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've been an Oprah Book Club fan since the beginning, may be in the minority. I thought this book was great, simple but raw. I love books set in the Appalachian's. My first book by Robert Morgan, I like his style of writing. Look forward to more fm this author!

This story is plodding, unforgiving and - after the abrupt ending - I would add, unfinished. But, I was interested and almost engrossed the entire time because I could understand and relate to the female protagonist so well. She learns early on in life that a woman's work is never done and, she decides, is best done quickly and without complaint. She absorbs the repeated indignities of poor, mountain life with grace and grit - including a childbirth scene that I loved and where she describes her personal philosophy of life, "There was no way I could get out of it. There was no way I wanted to get out of it. This is my work, I thought. This is the work only I can do. This is work meant for me from the beginning of time. And this is work leading through me in an endless chain of people all the way to the end of time. Other women have done their work down the course of the years, and now it's my turn. There's nothing to do but take hold of the pain and wrestle with it" (p. 284). I love her pragmatic approach to life and forgiveness of others - even an obnoxious mother-in-law.

Set in the Blue Ridge Mountains along the border between North and South Carolina, Julie’s narrative gives us a raw, brutal and sometimes gut-wrenching description of Appalachian life at the turn of the century. It’s a story of a quickly decided marriage and a move based on nothing but the two lover’s need to strike out on their own. The grueling challenges they face become the measure of their personalities. Julie, ever the optimist, seems to thrive on the hardness of her existence, while Hank, morose and sullen, sinks into despair. The author describes in rich detail how the land influences their lives every step of the way, finally driving them to return to the mountain to start over. Some of the unending paragraphs of description and inner thoughts become an excuse to skim, and at times the plot seems an endless account of daily life. Even when the sister visited, I expected more drama, but none developed. The flood scene and Julie’s trial of delivering her own baby are crisis moments but the book never has a major crescendo moment. I did enjoy how Robert Morgan showed the force religion played in the lives of the mountain people and the fact that through all the young couple’s struggles, they stayed together and seemed to grow closer, changing to meet one another’s needs. Don’t read this book for a thrilling, unable-to-put-down read, but instead read it for a lesson on tenacity and determination. Believe me you won’t ever complain again how hard your life seems.

I picked this up and it immediately caught my attention. I read a little bit at night before bed over a couple of nights and then took it to work today where I sat and finished it in a couple of hours. I know a lot of people did not like the way it was written but I had no problem overlooking the "ignorant" speech of the characters. They were what they were. The other complaint that some of my friends had was that the title would seem to indicate it covered the whole marriage or at least a good part of it. Instead, it was just a glimpse into the early part (like about the first year or so) of a marriage. It was about the beginning and the laying of the foundation of a marriage I would say. The story was touching and sad and made me infinitely grateful to live in a time where life is easier. The way uneducated and poor people lived was hard and life was an uncertain for the young and old alike. This book gave me a tiny peek into the life of a girl who had to grow up too fast and take on responsibilities in order for her family to survive. Marriage provided no relief and she had to work even harder in order to make a life with her husband. She had this deep well of inner strength that only grew stronger as each trial came her way. I found myself wanting the Julie and Hank to make it,but at the same time, I wanted to smack Hand and make him man up. They were both so young and so ignorant about things. All that being said, this was a great book and was well worth the time.

A good book that follows the life of a young girl in late 19th Century Carolina’s life. It definitely shows the life style of rural mountain living and the trials and tribulations that post civil war life was like. Would recommend reading but mostly like won’t read twice.

I really enjoyed this book and the main character, Julie. She is amazing! I can understand why some people thought this book was depressing---she goes through so much hardship. Personally, I was inspired. It helped me appreciate my modern conveniences and ease of life.
I was especially impressed with Julie's strength---both physical and mental---and wisdom for her age. She was very insightful in knowing how to maintain peace in her home despite troubles. What acceptance, too! I felt humbled in realizing how much I have to be thankful for and what I can personally do to improve myself. I wanted to throttle Hank so many times---my husband is a saint by comparison. I mean, could Hank just have once put aside his pride and told Julie he appreciated her???
I didn't want this book to end. It was written in 1999 so I am pessimistic about expecting a sequel. I wish I could know what happened to them. It felt like it ended just as a new chapter in their lives began! Please Mr. Morgan, can we have some more?

“Work ain’t nothing but work.” -Julie
Proof that in the hands of a gifted author and poet you can feel the joy, the pain, the fear and the presence of God in everyday events (even if they are from a different time and place) without resorting to shock, fantasy murder or international conspiracies.

All the stars!

I loved this book. I selected it to read because my public library's website said that if you liked "These is My Words", you would like this one. However, between requesting it from there and starting it, I read some Goodreads reviews and thought, ugh, I picked a bummer. Not so! In that light, I want to address some of the negatives I read on this site from other readers.

This book is, indeed, written by a man. And it is told from a young woman's perspective. But I found the author to be extremely insightful, and I'm sure if he had used a woman's penname I would never have guessed his gender. Not only does he grasp what it is to be a woman, he has the naïveté of what it is to be a newlywed, young woman, down pat. He also understands how women perceive men, and how the actions of a husband affect a wife. And he showed insight into how one grows in the beginning of marriage. So, as far as I am concerned, the author's gender is not a problem.

Another issue I noticed in several reviews is that some readers feel this book is depressing. Now this is going to sound harsh, but it's how I feel. Either they are reading from an unsophisticated, naive or very young perspective, or they read the Cliffs Notes version and didn't get everything out of it they should have. Yes, the main character in this novel faces some terrible times. That's life, and it was certainly how life was during the 19th century for the average working person in the mountains of America. People on farms then, and similarly now, dealt with death on sometimes a daily basis, at least in some form. And at that time, illness was terrible and people died from things that don't kill normally healthy people now. What apparently was lost on these readers is the strength and perseverance of the main character, Julie. Julie is a powerhouse of courage and hope. She gets handed lemons in life, and she makes lemonade every time, even when she doesn't feel like it. She delights in the small joys of life - such as the blueness of the summer sky and frost on morning grass, and birds in the trees. When she reaches that point that a trial is over, she feels cleansed or strengthened. And no matter what happens or how bad things get, she never gives up, and always clings to hope - whether for herself or for someone she loves. And the book ends with that very sentiment - hope.

The last of the concerns expressed by other readers I want to address was the graphic details of some of the events, such as a hog killing and butchering. I did not feel it was indulgent. It was graphic, but why wouldn't it be? I'm not sure hog butchering is something you can effectively sugarcoat. And I doubt that the average reader would grasp what a chore it is for a woman to help with hog killing and butchering without some details. Like other events in the book, it's explained in a manner that makes the reader understand it, and in a way that I think a woman who had to go through it might actually explain it.

I'll wrap up by saying one of the things I loved about this book is that it is not terribly romantic, at least in the traditional sense. I don't like books (or movies for that matter) that are fluff. Real life is about people hanging onto each other and relationships through what is described in wedding vows - for better or for worse, in sickness and in health. Julie falls in love with her husband just like so many women do. He is physically attractive to her, he appears to be strong in character, and he appears to be ready to do anything in the world to make her happy. But when he disappoints her, and when life is rough, and that "sickness" and "worse" come into play, they learn how to hang onto each other, and how to make a life together - in spite of differences and difficulties. If you need fluff to make you happy, this book is not for you.

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.

I know that not all stories are supposed to have a happily ever after but this was exhausting with grief and hardships. Some people have it bad and some have it even worse and I am grateful for what I have and that I do not have to live with such heartache. This was a hard read but a good read