The Earth Abideth

By George Dell

Book Overview

The Linthorne family settle in the untilled farmland of Ohio in 1866--a man who could turn raw earth into prosperity--but could not know the love of his sons; a beautiful woman who sacrifices her... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0814204112
• ISBN13: 9780814204115
• Release Date: January 1986
• Publisher: Ohio State Univ Pr
• Length: 300 Pages
• Weight: 1.56 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 1.3" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

George Dell was my Creative Writing Professor

When I discovered this book, Professor Dell was suffering from dementia, and did not understand that his manuscript of some 50 years earlier had been published. His daughter discovered it, dust-coverd in the attic. Dr. Dell was best known for his poetry, which like his prose, is clear, true and compelling. He was a man who used simple words to express complex emotions. I have always aspired to follow his lead. George Dell taught forever at Capital University, a small Lutheran college about eight miles from Ohio State in Columbus. Reading The Earth Abideth, you realize you are experiencing the work of a great American writer, who is great at writing about America. In the book's first sentence, his description of the osage orange tree is so well-crafted that you will remember it long after you forget what the trees look like in your own front yard. The story is about a man and his family, not unlike any of us and our families. As you begin to live his life along with Thomas Linthorne, you might as well be in his house, in the barn, in the fields. The events and emotions are basic, raw, believeable. You won't be able to put the book down. Thank you George Dell.

The Earth Abideth

George Dell took me on a a 299-page trip back in Ohio time, and I never wanted to come back. From his no-nonsense introduction to Thomas Linthorne's Sunday afternoon in April, 1866 on page 3, to Thomas' death on another Sunday afternoon in June,about 50 years later, Dell's writing is just right: not too thick, not too thin; just enough to fill you up, and make you wish there was more than just this 1986 story from the 85 year old, smooth-writing Dell. I started Dell's post-civil War Ohio story of his returning veteran on the Wednesday night after book club, falling asleep around the time the first baby was born. The book called to me at work the next day; I had to leave at noon, taking half a vacation day to finish it. Thomas, wife Kate, and children Hocking, Charlotte, Faith, and Grover are a typical Ohio farm family of the late 19th century - but touched by the same struggles of any family of the this century. Religious faith versus agnosticism, career versus family, and the challenges of neighbors and children all touch the same nerves. Dell's language has a hint of the Homeric - his "frost-blanched sky" on page 3 signals the epic journey to come. It is a odyssey worth taking, filled with temptations, truth, and consequences. Rnjoy the scenery; the pace is perfect, and the company outstanding. I hope my Ohio ancestors lived lives half as thoughtful, and at least as hopeful, as Dell's Linthorne family.

This book is a true treasure

I have read this book over, and over, and over again, and I never tire of it. It truly is a treasure. By reading it, you absorb a bit of history, and you benefit from experiencing triumph, joy, heartache and sadness, religion, even humor. Almost like 'Little House on The Prairie' with quite a bit of spice.