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At a glance
- Condition
- New
- Publisher
- Little, Brown and Company
- Accessibility
- Learn more
- Publication date
- December 5, 2017
- Edition
- Reprint
- Language
- English
- File size
- 5.9 MB
Description
A pioneer woman's memoir of the Mississippi Delta that "crackles with personality, putting a face on the unsung, nameless tillers of the soil" (Publishers Weekly). Near the end of her life, Mary Mann Hamilton (1866–c.1936) began recording her experiences in the backwoods of the Mississippi Delta. The result is this astonishing first-person account of a pioneer woman who braved grueling work, profound tragedy, and a pitiless wilderness (she and her family faced floods, tornadoes, fires, bears, panthers, and snakes) to protect her home in the early American South. An early draft of Trials of the Earth was submitted to a writers' competition sponsored by Little, Brown in 1933. It didn't win, and we almost lost the chance to bring this raw, vivid narrative to readers. Eighty-three years later, in partnership with Mary Mann Hamilton's descendants, we're proud to share this irreplaceable piece of American history. Written in spare, rich prose, Trials of the Earth is a precious record of one woman's extraordinary endurance and courage that will resonate with readers of history and fiction alike. Read more
Specs 9
| Publisher | Little, Brown and Company |
|---|---|
| Accessibility | Learn more |
| Publication date | December 5, 2017 |
| Edition | Reprint |
| Language | English |
| File size | 5.9 MB |
| Screen Reader | Supported |
| Enhanced typesetting | Enabled |
| X-Ray | Enabled |
No specs match.
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Top Amazon Reviews
Remarkable first hand account of a life of toilet and quiet heroism
Format: Kindle
This is the first hand account of a pioneering woman who lived in the untamed Mississippi Delta during the years of its early development. She married an Englishman with a mysterious background, the story of which he took to the grave. This book tells of the trials, some of them very terrible, endured during their married life as the author, Mary Hamilton, made a home for her family under often trying and sometimes tragic circumstances. Mother of nine, five of whom survived to adulthood, Mary would sadly never have a home that was truly her own, although this was her fondest dream. Instead, she did her very best to make comfortable and happy whatever temporary abode that her family occupied. As a young wife, she ran boarding houses, cooking for dozens of men daily while raising her little children. Later, she kept house for her growing family while working long days in the fields. The amount of work that she performed day in and day out was truly stupendous, but she considered it vital that she be cheerful and uncomplaining for the sake of her children. They all learned at an early age to work alongside their mother, considering helping her something of which they could be very proud. Their hard-working father was often away from home, leaving, of necessity, his wife alone in a wild country to cope with wolves, destructive storms, primitive living conditions, births and deaths. Mary's indomitable spirit prevailed over circumstances that would have brought paralyzing despair to a lesser woman as she lost child after child, nursed a husband who was often ill during the early years of their marriage, endured poverty, and always, was forced into backbreaking work simply to provide the basic necessities for her family. This unassuming woman's account of everyday life in a wilderness is remarkable in its rich details, colorful cast of characters, and I lessons for modern life, among them: No more whining!!!!
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Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2019 by bam
True account of a female pioneer in Mississippi Delta in 1800s.
Format: Kindle
Really interesting memoir of a young woman who settled in the Mississippi Delta in the late 1800s. In her own words, this narrative describes her life and the many hardships she and her family went through. Life was so difficult then, but she was strong and tough and optimistic, she worked extremely hard, and she survived until old age. This is a true picture of pioneer life, the early timber camps in the south, and the joys and sorrows and dangers these early settlers lived through. Very thought provoking!
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Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2016 by E. P.
Authentic, Awesome Book
Format: Kindle
This is a compelling book, hard to put down. It's the autobiography of someone who helped clear the Mississippi Delta when it was a hot, wet, tangled wilderness. The life events she faced would be overwhelming to most of us today, but she tells her amazing story as though everything happened merely in the normal course of an average lifetime--no complaints, no bragging. The words she uses were normal for her time and include words that modern sensibilities would find offensive. If you realize that her words are authentic for the times, you keep reading to the end; and you get to know an awesome character who never cracked under pressure and always dealt fairly with anyone she encountered.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2019 by Sarah Strohm
A book that can learn you a lot about every day life on a homestead.
I think the book is very pleasant to read. It pictures the life of Mary Mann Hamilton in a very clear way. Her hardships and happy moments. You get an idea how a household of a family 150 years ago worked. All written from this brave woman's perspective. The family lives in the Mississippi delta most of the time. First as part of the loggers industry, later having their own homestead. They worked very hard. I read the book because I am looking for real live novels about homesteading. I wanted to learn something for our own homestead. and what can you better do then reading novels about the past days. Learning about how people would solve things back in the days. This book fulfilled all my expectations. I will surely recommend this book. A must read when you have a homestead.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2018 by Terra do Milho homestead
Good history lesson; not a page turner though
Format: Hardcover
An excellent look at pioneering. Like the TRUE stories of Little House on the Prairie. I wish I could give it 3.5 stars. It reads almost like fiction when you account for the numerous trials this family faced. Also, it is almost unfathomable the grit and hard work required to make a living during this time. I'm glad I read the book for that reason. However, I must say it was somewhat of a chore to read. It took me a while to really get into the characters, but I eventually did. I cried when there were deaths. Frank probably had the most dimension of any of the characters. I never quite knew what he was going to do next. I didn't trust him but did trust him at the same time. I'm sure that's how Mary felt too. For most of the book it was an endless cycle of move the family, suffer tragedy, move the family, suffer tragedy, and on and on. Also, I did not care for the titles of the chapters as they gave away what was going to happen in that chapter. The ending was really good and made up for some of the tedious middle of the book.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2017 by FourBoyMom
It has reminded me not to whine!
Format: Paperback
Couldn’t put this one down! This highly detailed memoir will draw you into a portion of American history that many not be aware of. It’s the true story of grit and determination told in Mary Hamilton’s own voice describing unbelievable situations for her and her family living in the Mississippi Delta region. It has reminded me not to whine about trivial things!
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Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2026 by Choosy
Easy but informative read
Format: Kindle
This is a true story of a woman living in the 1800's. How she copes with all the work, grief, and problems amazes me. She relates the loss of children, unending drudgery, and unfulfilled dreams and aspirations with calm acceptance. She has tremendous physical and emotional strength, which is really in short supply today. This should be required reading for all the little snowflakes inhabiting America today.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2017 by RestlessTime
Amazing Tale of Pioneering Life by one Brave Woman!
Format: Kindle
I have never read an autobiography quite like this and it will stay with me a long time. A marvelous tale of an early settler's life in the late eighteen hundreds in some of our southern states. It is on the par with the Little House on the Prairie series only for adults. This is one woman's story written at the end of her life quite by chance wirh encouragement by a neighbor to get her to tell the tales. Children dying, river flooding, moving from place to place, losing everything and starting over, etc. Life was nothing like today when you homesteaded and there was little that was sure. They had grit in those days and the strong survived. Her husband was British and there is a mystery throughout the book as to his origins and past. The scene that I will always remember is Mary sitting in a chair atop a tree stump with infant and young daughter in the pouring rain, as river water slowly crept up her ankles as she waited for rescue. This would appeal to anyone interested in pioneer history as well as historical women's stories.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2020 by Kindle Customer