won the National Book Critics Circle Award. The Good Priest's Son in 2005 was his fourteenth novel. Among his thirty-seven volumes are further collections of fiction, poetry, plays, essays, and translations. Price was a member of both the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and his work has been translated into seventeen languages.
Photo courtesy of Reynolds Price's author page on Amazon.com
His first short stories, and many later ones, are published in his Collected Stories. A Long and Happy Life was published in 1962 and won the William Faulkner Award for a best first novel. Kate Vaiden was published in 1986 and won the National Book Critics Circle Award. The Good Priest's Son in 2005 was his fourteenth novel. Among his thirty-seven volumes are further collections of fiction, poetry, plays, essays, and translations. Price was a member of both the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and his work has been translated into seventeen languages.
Photo courtesy of Reynolds Price's author page on Amazon.com
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
August 29, 2018
Two hundred twenty-two pages into this book of 491 pages, I found myself opting to watch a Yankees game (I hate baseball) rather than subject myself to any more of Price's bilious, tedious writing style. Price attempts to delve into the depths of his three main characters who are each tormented with abandonment issue. The problem is there is NO depth to these shallow characters, and as tadpoles, they never transform into frogs but just wither in the shallow waters. At one point I envisioned Price chuckling maniacally as he came up with yet another meaningless, nonsensical retort summing up a two-page paragraph of rambling exploration of inner feelings. My overall impression is that Price was writing simply to hear himself write a paean of self-adulation.
January 29, 2012
How many words does this thing have? 1,000,000?
It took four months but, finally, I'm done. I hated several things about TSOE. Its length was a bore and the constant dialogue wore on me. But overall, I was impressed by its faithful depiction of all the cruel truths in human existence. Its setting - the South, between 1910 (or so) and 1945 (or so) - makes that depiction ring all the more true. The people are simple, the times are hard, and the periods of happiness are few and far between.
The Surface Of Earth is about many things but I took from it a meditation on the patterns that families fall into. A lot of that has to do, in this book, with the patterns men fall into. The Mayfield men are a reliably unreliable bunch, much like men everywhere, I suppose.
I'm glad I read this behemoth (honestly, it's not that long at ~500 pages; just seemed it) because it never failed to inspire in me a further understanding of what it is like to be human.
It took four months but, finally, I'm done. I hated several things about TSOE. Its length was a bore and the constant dialogue wore on me. But overall, I was impressed by its faithful depiction of all the cruel truths in human existence. Its setting - the South, between 1910 (or so) and 1945 (or so) - makes that depiction ring all the more true. The people are simple, the times are hard, and the periods of happiness are few and far between.
The Surface Of Earth is about many things but I took from it a meditation on the patterns that families fall into. A lot of that has to do, in this book, with the patterns men fall into. The Mayfield men are a reliably unreliable bunch, much like men everywhere, I suppose.
I'm glad I read this behemoth (honestly, it's not that long at ~500 pages; just seemed it) because it never failed to inspire in me a further understanding of what it is like to be human.
August 11, 2009
The first book in Price's trilogy, of which I read the last, the Promise of Rest, a couple of years ago. This one was very good, but perhaps not as mature as the later one. Much of the book consisted of (1) letters, (2) people telling each other the stories of their lives, & (3) dreams, which I often missed the meaning of. It was perhaps a bit excessively introspective, with characters who suffered only from a sense of not being "at ease" in the world being preoccupied with their suffering. (In contrast, in spite of real suffering & the presence of death in Promise of Rest, it felt to me like a very life-affirming book.) But Price's writing is lyrical & insightful, showing the ways families are bound together & torn apart by forces that are passed from generation to generation (this volume covers 3 generations, including the coming-of-age of the main character of Promise of Rest).
November 13, 2021
Did not like any of the characters or understand their motivations. The dialogue especially was frustrating - no one seemed to finish a thought or say enough that you understood their feelings. Rob was especially annoying. Gave up about 200 pages in.
September 3, 2011
Heavy-going southern family saga, beginning in 1904. I admired the writing, but did not enjoying the reading experience. Gave up about a quarter of the way through.
August 20, 2021
I liked The Promise of Rest very much so wanted to read the first two volumes in the trilogy. I found The Surface of Earth a real slog—very slow and no characters I really cared about—so I gave up after 150 pages (might have persisted if shorter but didn’t have the patience to read an additional 350 pages). I will move on to the second volume now in the hope it will be as enjoyable as the third one.
July 7, 2017
Too long with too few characters that seemed a bit self absorbed. Felt claustrophobic at times.
October 3, 2017
Beautifully written but unnecessarily overwrought.
January 31, 2018
Fiction
July 14, 2020
I was liking this book and then it just got boring- I didn't care any more. It was like pushing a wagon of bricks uphill.. So I stopped at page 270.
July 6, 2023
Long read, hated all the characters. Just wasn't my book.
November 25, 2013
The Surface of Earth is a beautifully written family story covering multiple generations of two families over about 42 years - the first half of the last century. The writing has a slow, deliberate pace, with lots of dreams, letters written, and people explaining themselves. It was never a "can't put it down" page-turner, and it took me a long time to finish. (Some of his other books and characters have captivated me more.) Having said that, I never wanted to abandon it.
Ultimately it's about the universal need for love (romantic/sexual, between parents/children, between siblings) and how precious it is and how our shortcomings make it so difficult to sustain it. But sometimes people do connect - even briefly . . . .
Ultimately it's about the universal need for love (romantic/sexual, between parents/children, between siblings) and how precious it is and how our shortcomings make it so difficult to sustain it. But sometimes people do connect - even briefly . . . .
August 8, 2011
Honest story of the history that makes up family. Reminds me in theme of Liars and Saints (Meloy) which I read last year and loved.
The first 1/4 of this book is complicated, forced, and uninspiring...until you get into the rest of the story and realize how important it was to start as far back as the author did. The author quite obviously had a deep connection with the the later generations of this family, but had to introduce you to their predecessors first. The deeper I read into this book, the more deeply I forgave him for the lack of connection in the beginning.
The first 1/4 of this book is complicated, forced, and uninspiring...until you get into the rest of the story and realize how important it was to start as far back as the author did. The author quite obviously had a deep connection with the the later generations of this family, but had to introduce you to their predecessors first. The deeper I read into this book, the more deeply I forgave him for the lack of connection in the beginning.
June 23, 2009
This book is a quick read, rich in characters, in the southern tradition, i was pulled in and couldn't put it down. It seems to explore the question of nature vs nurture and tends to side w/ nature as Robinson Mayfield and then his son Hutch struggle to understand themselves through their rich, multi- racial family history. Their story migrates from eastern north carolina, south central virginia, the city of Richmond, the mountains of western virginia and back. i really enjoyed this book
February 26, 2011
When I read that Mr. Price had passed away, I went in search of one of his books on my bookshelves and there it was. So far I'm enjoying that the book is written in the form of letters various characters wrote to one another. More when I finish!
Later....This was a good book, though these multi-generational sagas are a bit much to get through sometimes. But give it time and the story becomes engaging enough.
Later....This was a good book, though these multi-generational sagas are a bit much to get through sometimes. But give it time and the story becomes engaging enough.
December 31, 2009
This is the first book of Reynolds Price that I have read, but it won't be the last. He is very southern in his slow and ponderous development of characters, but like a hot southern night or a slow southern evening meal, it's to be savored and explored.
January 5, 2010
Reading it again! The writing is excellent . . . . like prose!
December 31, 2008
beautiful beautiful
May 12, 2014
Wonderful words and writing - make it a slow read to absorb it all!
Recommmend.
Recommmend.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews