Publication
Buccaneer Books, New York
Collection
Call number
Fiction H
Physical description
247 p.; 22 cm
Status
Available
Call number
Description
In this classic novel that inspired the TV series The Walton's, a father struggles to support his large family in Depression-era rural Virginia. For generations, the Spencer's lived on the mountain that still bears their name in the Blue Hills of Virginia. But the hard times changed everything. Now Clay Spencer works at the local mill in New Dominion and lives with his family in housing provided by the company. A proud patriarch, he is determined to build his loved ones a new home in the hills. And he'll do whatever it takes to give his children the best lives possible-including his eldest son, Clay-Boy. The first member of the family to graduate high school, Clay-Boy wants to go to college, but the cost of higher education is too great a burden for the Spencer's to bear. Still, his father is not easily deterred, even in times of great trials and personal tragedy. But to help his firstborn achieve his cherished dream, the elder Clay may be forced to make a devastating sacrifice that could impact the future of the entire Spencer clan. Based on the author's own family background and childhood experiences, and the basis for the classic motion picture featuring Henry Fonda and Maureen O'Hara, Spencer's Mountain is a moving celebration of familial love and commitment in the face of overwhelming odds. Evocative and unforgettable, it is a timeless American classic that will continue to captivate readers for generations to come.… (more)
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User reviews
LibraryThing member wvlibrarydude
This book was the basis for the show The Waltons. It was also made into a movie, which I have not seen.
It is quite similar to the show (several episodes are obviously based on chapters here), but the show tamed the cussing and drinking going on in the book. The book seems a little closer to reality
The story is based around Clay, Olivia, Clay-Boy Spencer and the rest of the family that lives and works in the company town at the base of Spencer Mtn. Characters were full and the writing at times brought bouts of reflection. Overall a good solid read.
Here is short paragraph that touched me.
"When life ebbed away, when the blood no longer made its spasmodic voyage through the hand she held, she looked at his face. The fierce old beautiful visage relaxed, and something not quite a smile, but akin to it, took its place, a waxed artificial slack expression that was neither pain nor joy but was simply death."
Brought back the image of my father in his casket. Neither happy or sad, just missing the life that gave it the character we loved.
It is quite similar to the show (several episodes are obviously based on chapters here), but the show tamed the cussing and drinking going on in the book. The book seems a little closer to reality
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and the hard life lived in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mtn's in the 1930's.The story is based around Clay, Olivia, Clay-Boy Spencer and the rest of the family that lives and works in the company town at the base of Spencer Mtn. Characters were full and the writing at times brought bouts of reflection. Overall a good solid read.
Here is short paragraph that touched me.
"When life ebbed away, when the blood no longer made its spasmodic voyage through the hand she held, she looked at his face. The fierce old beautiful visage relaxed, and something not quite a smile, but akin to it, took its place, a waxed artificial slack expression that was neither pain nor joy but was simply death."
Brought back the image of my father in his casket. Neither happy or sad, just missing the life that gave it the character we loved.
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LibraryThing member gingergargoyle
Growing up I remember everyone wishing they could have the sugary sweet family seen on "The Waltons", the book takes some of that sweetness away. Hammer does a nice job at capturing what it was like to be a teenager growing into manhood during not only the Depression but in rural Virginia as well.
LibraryThing member wearylibrarian
I have been a fan of The Walton's since the very first broadcast, and I quickly became a fan of this book. It took awhile to get used to 'Clay-Boy' instead of 'John-Boy' but after that it was smooth sailing. Although there are other characters in this book the focus is on Clay-Boy and his journey
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into adulthood. The book is a bit grittier than he TV series but if you enjoy the Walton's you will enjoy this book. Hamner is a superb writer. Show Less
LibraryThing member GrannyNanny
While reading this book I could envision the movie as they are pretty much identical. Usually books are better than the movie but in this case they were the same. I enjoyed the book just the same as well as the movie.
LibraryThing member jbarr5
Spencer's Mountain by Earl Hammer Jr.
Recalled the author's name from the creator of The Waltons.
Foothills in the VA mountain as the eldest boy is leaving to go to college-very similar to the Walton's. you will see the resemblances.
At the family house the whole crew of 9 sons gathered the day before
The mill had closed but Uncle Virgil had a job in the city. Clay boy looked up to him for everything!
Love the legend of the white deer and the one who brings it down wiill be marked. Love this vs. the TV show as everything is described in detail. So much nature and outside things along with family traditions of inside life.
So much action described, more than a one hour TV show, but a full year. Members of the family life's are changing...
