The Earth Abideth

In the late eighteen hundreds Thomas Linthorne elopes with Kate Harevell, and together they start a farm in Ohio and begin to raise a family

Written in 1938, this saga of a farming family's life in Ohio in the last third of the 19th century was sent to Ohio State Press by the author's daughter-in-law. It is a found treasure, fiction extending beyond the labels regional, historical or romance. Thomas Linthorne is upright, young and strong when he marries Kate. They begin their life in Hocking County full of hope, a gritty willingness and with no blinding stars in their eyes. Children arrive and survive, the farm prospers and Linthorne becomes a respected, admired name in the community. But Thomas's pride is his downfall. He strays with a neighbor woman, and his oldest son marries a girl he deems unworthy of the Linthorne name. Bitterness develops between him and the other farmers. As technology and success bring some ease to their lives, he and Kate travel to Columbus for the Ohio Centennial. Another son goes off to college, one daughter runs away, another becomes a nun. Thomas's progression through the seasons of his life is as rhythmic as the turn of seasons that govern his farming; his story is as rich and lushly fruitful as the earth he works.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The ebb and flow of a farming family is the device through which this undiscovered author looks at the changes in American life from the Civil War to the Great War. Thomas Linthorne and Kate Harewell elope in 1866 and settle in Fairfield County, Ohio. From then until Thomas's death in 1917, children are raised and leave, crops rotate, and reputations rise, fall, and are repaired. The traditions and culture act as a backdrop to the Linthorne history, making the book seem like a slice of Americana. Written in the 1930s but never before published, the book strikes universal themes in a local setting and shows us life as both romantic and gritty. Readers will be transported. Recommended. W. Keith McCoy, Dowdell Lib., South Amboy, N.J.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.