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Coniston
First I am to write a love-story of long ago, of a time some little while after General Jackson had got into the White House and had shown the world what a real democracy was. The Era of the first six Presidents had closed, and a new Era had begun. I am speaking of political Eras. Certain gentlemen, with a pious belief in democracy, but with a firmer determination to get on top, arose, -and got in top. So many of these gentlemen arose in the different states, and they were so clever, and they found so many chinks in the Constitution to crawl through and steal the people's chestnuts, that the Era may be called the Boss-Era. After the Boss came along certain Things without souls, but of many minds, and found more chinks in the Constitution: bigger chinks, for the Things were bigger, and they stole more chestnuts. But I am getting far ahead of my love-story-and of my book. The reader is warned that this first love-story will, in a few chapters, come to an end: and not to a happy end-otherwise there would be no book. Lest he should throw the book away when he arrives at this page, it is only fair to tell him that there is another and a much longer love story later on, if he will only continue to read, in which, it is hoped, he may not be disappointed. The hills seem to leap up against the sky as I describe that region where Cynthia Ware was born, and the very old country names help to summon up the picture. Coniston Mountain, called by some the Blue Mountain, clad in Hercynian forests, ten good miles in length, north and south, with its notch road that winds over the saddle behind the withers of it. Coniston Water, that oozes out from under the loam in a hundred places, on the eastern slope, gathers into a rushing stream to cleave the very granite, flows southward around the south end of Coniston Mountain, and having turned the mills at Brampton, idles through meadows westward in its own green valley until it comes to Harwich, where it works again and tumbles into a river. Brampton and Harwich are rivals, but Coniston Water gives of its power impartially to each. From the little farm clearings on the western slope of Coniston Mountain you can sweep the broad valley of a certain broad river where grew (and grow still) the giant pines that gave many a mast to King George's navy as tribute for the land. And beyond that river rises beautiful Farewell Mountain of many colors, now sapphire, now amethyst, its crest rimmed about at evening with saffron flame; and, beyond Farewell, the emerald billows of the western peaks catching the level light. A dozen little brooks are born high among the western spruces on Coniston to score deep, cool valleys in their way through Clovelly township to the broad music of the water and fresh river-valleys full of the music of the water and fresh with the odor of the ferns.
Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 1906
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About the author
Winston Churchill
322 books109 followers
This is not the British Prime Minister, Sir Winston Spencer Churchill. This is the American novelist, Winston Churchill.
Churchill was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of Edward Spalding and Emma Bell (Blaine) Churchill. He attended Smith Academy in Missouri and the United States Naval Academy, where he graduated in 1894 and became an editor of the Army and Navy Journal. He resigned from the navy to pursue a writing career. While he would be most successful as a novelist, he was also a published poet and essayist.
His first novel was The Celebrity (1898). (Mr. Keegan's Elopement was published in 1896 within a magazine. In 1903 it was republished as an illustrated hardback book.) Churchill's next novel—Richard Carvel (1899)—was a phenomenon, selling as many as two million copies in a nation of only 76 million, and made Churchill rich. His next two novels, The Crisis (1901) and The Crossing (1904), were also very successful.
Churchill's early novels were historical but his later works were set in contemporary America. He often sought to include his political ideas into his novels. Churchill wrote in the naturalist style of literature, and some have called him the most influential of the American naturalists.
In 1899, Churchill moved to Cornish, New Hampshire. He became involved in politics and was elected to the state legislature in 1903 and 1905. He unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for governor in 1906. In 1912, he was nominated as the Progressive candidate for governor but did not win the election. He did not again seek office. In 1917, he toured the battlefields of World War I and wrote about what he saw, his first non-fiction work.
Sometime after this move, he took up watercolors, and also became known for his landscapes. Some of his works are in the collections of Cornish Colony Museum in Windsor, Vermont, Hood Museum of Art (part of Hopkins Center for the Arts Dartmouth College) in Hanover, New Hampshire, and Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site in Cornish, New Hampshire.
In 1919, Churchill decided to stop writing and withdrew from public life. As a result of this he was gradually forgotten by the public. In 1940, The Uncharted Way, his first book in 20 years, was published. The book examined Churchill's thoughts on religion. He did not seek to publicize the book and it received little attention. Shortly before his death he said, "It is very difficult now for me to think of myself as a writer of novels, as all that seems to belong to another life."
Churchill died in Winter Park, Florida in 1947. He is the great-grandfather of Albany, New York, journalist Chris Churchill.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston...]
Churchill was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of Edward Spalding and Emma Bell (Blaine) Churchill. He attended Smith Academy in Missouri and the United States Naval Academy, where he graduated in 1894 and became an editor of the Army and Navy Journal. He resigned from the navy to pursue a writing career. While he would be most successful as a novelist, he was also a published poet and essayist.
