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Post by ez on Jan 5, 2010 23:37:31 GMT -5
hi all, i was wondering if anyone knew of any books out there that are family stories like " the waltons"? i know of the" little house" books but i was looking for something like the walton family or a farm family with a nice story to it. any help would be great. thanks again
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Post by ncwaltonsfan on Jan 6, 2010 1:03:45 GMT -5
"Spencer's Mountain" and "The Homecoming",both by Earl Hamner, are in book form. Though not "Waltons" related, "Where The Lilies Bloom" is also about a Depression-era family in Appalachia.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2010 8:00:19 GMT -5
Dont like to say but my own Kay is 'that type' of story, eventually it will cover four books. three done one in progress
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Post by ez on Jan 7, 2010 23:48:10 GMT -5
thanks for the suggestions "ncwaltonsfan" and "kelvin"
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Post by Brenda on Jan 8, 2010 11:57:41 GMT -5
My daughter recently wrote a book that you might like to read. It is called The Year of Plenty. It is about a farm family in eastern Kentucky in 1929-30. Earl Hamner has read the book and wrote this review: "Rebecca's book, "The Year of Plenty," is very much in the vein of "Little House on the Prairie" and "Spencer's Mountain" and I applaud her for continuing the series on into World War Two. Artistically it is a success. It was like a trip back in time to be present at all those family gatherings and to be reminded of when white bread was a luxury and of all those wonderful Christmas rituals. One of the things I like so much about the book is it illustrates a time and customs that we seem to have lost. For the most part, people have no manners, families are fractured, and everyone is entitled to do whatever he feels like without any consideration for the next person. Perhaps reading about a time when these practices were not so common will help us recover them."
~Earl HamnerYou can order the book at www.frontiergirlpress.com. It is also available at amazon.com and amazon.co.uk. Brenda
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Post by ez on Jan 8, 2010 14:59:27 GMT -5
thanks brenda, the book sounds great, i will pick up a copy from amazon. thanks again
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herb
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Post by herb on Jan 9, 2010 20:33:24 GMT -5
You might want to try any of the "Miss Read" books. They're all set in a little village in England in the 50s. Several books in total, with overlapping characters, very pastoral.
Or, for something really exotic, try "The Country Doctor" by Honore de Balzac. Balzac was a French writer in the 1800s, who wrote over 100 books, largely to stave off his creditors. Brilliant story in this one, very 'Waltonesque'
Herb
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Post by ez on Jan 10, 2010 1:50:33 GMT -5
thanks herb, i have read some of the "miss read" books and yes they are good books. i never heard of balzac but i will look for "the country doctor". thanks again
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Post by dfnmeows44 on Jan 10, 2010 17:10:15 GMT -5
Michelle Margorian has written several books on the life of children in England before, during and after World War II---the best known are Goodnight,Mr Tom and BACK HOME
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Post by ez on Jan 11, 2010 2:16:35 GMT -5
thanks dfnmeows44, i saw the movie once on pbs called "gooodnight mr. tom" and i will look for the book "back home". thanks again for the info.
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Post by River on Jan 11, 2010 15:25:01 GMT -5
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herb
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Post by herb on Jan 11, 2010 21:56:57 GMT -5
Just thought you might want to try a writer named Greg Clark. He was a Canadian, so his books may he hard to find in the US. A newspaper columnist for almost 50 years, he started in the early 20s, writing for the Toronto Star. He was there at the same time Ernest Hemingway was working there, in fact Hemingway said Clark was the best writer at the Star. His columns, especially the ones he wrote in the 1930s, would fit right in with the Walton ethos, even though Clark was a city dweller all his life. By far his best work in my opinion, and likely the easiest to find, if the book "May Your First Love Be Your Last". It;s another collection of his columns, but the title story is still one of the best short stories I've ever read.
Herb
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Post by ez on Jan 12, 2010 1:02:03 GMT -5
thanks river and herb for all the suggestions. i will look for them all.
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herb
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Post by herb on Jan 12, 2010 20:57:07 GMT -5
Gosh, ez, A lot of things keep coming to mind over this thread...
You might also want to try for books by Harry J Boyle. Boyle was another Canadian writer who, among other things wrote several books about his childhood growing up on a farm on the Canadian prairies during the 1930s. He even had a Grandpa! I can't remember the titles off hand, except for two "With A Pinch Of Sin", and "Where Did You Go - Out- What Did You Do - Nothing"
Your best bet will be a library, a lot of his books are likely out of print.
Herb
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Post by ez on Jan 13, 2010 0:06:34 GMT -5
thanks again herb you've been a big help and i'll take your list of suggestions with me to my local library and hope i can find a few.
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