I don’t know what I’d do without book ads to help me find new treasures. I had never heard of John Ehle until I saw a BookBub blurb about The Land Breakers, which was published in 1964. If you’re not familiar with Ehle, you should check him out. His deep respect for nature and rustic life shines on every page of this captivating novel.

In 1779 Mooney Wright and his new bride arrive in the North Carolina mountains. Determined to build a cabin and live off the land, they work hard to prepare for the coming winter. Arriving shortly afterward is Tinkler Harrison, an elderly man married to his sister’s young daughter. Tinkler has liquidated his estate in order to start a new life in this untamed region. Ernest Plover, a Harrison relative, follows in the spring with his own family that includes Mina, a teenage girl who begins a flirtation with Mooney Wright.

Through Ehle’s brilliant narration we see the strengths and weaknesses of these pioneers. Mooney is a large and powerful young man with a great deal of practical knowledge and abilities that enable him to adapt to the hostile environment. By contrast, Ernest Plover is impractical and doesn’t get around to building a house until his lean-to collapses.

To me the most interesting character is Mina, a girl with a restless imagination and an affinity for wild animals. She spends much of her time singing, wandering through the woods, and daydreaming about clouds. But there is more to Mina than meets the eye, as we learn when she meets new arrivals, and when other people try to take advantage of her immaturity.

Through their experiences we learn a great deal about how our ancestors might have adapted to the harsh realities of early America. Mooney, for example, has to keep his cow and horse in the cabin that first winter to keep them from freezing, for the creatures are essential to his family’s survival. He must chop down trees and dig clay to seal wall cracks; make a pole so his wife can boil water over the fire; clear the land for spring planting; and make tools out of what nature provides.

The novel is packed with adventures. Bears and wolves are a constant threat to livestock, and everyone must work long hours in the battle against nature. The characters confine their talk to their chores and rarely talk discuss their feelings, though romance and jealousy occasionally create complications. Childbirth in this wilderness is the business of an old Negro woman who considers womanhood God’s curse and uses herbs and incantations during labor pains. And there are terrible tragedies involving an infestation of snakes and a dramatic quest to track down a bear that has stolen one of Mooney’s pigs.

Ehle’s detailed study of old folklore permeates this story to the point that we develop deep respect for settlers who shared their knowledge for the sake of the entire community. It is their enterprising spirit that laid the foundation of American prosperity.

Although the book contains a few instances of profanity and a rather graphic sex scene, The Land Breakers is a five-star novel that I recommend enthusiastically to those who enjoy informed narration and a crackling good story.

Chevron Ross's novels include Weapons of Remorse, The Seven-Day Resurrection, and The Samaritan's Patient. Click here for more information.