Set in South Carolina during the late 1800s, Gap Creek is where newlyweds Julie and Hank set out to make a life. Married at a young age, they find whatever happens ... strength comes in their love for each other. Julie narrates this story, telling of sorrows and joy. Her faith in God helps her live through sadness and trials. I think it is her endurance that gives Hank hope in surviving the worst of times, from a terrible fire, a dangerous flash flood, and the loss of their firstborn. A simple, hard life says it all. I learned a lot about survival, hog dressing, burial customs, seeds, and other affairs of plain living. Reading Morgan's novel seemed like a real Foxfire experience.

Spoilers ahead

Gap Creek by Robert Morgan was also a free friday book and it was an Oprah Book of the Month book as well. Oprah, you did not pick a winner here. The story is about the first year of marriage between a young couple in 1900 South Carolina. It started out strong, with Julie being an unusually hard working and dedicated woman, and that doesn’t change. But at some point she totally stops standing up for herself. At one point of the story she gets conned and when her husband finds out he slaps her in the face and calls her a “stupid heifer” and what does she do? NOTHING!! If i was her i would slapped him right back and walked out the door. And the whole rest of the book her husband is temperamental and just about useless. Until the end when he kind of redeems himself (not really) when he takes care of Julie and their sick baby after Julie birthed the baby at home, by herself. And in the end they lose everything the worked for and wind up leaving their home. WTF.

This was a revisit to one of my favorite books. I read it first several years ago, and when I picked it up this time, I expected to love it again. I did (eventually) really enjoy it. The characters grow, and find strength for very difficult things. However… the voice of the main character (Julie) near about drove me crazy.

This book had few redeeming characteristics. I don't recommend it for anybody. The only reason that I gave it a rating of 2 is because it was well written and because I felt compelled to keep reading to see what would happen to the heroine, hoping that something good would come her way. I read the book in one sitting, 3.5 hours.

Robert Morgan tried to write this period novel from a woman's point of view, I assume, since the main character is a woman who is telling her own story. The result of his effort is that it seemed to me that he was telling his version of how a woman should feel about and react to a whole bunch of bad things that happened to her and her family.

The book was a total downer, wrought with nothing but sadness, extreme hard work resulting in bad outcomes, and death. She married in her mid-teens to an 18-year-old self-centered, thoughtless, and inconsiderate boy who didn't want to be told anything by anybody else, and he would decide when and if he would do something/anything. And according to the author, all this was acceptable, though, because she could make herself and her husband feel better by having good sex. The book was not explicit, or titillating, at all but the author was still able to impart this information he deemed important.

Seriously, this book made me feel depressed for a couple of days, so don't read it unless you need a reality check about life at the turn of the 20th century.

I have reminisced about this story many times and am debating a rare re-read as I loved the feelings that I experienced the first time that I read it. I would like to experience it again, and see if at this stage in my life I still feel the same. I would recommend this to both women and men alike if they are at all interested in the hard times that faced those who were living in the end of the nineteenth century. The love story is present, but the story of survival and overcoming are what you carry with you at the end.

Not a bad book. Interesting take on the marriage of two young mountain folks, Julie, age 17 and Hank, a year older. Set circa 1900 in SC near the SC-NC state line. These young folks, especially Julie, would put modern teenagers to shame with their know-how and work ethic. Julie is simply a peach from beginning to end. No one is perfect but Julie is about as good-hearted and well-intentioned as they come. She is an extremely hard-working young lady who seemed to be born with an indomitable spirit. There are hardships and victories for the young couple. I especially enjoyed the section on the local preacher. He came across as a genuine Christian and his talks, prayers and sermon spoke to Julie's heart. He told Hank and Julie that "the church is where we strengthen each other and support each other." (My idea of a real church.) I also enjoyed the detailed descriptions of daily life. Nothing easy. Hard work in and around the house and farm. Enjoyable, well written story.

