The Hornet's Nest: A Novel of the Revolutionary War

Jimmy Carter

Nov 2003 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

The first work of fiction by a President of the United States—a sweeping novel of the American South and the War of Independence.

In his ambitious and deeply rewarding novel, Jimmy Carter brings to life the Revolutionary War as it was fought in the Deep South; it is a saga that will change the way we think about the conflict. He reminds us that much of the fight for independence took place in that region and that it was a struggle of both great and small battles and of terrible brutality, with neighbor turned against neighbor, the Indians’ support sought by both sides, and no quarter asked or given. The Hornet’s Nest follows a cast of characters and their loved ones on both sides of this violent conflict—including some who are based on the author’s ancestors.

At the heart of the story is Ethan Pratt, who in 1766 moves with his wife, Epsey, from Philadelphia to North Carolina and then to Georgia in 1771, in the company of Quakers. On their homesteads in Georgia, Ethan and his wife form a friendship with neighbors Kindred Morris and his wife, Mavis. Through Kindred and his young Indian friend Newota, Ethan learns about the frontier and the Native American tribes who are being continually pressed farther inland by settlers. As the eight-year war develops, Ethan and Kindred find themselves in life-and-death combat with opposing forces.

With its moving love story, vivid action, and the suspense of a war fought with increasing ferocity and stealth, The Hornet’s Nest is historical fiction at its best, in the tradition of such major classics as The Last of the Mohicans.

Ratings and reviews

you walk with President carter and these lives which he has remember as family long past but still most important , to his and our world.

This book is very helpful in better understanding the role that the southern states (N.C., S.C., and Georgia) played in the Revolutionary War. Although written as a novel, it is historically accurate in describing many of the events and characters of the period. The book pull no punches in describing both the heroism and the atrocities both sides exhibited during this extraordianry war. Former President Carter provides remarkable insight in presenting the views and perceptions of both sides. I now have a much better appreciation of the difficult decision facing most settlers as to whether they should remain loyal to the Crown, or fight with Revolutionaries. There are points in the book when I almost found myself rooting for the British. Very well written. Ole!

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About the author

Jimmy Carter was the thirty-ninth President of the United States, serving from 1977 to 1981. In 1982, he and his wife founded The Carter Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of people around the world. Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. He is the author of thirty books, including A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety; A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power; An Hour Before Daylight: Memoirs of a Rural Boyhood; and Our Endangered Values: America’s Moral Crisis.