Florida’s favorite novel, “A Land Remembered” is a modern literary masterpiece. Published in 1984 by Pineapple Press, Patrick D. Smith’s historical fiction novel gives a fictional, albeit accurate account of the history of Florida from its pioneer days in 1868, shortly after the American Civil war to 1968, arguably one of the most tumultuous years in the history of American culture.
The story is that of a family (The MacIvey family) through three generations, a family emigrated from Georgia into the wild and untamed lands of Florida. They start out eeking out a living from the ear
What makes the novel work is not so much its straight forward plot. It is the realism involved in what the family faced through the years, the common struggles of those who lived through the pioneering days of Florida’s rich history. Floridians especially can easily relate to stories of malaria and mosquito swarms. They can relate to hurricanes, heat and crop devastating frosts, not to mention wildlife problems, from hogs, alligators, cougars, bears and wolves.
This is a novel for both Floridians and history buffs and it gets at the essence of the human condition. No one is perfect. Eve
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