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
Recalled the author's name from the creator of The Waltons.
Foothills in the VA mountain as the eldest boy is leaving to go to college-very similar to the Walton's. you will see the resemblances.
At the family house the whole crew of 9 sons gathered the day before
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Thanksgiving. The day they would all go hunt a deer.The mill had closed but Uncle Virgil had a job in the city. Clay boy looked up to him for everything!
Love the legend of the white deer and the one who brings it down wiill be marked. Love this vs. the TV show as everything is described in detail. So much nature and outside things along with family traditions of inside life.
So much action described, more than a one hour TV show, but a full year. Members of the family life's are changing...
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
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LibraryThing member bikesandbooks
The 70's generations know The Waltons but few of us know the prototype, Clayboy Spencer, as first told by Hamner. The Waltons, of course, is the made for television version of Spencer's Mountain. This prototype novel is more salty, without being graphic; more home spun without cloying.
While The
(Side note: It's a LONG way from 1925 Downtown Abby to 1933 New Dominion, VA. Pat Conroy might say, The Water Is Wide. )
While The
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Waltons is more Mayberry meets the Love Boat. The emotion of Spencer's Mountain definitely feels like a real novel. A difference, for starters, is the main character. Clayboy has a hormonal balance missing from John-Boy's more contrived character. Still, the novel clearly presents a familiar outline of the later adapted TV series and still reveals the same heartwarming sense of hope. (Side note: It's a LONG way from 1925 Downtown Abby to 1933 New Dominion, VA. Pat Conroy might say, The Water Is Wide. )
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LibraryThing member starbox
The book on which 'The Waltons' was based,; fiction, albeit rather autobiographical, as the author recalls a rural childhood in 1930s Virginia.
I loved the Waltons but wondered how it would work in book form. I neednt have worried: Hamner's family, while upstanding, are much less cloying and
Delightful, folksy tale, but with heart-wrenching moments that make it all believable.
I loved the Waltons but wondered how it would work in book form. I neednt have worried: Hamner's family, while upstanding, are much less cloying and
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saccharine than their television counterparts. The only child who really features is eldest son Clay-Boy, who is on the cusp of adulthood - yearning to get a scholarship to allow him a college education, and in the throes of first love. When we first meet him, he is off on his first hunting expedition, plunging his knife into the deer's throat while the men pass the whisky around (don't recall John-Boy doing such a thing!)Delightful, folksy tale, but with heart-wrenching moments that make it all believable.
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LibraryThing member BoundTogetherForGood
When we were young, our family always gathered to watch The Waltons on TV. I was aware that Earl Hamner had created the show, based on his family. I knew he was a writer. I really wanted to read this book someday.
I rarely wish I hadn't read a book. This one just didn't hold the charm that the
The TV show was fairly uplifting. This book features an accidental death of a key person, but then just glosses over it, like dead, buried, forgotten.
I loved John Boy in the show. He always seemed rather flighty to me, and this book allows me to understand that it's the way the character was designed, and that Richard Thomas brought the charm to the character. In the book, he slept with a casual girlfriend without any real consideration. It did not feel genuine to the time, or the storytelling. I feel funny saying that, as I know this is based loosely on Hamner's life. Maybe he did just get naked and run around in a field and then just accidentally have sex with his girlfriend, so who am I to judge? Really, it could've been written much better, if that's what happened. I'm disappointed in the writing more than the lack of character development, since it is based on truth.
I rarely wish I hadn't read a book. This one just didn't hold the charm that the
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television series held. I know there is a movie based on this book, and I'm still very likely going to try to find it to watch.The TV show was fairly uplifting. This book features an accidental death of a key person, but then just glosses over it, like dead, buried, forgotten.
I loved John Boy in the show. He always seemed rather flighty to me, and this book allows me to understand that it's the way the character was designed, and that Richard Thomas brought the charm to the character. In the book, he slept with a casual girlfriend without any real consideration. It did not feel genuine to the time, or the storytelling. I feel funny saying that, as I know this is based loosely on Hamner's life. Maybe he did just get naked and run around in a field and then just accidentally have sex with his girlfriend, so who am I to judge? Really, it could've been written much better, if that's what happened. I'm disappointed in the writing more than the lack of character development, since it is based on truth.
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LibraryThing member kslade
Enjoyable read. It's the basis of the '63 Henry Fonda movie as well as the Walton's TV series of the '70s. Good humor and folkways of Appalachian family life. I remember reading part of it in a magazine once before.
Language
Original publication date
1961
ISBN
1568490224 / 9781568490229