His first novel was The Celebrity (1898). (Mr. Keegan's Elopement was published in 1896 within a magazine. In 1903 it was republished as an illustrated hardback book.) Churchill's next novel—Richard Carvel (1899)—was a phenomenon, selling as many as two million copies in a nation of only 76 million, and made Churchill rich. His next two novels, The Crisis (1901) and The Crossing (1904), were also very successful.
Churchill's early novels were historical but his later works were set in contemporary America. He often sought to include his political ideas into his novels. Churchill wrote in the naturalist style of literature, and some have called him the most influential of the American naturalists.
In 1899, Churchill moved to Cornish, New Hampshire. He became involved in politics and was elected to the state legislature in 1903 and 1905. He unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for governor in 1906. In 1912, he was nominated as the Progressive candidate for governor but did not win the election. He did not again seek office. In 1917, he toured the battlefields of World War I and wrote about what he saw, his first non-fiction work.
Sometime after this move, he took up watercolors, and also became known for his landscapes. Some of his works are in the collections of Cornish Colony Museum in Windsor, Vermont, Hood Museum of Art (part of Hopkins Center for the Arts Dartmouth College) in Hanover, New Hampshire, and Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site in Cornish, New Hampshire.
In 1919, Churchill decided to stop writing and withdrew from public life. As a result of this he was gradually forgotten by the public. In 1940, The Uncharted Way, his first book in 20 years, was published. The book examined Churchill's thoughts on religion. He did not seek to publicize the book and it received little attention. Shortly before his death he said, "It is very difficult now for me to think of myself as a writer of novels, as all that seems to belong to another life."
Churchill died in Winter Park, Florida in 1947. He is the great-grandfather of Albany, New York, journalist Chris Churchill.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston...]
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 8, 2011
Written by the American novelist Winston Churchill, not the British Prime Minister. This was written about 1905 and is is not in print, but if you can find a copy it well worth reading! Both the story and the writing are great! Really, Churchill is an under-appreciated novelist.
Funny, I was deciding between reading this novel and 'Machiavelli in Context' - - well given the political manipulations described in this post-Civil War historical novel, it could be described as Machiavelli in Practice.
There is an historical basis although the names of people and places have been changed.
Funny, I was deciding between reading this novel and 'Machiavelli in Context' - - well given the political manipulations described in this post-Civil War historical novel, it could be described as Machiavelli in Practice.
There is an historical basis although the names of people and places have been changed.
February 21, 2017
This is a horrible, melodramatic read, but remains one of the best purchases I have ever made for the following mischievous reason. A lot of my friends share my passion for World War II literature and history and idealize Winston S. Churchill's legacy. Watching one of them walk to my bookshelf, select this volume (I own a first edition), sit down to read, and then start frowning in perplexity never fails to amuse.
December 24, 2011
I read about 28% of it but couldn't force myself to read any more. And really, what's the point of reading if you have to force yourself to do it?
February 18, 2022
The plot wasn't anything special, but I enjoyed the descriptions of the countryside and also Jethro's political machinations.
November 9, 2013
I would give this 3.5 stars if I could. Enjoyable to read, it was nonetheless too long. The middle section lost my interest, and it took me longer than it should have to finish. The last 150 pages was better, and at least I found myself reading it to find out the ending rather than finish the book.
I liked that it is supposed to be historically accurate (the afterward explained the book's historical context), and it was interesting to read a romance of any sort that had only about four kisses in it.
This Winston Churchill writes well, and I have enjoyed each of the books of his I've read (The Crisis, Richard Carvel). This is the first one of his I've read that doesn't have the Civil War at its epicenter.
This one gives some insight into the role of the railroads in American culture and a little more into 19th century small town life in New England. But this novel gives us a great deal of insight into machine politics in an unnamed New England state in that century.
I liked that it is supposed to be historically accurate (the afterward explained the book's historical context), and it was interesting to read a romance of any sort that had only about four kisses in it.
This Winston Churchill writes well, and I have enjoyed each of the books of his I've read (The Crisis, Richard Carvel). This is the first one of his I've read that doesn't have the Civil War at its epicenter.
This one gives some insight into the role of the railroads in American culture and a little more into 19th century small town life in New England. But this novel gives us a great deal of insight into machine politics in an unnamed New England state in that century.
January 19, 2008
Very enjoyable.
September 2, 2011
From my father's New Hampshire bookshelf. good reading.
October 24, 2020
A fantastic tale of politics, family, and the lives of those in a small town in post-Civil War America. Entertaining and emotionally impactful throughout.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews