Lord Baltimore: Memoires of the Adventures of Ensworth Harding, How he was abandoned on a highway by his father his sufferings on a barrier island his ... and notorious adventureres witih all t

by Stephen Doster

Book by Doster, Stephen

Genres: Fiction, Book Club

313 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2002

About the author

I was born in England to a mother who served as a WAFF on eight RAF fighter stations during World War II and a father who served as a navigator in the Pacific during that war on the USS Taylor, a Fletcher class destroyer that earned nine battle stars. Much to my good fortune, our family relocated first to Alabama, then Georgia, where I grew up on a small barrier island off the Georgia coast. St. Simons (now a resort area) is a low-country boil of clashing cultures. Timucua Indians, Spanish missionaries, English settlers, slaves and plantation owners, Confederate and Union soldiers, and Saltwater Geechee have all taken their turns on its stage, supplanting one another as lords and masters of the island. St. Simons is now the domain of middle and upper class families, though one trailer park still survives. Evidence of the area's past still abounds, and from it I draw much of the inspiration for plots and characters.

The island I grew up on happens to be on the 31st Parallel north of the Equator, which includes the geographic area below Savannah, north of the Georgia-Florida border, and everything east and west of that. Down on the 31st and 32nd Parallels, you're in the Deep South of the "Deep South". Look at all the writers who come from those strips, and don't surprised if you start to see some similarities in their works. It has to do with their shared history, the geography, and the people who inhabit those realms. Many of the early Georgia settlers traveled directly west to settle regions in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. They took their histories and their stories with them. Part of the Southern writer's job is to resurrect those stories and their histories in creating new works. It's recycling of the highest order.

I have a business degree from the University of Georgia and a masters from Vanderbilt University where I work.

Reviews

[Phair · Rating 4 out of 5]

First read in '02 and really enjoyed it. Recommended it for f2f book group in '05 and re-read for that. Still very enjoyable but maybe not quite as fascinating as the surprise and adventure of not knowing what was coming 'round the next bend was gone. Most of the group raved about it and still ask if Doster has come out with any new books about Lord B.

Funny, wise, colorful- especially liked the part set on 'Zapala Island', a southern coastal community rich in history & folklore that sets it apart from modern world. It's the kind of book that stays with you- maybe not in the specifics but in the overall feel.

Hate the book jacket, though!

[Londa · Rating 2 out of 5]

February 2010 book club selection: Joan Allison
Darn, I read ahead again! Reading this book was akin to getting a bite of carrot when you are expecting yams. I had the idea that this was a novel set in a historic period along the Gullah coast. Instead it was a modern-day morality tale with larger-than-life (as in caricatured) characters. The fly leaf describes it as walking the line between real and fantastic. Yeah, that's it.

[Robbi Leah Freeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knowing history is one of the most important things anyone should know so we do not repeat mistakes over and over. Every person needs a time to learn and grow into oneself. Stephen Doster is the best author I have read that is able to give you the history in an entertaining novel. Recommended read for any historical fiction fan or ALL Georgia USA people

[Jeanie Loiacono · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://www.amazon.com/Lord-Baltimore-...

Lord Baltimore, nominated for the Pulitzer in 2002, is the fictional account of a young man’s travels through Gullah country along the Georgia coast.

[Mary K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great example of the picaresque novel.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

excellent combination of British connect ghastly tales in graphic novel form, friends combining against monster. Graphic novel, good drawing. Sad ending

[Maree · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this through to the end, just to see if it would ever get better. It didn't.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story and few nuggets

[Carol Eshaghy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spoiled brat goes on adventure with Lord Baltimore to learn to be a man.

[Athalia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A coming of age story set in coastal Georgia: in Savannah, rural towns and Sapelo Island. It is an enjoyable read and captures the subculture well.

[Brian Tanner Tanner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found this intriguing, growing up in Georgia the author has a way of drawing you in and keeping you there...