The Hornets Nest, Jimmy Carter
The Hornets Nest, Jimmy Carter
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The Hornet's Nest
A Novel of the Revolutionary War

Author: Jimmy Carter

Narrator: Edward Herrmann

Abridged: 5 hr 32 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/11/2003


Synopsis

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.

About Jimmy Carter

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, and was the author of thirty books, including A Full Life: Reflections at NinetyA 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. He died in 2024 at the age of 100. 

About Edward Herrmann

Edward Herrmann's films include Nixon, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Annie, and The Aviator. On television's Gilmore Girls he starred as the patriarch, Richard Gilmore. He has also appeared on The Good Wife, Law & Order, 30 Rock, Grey's Anatomy, and Oz. He earned an Emmy Award for The Practice, and remains well-known for his Emmy-nominated portrayals of FDR in Eleanor and Franklin and Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years. On Broadway, he won a Tony Award for his performance in Mrs. Warren's Profession.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Infosifter on January 17, 2021

This felt more like a group of rather random biographies edited together than a novel. It was quite educational—we don't often hear about what happened during the revolutionary war in the south — but it was so dryly written that it was almost impossible to maintain interest. One interesting theme is......more

Goodreads review by Dale on July 17, 2012

Fact-filled, but not well told Regardless of your views on Jimmy Carter the politician, he is also Jimmy Carter the author. A good reviewer should separate his opinions, be they pro or con, about the politician from a politician's works of fiction. I will endeavor to do so here. Carter's interest in......more

Goodreads review by Margaret on March 25, 2008

Pres. Carter's book treats in depth the Revolutionary War and its preceding altercations in Georgia, South Carolina and the British territory of Florida. I was glad to learn more about the most southern colonies' involvement since it hasn't received the historical attention that the mid-south and no......more

Goodreads review by Michelle on June 30, 2011

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. The fictionalized characters were interesting and I was wrapped up in their story, then Carter digresses to true historical accounts that took away from the story. Too many names, dates, and historical facts for a novel. I didn't quite get the end.......more

Goodreads review by Tony on August 01, 2008

I am tempted to give this five stars, just because i am impressed Carter could write so well, but it isn't THAT good. A well researched and brought to life history of the Revolutionary war in the South. While no expert on the Revolution, I am farily familiar with the history and there is a ton of st......more