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A Land Remembered: The Graphic Novel
This graphic novel version of A Land Remembered, the bestselling novel by Patrick D. Smith, covers three generations of the MacIvey family in the Florida frontier from the 1850s to the 1960s.
In A Land Remembered, Patrick Smith tells the story of a Florida family who battle the hardships of the frontier to rise from a dirt-poor Cracker life to the wealth and standing of real estate tycoons. The story opens in 1858, when Tobias MacIvey arrives in the Florida wilderness to start a new life with his wife and infant son, and ends two generations later in 1968 with Solomon MacIvey, who realizes that the land has been exploited far beyond human need. The sweeping story that emerges is a rich, rugged Florida history featuring a memorable cast of crusty, indomitable Crackers battling wild animals, rustlers, Confederate deserters, mosquitoes, starvation, hurricanes, and freezes to carve a kingdom out of the swamp. But their most formidable adversary turns out to be greed, including finally their own. Love and tenderness are here too: the hopes and passions of each new generation, friendships with the persecuted blacks and Indians, and respect for the land and its wildlife.
A Land Remembered has been ranked #1 Best Florida Book eight times in annual polls conducted by Florida Monthly Magazine and is winner of the Florida Historical Society's Tebeau Prize as the Most Outstanding Florida Historical Novel."
In A Land Remembered, Patrick Smith tells the story of a Florida family who battle the hardships of the frontier to rise from a dirt-poor Cracker life to the wealth and standing of real estate tycoons. The story opens in 1858, when Tobias MacIvey arrives in the Florida wilderness to start a new life with his wife and infant son, and ends two generations later in 1968 with Solomon MacIvey, who realizes that the land has been exploited far beyond human need. The sweeping story that emerges is a rich, rugged Florida history featuring a memorable cast of crusty, indomitable Crackers battling wild animals, rustlers, Confederate deserters, mosquitoes, starvation, hurricanes, and freezes to carve a kingdom out of the swamp. But their most formidable adversary turns out to be greed, including finally their own. Love and tenderness are here too: the hopes and passions of each new generation, friendships with the persecuted blacks and Indians, and respect for the land and its wildlife.
A Land Remembered has been ranked #1 Best Florida Book eight times in annual polls conducted by Florida Monthly Magazine and is winner of the Florida Historical Society's Tebeau Prize as the Most Outstanding Florida Historical Novel."
- GenresGraphic NovelsFiction
312 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 15, 2018
51 people are currently reading
43 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 25, 2022
A great way to humanize the characters, who at times were flat in the original novel
September 17, 2022
Patrick Smith's historical novel "A Land Remembered" is considered a Grade A Florida classic, one that informs those who are ignorant of Florida's history of what a wild ride it's been. In the novel he tells the story of three generations of the MacIvey family in the Florida frontier from the 1850s to the 1960s as they go from dirt-poor strivers full of love to wealthy but emotionally empty.
This graphic novel attempts to lasso this wild story of cattle rustlers, shootouts, mosquito swarms, malaria, secret sex and fatal weather and settle it down into a comic-friendly narrative. The artwork is stellar and does a fine job of showing off the frontier settings and the action sequences.
The downside is that it exposes how flat the characters are. The patriarch, Tobias McIvey, is a Good Man who treats everyone fairly, hires a Black man and befriends the noble Seminoles. He apparently has not one single bad quality.
His son Zech fathers a child out of wedlock -- but the mother is FINE with it, thank you, and it's OK that he doesn't check on the boy for years and meanwhile never tells his wife what happened, and this is treated as if he's being kind to her.
Not until we get to the third generation, Sol McIvey, do we find any trace of a serious character flaw. And Sol's crime is more one of not understanding the consequences of what he's doing until the one big argument scene of the whole book occurs.
In his 1985 NYT review of the original, critic Malcolm Jones observed, "Mr. Smith is not much interested in the peculiarities of character, and as a consequence his tale is short on the sort of human conflict that occupies most novels. In its stead, however, is the elemental struggle of man and nature."
Fair warning: The book and the graphic novel both end on a down note as Sol realizes, too late, what he's done in his pursuit of wealth. But the message of the book and graphic novel are both good reminders to each new generation of Floridians to value what you've got before it's all gone.
For readers like me, already well acquainted with Florida history, this GN falls into the category of preaching to the choir. But if you know someone under the age of, say, 18 or 20, who doesn't know a thing about Florida's history, then hand him or her this book, and hope they get its message.
