A Land Remembered

By: Patrick D. Smith

Narrated by: George Guidall

Patrick D. Smith here tells the story of three generations of the MacIveys, 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, and ends in 1968 with Solomon MacIvey, who realizes that the land has been exploited far beyond human need. Between is a sweeping story rich in Florida history.

A best-selling novel of Florida historical fiction, A Land Remembered was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and received the state’s highest literary award from the Florida Historical Society, the 1986 Tebeau Prize for the Most Outstanding Florida Historical novel.

©1984 Patrick D. Smith (P)2003 Recorded Books, LLC

They paved paradise . . .

Spanning 100 years of the fictional family MacIvey, in the style of Michener epics we are introduced to the history of Florida’s developmental heydays. The human characters are interesting and mostly appealing if a bit predictable, but it's the land itself that is the central character. The author ably communicates a love and respect for the wilderness that used to be, and his sadness and outrage at the greed that destroyed that paradise. A favorite passage occurs at a prairie watering hole by the light of a full moon, when a parade of wild creatures take turns and share the water without violence between predators and prey. An obvious metaphor, but memorably written. I did find myself breaking from the book to do some quick internet searches on some of the topics and events and to check out maps to augment the story.

Overall I liked the story as a somewhat lightweight historical fiction. George Guidall’s reading is not his best effort. While he does fine with the narrative portions, for some reason he seemed compelled to deliver most of the dialogue at a rapid fire pace, as if all conversations were frenetic and excited. Can’t quite give it 5 stars, but can give it a recommendation for those who enjoy an easy peek into a little known slice of regional history.

a contemporary "the yearling".

Where does A Land Remembered rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

one the the best

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Land Remembered?

vivid imagery of a time past

What about George Guidall’s performance did you like?

well performed

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

This would make a great miniseries (sorta like lonesome dove).

Any additional comments?

should be required reading for Florida high schoolers.

Wow!

Engaging and historically accurate. Drew me in from the very beginning! This story covers the major events in modern Florida history: settlement by crackers, cattle herding, citrus, development, freezes and hurricanes, ups and downs. This is a must for any lover of Florida history!

I found this story to be incredible!

I didn't have very high expectations for this book/Audible as it was written ~1982 ....and I had never heard of this book or story.
A must for most people interested in Florida history. Interesting with many surprises.

Quintessential novel

Elements of Giant, Texas, How the West Was Won, Centennial, Tom Sawyer, Rich Man Poor Man. Consistent with the Florida historical narrative. Good job.