Janice Holt Giles (1909–1979)

Janice Holt Giles tells the stories of the people of Kentucky's Appalachia Mountains, and does so without condescension or a romanticization of rural life.

The Enduring Hills, her first novel, is based in part on her own introduction to Appalachia when she married Henry Giles -- a young man whose family had lived in the mountains since the days of the American Revolution.

The narrative device of seeing "Piney Ridge" through the eyes of the city-born Mary allows us to experience her puzzlement, show more frustration, and accommodation as she makes a life in a completely unfamiliar world.

Mountain people are a tight-knit group, but the stereotypes most of us grew up with are just that -- simplistic reductions of complex people. "The Enduring Hills" is likely the closest most of us will ever come to becoming part of a region of America that has been consistently, and inaccurately, mythologized. show less

I really enjoyed getting to know Hannah. While the history is very important to the story, Giles does a fine job making Hannah alive. Her background is curious—she’s actually 25 at the start, unmarried and apparently has never considered it. She has also not done much socializing, particularly as she has never seen a wedding until she herself weds Tice. Yet she seems to have no problem getting to know Tice, then Ann Logan, and finally Jane Manifee.

In addition to gradually revealing the show more contours of Hannah’s character, Giles also portrays the development of deep love and affection between Hannah and Tice and the bonding of the family of Hannah, Tice, and daughter Janie. All of this was great reading. Of particular interest to me at least was Hannah’s secret fancies about creeks “singing” and love of gourd flowers for their beauty; sadly, this side of her character she keeps hidden even from Tice, because her father had told her never to talk of such things.

As for the background, the frontier housekeeping is fascinating. The Revolutionary War is something happening far away, as represented by a single conversation. Occasionally some of the folklore bits seem forced, but overall the dialogue is natural.

Highly recommended to those who want to travel back in time to a realistic frontier setting. show less

"40 Acres and No Mule" is the non-fiction complement to Giles' novel "The Enduring Hills." It is the true story of Janice Holt Giles' move from the big city -- Louisville -- to live with her husband and his family in rural Appalachia.

Her account of their life on a hard-scrabble, but ultimately successful, farm is evocative and highly entertaining. The descriptions of how to cut tobacco, strip and grade the leaves, and hang them to dry makes your back and hands ache -- and your heart sing show more with as much satisfaction as if you'd done the work yourself.

Highly recommended for everyone who would like a break from urban life, without actually having to give up the comforts and convenience we take for granted. show less

My father builds log cabins. So, one of my recent gifts to him was an assortment of “old” books with a log cabin theme. When this book arrived in my mailbox, I thought, ah-hmm, it’s ~already~ used, anyway … so I read it before gifting it.

It was a thoroughly captivating little story. Part family history, part story of a house, part local flavor. On LT’s author pages, this book is attributed to Henry Giles, and though they were co-authors, most of the chapters were written by Janice. show more She has a lovely way of writing; folksy and warm. You finish the book feeling like part of the family.

It has been months since I finished the book, and … no longer have it on hand … so can’t refresh my memory for a more complete review. Bottom line, though, an enjoyable book; I recommend it.

And happy birthday, Papa! show less