This graphic novel attempts to lasso this wild story of cattle rustlers, shootouts, mosquito swarms, malaria, secret sex and fatal weather and settle it down into a comic-friendly narrative. The artwork is stellar and does a fine job of showing off the frontier settings and the action sequences.
The downside is that it exposes how flat the characters are. The patriarch, Tobias McIvey, is a Good Man who treats everyone fairly, hires a Black man and befriends the noble Seminoles. He apparently has not one single bad quality.
His son Zech fathers a child out of wedlock -- but the mother is FINE with it, thank you, and it's OK that he doesn't check on the boy for years and meanwhile never tells his wife what happened, and this is treated as if he's being kind to her.
Not until we get to the third generation, Sol McIvey, do we find any trace of a serious character flaw. And Sol's crime is more one of not understanding the consequences of what he's doing until the one big argument scene of the whole book occurs.
In his 1985 NYT review of the original, critic Malcolm Jones observed, "Mr. Smith is not much interested in the peculiarities of character, and as a consequence his tale is short on the sort of human conflict that occupies most novels. In its stead, however, is the elemental struggle of man and nature."
Fair warning: The book and the graphic novel both end on a down note as Sol realizes, too late, what he's done in his pursuit of wealth. But the message of the book and graphic novel are both good reminders to each new generation of Floridians to value what you've got before it's all gone.
For readers like me, already well acquainted with Florida history, this GN falls into the category of preaching to the choir. But if you know someone under the age of, say, 18 or 20, who doesn't know a thing about Florida's history, then hand him or her this book, and hope they get its message.
July 9, 2018
When I picked up this graphic novel, I did not realize that it was based upon a best-selling novel, by Patrick Smith called A Land Remembered.
A Land Remembered has been ranked #1 Best Florida Book eight times in annual polls conducted by Florida Monthly Magazine.
I just began to read it and finished it in one sitting. Andre Fratting retells Patrick Smith’s tale of the MacIveys, a Florida family who battle the hardships of the frontier to rise from a dirt-poor Cracker life to ? (read to find out) and covers the years from 1863-1968.
It is Florida’s answer to John Steinbeck’s East of Eden and like East of Eden covers 3 generations of the McIcvey family; Tobias and Emma, Zech and Glenda and ? (read to find out), and Sol.
The story opens, when Tobias MacIvey arrives in the Florida wilderness to start a new life with his wife and infant son, and ends two generations later in 1968 with Solomon MacIvey, who experiences a very different Florida from what his father and grandfather did. The sweeping story that emerges is a rich, rugged Florida history featuring a memorable cast of crusty, indomitable Crackers battling wild animals, rustlers, Confederate deserters, mosquitoes, starvation, hurricanes, and freezes to carve a kingdom out of the swamp. But their most formidable adversary turns out to be their own selfish hearts.
The book is about the hopes and passions of each new generation, their loves, losses, friends, and enemies.
October 7, 2018
Must read for Floridians! Even if you've already read the original book, this is a great adaptation to appreciate. I'm definitely going to look into Andre Frattino's other books. Thank you for this. My father grew up in Miami and he used to tell me how it was all farm land once. As a kid in the 80-90's visiting family there, I could not imagine it. And before my family arrived there it was just wide open spaces. Thanks to those who preserve the memory of what our land was once and reminding us what we have left to protect and preserve now.
September 19, 2018
This is great if you enjoy all the major characters dying. Very game of thrones lets kill everyone and make you sad. Was a nice read on Florida history. Plot is good as well as story panels. I liked the fact the panels were black and white which made it feel more like a old photograph. All in all a good read but a little sad.
May 14, 2019
Some of the story seemed a bit disjointed in parts, especially towards the end and our cast of characters grew, but this is a really accessible way to hear one family's story of the changes in Florida due to white settlers.
April 7, 2024
This book gives you a sense of Florida in the late 1800s. From a wild place, then heading into development which has happened steadily and continues to this day, for better or worse. In graphic novel format, the book is an easy read.
January 20, 2025
A story of ranching/farming settlers in Florida, this was a hell of a read, lots of high emotions and sympathetic characters who suffer loss and make terrible mistakes. Pretty heavy for a young reader, but well worth it.
August 8, 2018
So. Many. Typos.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews