The Kentuckians

For those of you who like to learn your history a non text book manner, "The Kentuckians" is a great read. I know this because I'm a direct descendent of two of the historical characters that Giles has woven into the wonderful novel, and the stories that told in the book match my family's oral history. Only the three protagonists are fictional, EVERY other character in the entire novel are historically based. Years ago, when I began to question my Grandmother about the family's heritage I was given an early copy she had on hand. If any of you are fans of the historical novels of Allan Eckhart or James Aleander Thom, this is a comparable work. Highly recomended.

Giles should be better known; her multi-volume set of historical fiction is genuinely excellent. This is the first of the series and one of the best; the second, Hannah Fowler, I think is the best. That is followed by The Believers, also a very good read. Anyone who likes to read will love these books.

I am a great fan of Janice Holt Giles. I personally think that the story of meeting Henry, falling in love and marrying him, moving to Spout Springs, hunting for the logs and building their home is a beautiful romance. I regret that I never got to meet her, although my husband did actually meet her and also talked at length with Henry when once he was called to their home to repair a refridgerator. My favorite books by Janice, are therefore, the autobiographical ones. "Hanna Fowler" takes the number one spot in my heart for her fiction, however, coming in a close second is now "The Kentuckians" I think some of JHG's books are very well written, and others are not, but "The Kentuckians", written in the first person, rings so true to me that I wish I could drop her a line and tell her how very much I enjoyed it. I am a Kentucky native, almost 60 years old and I remember when I heard people talk the same way that she had the main character revealing his story to us in this book. I felt as if my grandfather were sitting in a rocker on the front porch telling me his life story. I think she did an exceptional job in getting the dialect down just right, especially considering she was not a native. It's also nice to know, when reading her books, that they are historically correct. She made a great effort to learn our quirks and way of speaking and in "The Kentuckians" she got it down pat. Thanks, Janice, wherever you are.

This is absolutely one of the finest books about the early pioneering in our country. Giles writes in a low-key manner, but brings vivid pictures to the mind as the reader follows the travels and travails of one of those pioneers as he makes his way through the wilderness of the Appalachian Mountains into the "wilds" of Kentucky and a new life. As a new-comer to Kentucky in my middle twenties, back in 1957, "The Kentuckians" was a great introduction to the strength and character of those earliest developers of this State. My first meeting with Ms. Giles' novels actually came through her third novel in this particular series: "The Believers", wherein the granddaughter of those first settlers becomes involved with the Shaker Community in Kentucky. THAT was so beautifully written, that I HAD to go back to read about the protagonist's parents ("Hannah Fowler") and then on back to "The Kentuckians". Each book was better than the first! And each book drew me in so closely to the people and places involved that I felt as though I was right there and each left me hating to leave their presence! If the Kentuckians ever is reprinted in hardback, I'll be the first in line!