Thirteen Miles from Suncrest: A Novel

by Donald Davis

The novel depicts timeless themes of overcoming hardship and tragedy through a family's strength and love.
Born on January 1, 1900, on a family farm in the mountains of North Carolina, Medford McGee grows up awestruck by the rapid changes that blazon the new century. With the Sunday Nashville Banner , sent each week by Aunt Louise and read by Father on the porch, comes news of turbulent international politics and revolutionary new technology―automobiles with electric starters and airplanes that can cross continents. Fans of Donald Davis will recognize in Thirteen Miles from Suncrest the same heartwarming wit and incisive characterization that has earned him a place among the best of American storytellers. Readers new to Davis will find in this seasoned storyteller's first novel the mythos of our American agrarian past, and with it the cadence and charm of a less hurried era.

260 pages, Paperback

First published January 10, 2006

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Donald Davis (born 1944) is an American storyteller, author and minister. Davis had a twenty year career as a minister before he became a professional storyteller. He has recorded over 25 storytelling albums and written several books based on those stories. His long career as a teller and his promotion of the cultural importance of storytelling through seminars and master classes has led to Davis being dubbed the "dean of storytelling".

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this aloud to my 5th Graders. I did edit a few details out that they aren’t able to handle. Overall, they really enjoyed the book....it tied in well with our Social Studies curriculum, and they enjoyed learning about what life was like in the early 1900s from a child’s point of view. Although it was fiction, the journal style of the story really made us feel more connected to the main character and worried over his trials. Much more entertaining than we all suspected.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this off the “new book” shelf at the library knowing nothing about it, and I feel as if it were a real find. Medford McGee, ten years old on January 1, 1910, was told by his father that it was time "to start riting out my life." At first reluctant, Med spent a little time each Sunday afternoon writing about the previous week, or commenting on news from the newspaper which his father read to the family every Sunday after¬noon. Soon it became a pleasant thing to do instead of a chore, and when the diary stops in May 1913, Med figures that he has "written myself grown up." Davis is a collector of folklore, and he has the tone of these stories just right. Many things happen in the town during these three years, some of which are tragic, some funny, and we see Med's family as they are involved in these events.

[Kim Malavey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this mainly because the character was exactly the same age as my great grandfather and lived in the same location.
Easy to read, comforting book. Like tomato soup and grilled chees.

[Holly Ristau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Donald Davis is one of my favorite storytellers! This coming of age story takes place in the early 1900'sin remote southern country. EXcellent!