The Hornet's Nest: A Novel of the Revolutionary War

President Jimmy Carter's The Hornet's Nest is an exciting first novel. Carter introduces his reader to the Revolutionary War in the South, a subject rarely broached in most American History classes and texts, and tells the story of Ethan Pratt, a Philadelphian who sets out for the south to build a life.Ethan Pratt is the novel's focal character, although the reader often loses sight of him among the other historical characters. The early events which culminate in the execution of Ethan's brother Henry in North Carolina seem oddly similar to Carter's autobiographical tale of governmental corruption in his earlier book Turning Point. Pratt moves from being a loyal British colonist to a concerned citizen opposed to colonial corruption to a militia member ready to execute British prisoners of war in an act of revenge.The historical background is one which seldom has been told. Although the Battle of Kings Mountain is often noted in history texts, the fact that the Revolution in the South was largely fought American colonist against American colonist is rarely mentioned. Execution of prisoners, rape and pillage and murder, terrorist actions are all part of the scene in this novel.Carter tells the story well and introduces lots of new material. The cast of characters reads like a list of counties in Georgia and South Carolina--probably because the counties are named for these individuals.Now, the complaint . . . the work needed a better editor. So many individuals are introduced that it is often difficult to keep track of the action. Occasional errors enter into the text, for example, on page 437 General Andrew Pickens mysteriously morphs into Pickett (the Civil War General?) at the bottom of the page and then changes back to Pickens. This is a minor error, but there is so much action and so many characters that small errors can quickly cause confusion. Ethan Pratt is often left out of lengthy sections of the story, leaving the reader wondering where Pratt has gone. Finally, there are times when Carter uses a page to traverse several years of action and other times when a similar amount of space is used to describe Ethan's construction of a chair--a case of too little detail, followed by too much detail.Still, this is an admirable work for Carter. Should he choose to write another novel, I'll read what he writes and I am certain I'll find something there worth my time!

As a genealogist with ancestors who were in Georgia and the Carolinas before and during the Revolutionary War, I was interested to see what perspective Jimmy Carter would bring to the topic. I found this to be an excellent historical perspective that personalized the events of the day and made me understand why people, whether settlers, Indians, or slaves, made the choices they did. While I have read some "history" books and articles, they tend to be more abstract. This book gave me understanding of the people and their motivations in relation to the war and the times. If I had wanted to read a love story, I would not have chosen a book by Jimmy Carter. (Perhaps Nora Ephron or even Nora Roberts!) However, this book gave a thorough accounting of the political events, the battles, and the kinds of people involved at each stage. Some incidents, like that of the slave Quash Dolly, were individual stories that stood alone--except that it showed why some--and perhaps many slaves--chose to support the British rather than the American revolutionaries. The treatment of the Indians, and the lengthy development of the personality and activities of the British Indian agent and spy, Thomas Brown, showed why the Indians threw their lot in with the British. Personalities of many of the Georgia and Carolina revolutionary leaders were drawn out effectively (example, Elijah Clarke) as well as many other wartime leaders. Hornet's Nest is a great read if you are interested in history of the beginning of this country from a perspective that is different from that of the usual "founding fathers" approach. It also portends many of the problems that we faced years later with the political issues leading to and following the Civil War and later settlements farther west. I have already started going to other reference books and pure "histories" to find out more about some of the people and the events described in this book. That kind of inspiration signals a good book to me.

I never fully understood or appreciated the Southern United States' pivitol impact on the Revolutionary War until I read President Carter's supurb and eye-awakening novel. He provides the reader with arcane yet crucial knowledge and perspective into how Southern America's people, geography, and events, all uniquely combined to have a decisive role in the Revolutionary War's outcome.Upon Reading Carter's book, I am amazed historians have given so little attention to the South's critical influence on the war. Do not expect to read a historical, prototypical text book account. Carter conveys the information in the form of a novel, which makes the reading much more colorful. I believe this is President Carter's 17th book, and the first ever novel written by a President. On a personal note, my review is somewhat biased based upon my deep respect and admiration for President Carter. What a first class president he was and world renowned, respected leader he remains and will always be. The President adroitly combines his Southern heritage, presidential experience, writing skills, hard work (seven years of research), and love for country and world to create an interesting and historically valuable account of Southern America's vital role in the Revolutionary War.

Not only does former President Carter's novel surprise with its prodigious grasp of Revolutionary War history, but his characters engage the reader with suspense, horror at some of the violence portrayed of the period, and a fascinating love story, that if anything leaves us wanting more.

While not a Democrat or Carter fan, I read Carter's last book - Hour Before Light - which was wonderful and reminded me of growing up in rural Iowa in the 60s. I love history and this is history told through the story of a family in Georgia during Revolutionary War. While we are all familiar with what was happening in Boston and Philadelphia, this is the fascinating - and well researched - story of what was happening in the South. Highly recommend for students of history plus just a good read!