Best description of a first kiss ever! And oh my goodness the birth of her child I will never forget. Such depth and beauty in this book. It also teaches a woman to be strong. Many favorite lines but the best two are: 1. "Worry never let anyone live a second longer." -Hank 2. Everything I'd done was free. the sweat was free as water from the spring, as air in sunlight. But the greatest free gift was time that kept comin' day after day. It seemed that time couldn't go on after the death of little Dillia but it did...time kept on spillin' down on me and the only way I could take hold of the minutes and make sense of them was to work."
I would love to read Morgan's acclaimed novel, The Truest Pleasure, which he wrote before GC.

My first impression when I started reading Gap Creek was that I would not like the story or the voice of the narrator. Once I got myself into the correct mindset of the time and place where this takes place it became a much better experience.

It is a snapshot of the struggles of a very young couple trying to make a life together against great odds. It is told from the first-person point of view by Julie, a 17-year-old girl who marries a young man who she does not really know very well. It is the end of the 19th century in the Western Carolinas and life is not kind to the young penniless couple. In the end, they have grown in their knowledge of the world and each other.

Had this on my TBR for a long time. - check

Gap Creek takes you back in time to Julie Harmon's life at the turn of the century. She grew up helping her father and mother run their house and farm. Julie watches her brother and then her father die, and is the one the family depends on to care for these two as they are ill. Events take a quick turn after these deaths when Julie meets Hank Richards, and marries at the young age of 17. Robert Morgan takes you through the day to day struggles of life and ends the tale emotionally with yet another death to Julie and her family.

This book was wonderful, but yet I am surprised to see that Oprah chose it as a Book Club pick. It is written more at a Young Adult level and because of the time period the author chose to use language that may have been more domineering to that time of life. For example using was instead of were or vice versa.

Overall this was a very touching, great book.

Enjoyed this go around. I tried to read this years ago and couldn’t get into it.
Enjoyed the characters and understanding hardships in rural life. Some surprises in this one and many emotions.

Beautifully written telling a story of marriage and day to day work of a rural family in the Carolina mountains. Reading this really takes reader back in time and place and felt was right there with Julie and all the work she did every day and held things together for those around her.

Do you want to feel amazingly lazy?
Then read this book!
The by-line title of this novel should read: horribly hard work is good for you.
And it is true.
Now the actual by-line is: A story of a marriage.
That is why I decided to pick it up. Romance among lusty singles is not hard to write.
Describing loyal, tough,committed love while tethered to an imperfect, selfish human being is something altogether different.
The first two chapter are tough; very depressing in that I-guess-every-one-is-going-to-die-a-hideous-painful-death-in-this-book, kinda depressing.
I almost gave up.
I do not have time to be more depressed.
If you keep with it, like I did, you will get immersed into the story of Julie Harmon, which is ultimately a wise and hopeful story, despite a lot of sadness and injustice.
Part of this reads almost like an adult Laura Ingalls Wilder book in that author Robert Morgan goes into great detail what a self-sufficient homestead in the 19th century looks like.
Part of this reads almost like a turn of the century Hemingway novel with its minimal, poetic sentences about the realities of love and life.
Part of this reads like a Leif Enger novel as it examines what a genuine lived out faith in God looks like on a person, without being a preachy, religious book.
Note: this is not a Christian publication it is novel that simply examines faith.
Gap Creek, though being primarily about Julie has a terrific cast of characters. From a mother in law you wish you could slap, to the scary town drunk, to a spoiled little sister who flirts with your husband, to crafty con artists who steal your money, to preachers who actually show up and care, and of course her husband who despite being "the man of the house"has a whole lot of growing up to do.
I would say that the theme of the novel is:
Hard work in an unjust world full of suffering is its own reward, but one has to fight just as hard as one works, to keep having hope in the bigger, brighter, higher things orchestrating life in this world.
My favorite passage:
"As the preacher spoke I seen how it was such a little thing to be humble and to accept the gift of life, to face the future, to look at the future calmly. It was different from speaking in tongues, and it was different from the kind of frenzy and rapture you hear about. It was the still, small voice I wanted to hear. I didn't want to be wrenched-apart by feeling. I wanted to be calm and open and wise as the light on New Year's morning. "
The last three sentences especially I want to paste on a wall in my house.
This book would make a terrific book club.
Plus, it is already has the official Oprah seal of approval, so I am sure there is ton of online book discussion fodder out there.