Walking to Gatlinburg: A Novel

by Howard Frank Mosher

Paperback, 2011

Status

Available

Call number

813.54

Collection

Publication

Broadway Books (2011), Edition: Reprint, 352 pages

Description

Working on the Underground Railroad throughout the Civil War, Morgan Kinneson is shaken by the murder of a slave and the disappearance of his brother from the Union army, triggering his life-threatening search through war-stricken landscapes.

User reviews

LibraryThing member msf59
It is March 1864, the Civil War is still raging in the South and in northern Vermont, Morgan Kinneson, a strapping seventeen year old, is escorting an aging runaway slave named Jesse to an Underground Railroad station. This is the last stop before the man can be safely transported to Canada. What
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happens here, changes Morgan’s life forever and he dedicates himself to an impossible mission, finding his older brother, a Union doctor, who disappeared at the battle of Gettysburg.
On foot, armed with his trusty musket, a few provisions and six dollars, Morgan heads on his long trek south. Complicating the journey, a group of sinister and murderous escaped convicts are on the loose and they are looking for Morgan and something Jesse may have slipped him. Besides dodging these brutal, relentless criminals, Morgan also meets an array of many other memorable characters, including an old gypsy, who entrusts the boy to an enormous gift, an Irish girl named Birdcall, a brief encounter with the President, an extended visit with a kind Amish family and eventually meeting another runaway slave, this one a young spirited girl, about his own age. Her name is Slidell and she quickly becomes his faithful traveling partner, as they realize their fates are somehow entwined.
This is a wonderful story, filled with adventure, humor, love and a dash of magic. One reviewer called his style: Cormac McCarthy meets Mark Twain. That nails it perfectly!
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LibraryThing member Yestergirl
Walking to Gatlinburg by Howard Frank Mosher is a wonderful story of a young man, 17-year-old Morgan Kinneson, who travels from Vermont to the Great Smoky Mountains trying to find his older brother, Pilgrim, who went missing during the Battle at Gettysburg. Along the way, as in all good tales,
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Morgan encounters a whole host of quirky characters including a weeping elephant, a woman who lives in a tree, and the not so quirky and very beautiful slave girl named Slidell.

Howard Frank Mosher calls himself a natural born liar. Something he's not lying about is that he's no Charles Frazier, and Walking to Gatlinburg is no Cold Mountain... and for that I am thankful, because Mr. Howard has his own blend of New England charm. Howard Frank Mosher knows how to craft a yarn. He is a gifted storyteller and knows his history. Walking to Gatlinburg is engaging, his characters are filled with personality, and I loved it! Walking to Gatlinburg is an adventure, it's historical fiction, and it'll make you smile more than once...
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LibraryThing member cindysprocket
What a great story, adventure, love,suspense, some Civil War, religion.
LibraryThing member mldavis2
I found this a fun book to read, much in the nature of Tom Sawyer, as the protagonist sets out to find his brother after the Civil War and encounters adventure, mystery and situations along the way. The premises seem a bit coincidental, and things flow smoothly from one problem to another, but that
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makes it a good page turner. This is a good rainy day book.
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LibraryThing member anitatally
I loved this book. It combined history and mythology and fantasy and good story-telling in a unique way.
LibraryThing member MarkLacy
I just couldn't stick with this. The circumstances and the characters that the main character encounters along the way were just surreal to the point of silliness. I saw no point to the surrealism.

Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

2010

Physical description

352 p.; 5.08 inches

ISBN

0307450686 / 9780307450685

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