Shepherd of the Hills by Harold Bell Wright
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Summary:
Prior to his artistic and writing career, Harold Bell Wright served as a minister. In The Shepherd of the Hills he writes about a man who comes from the world of cities to the beautiful Ozark hill country. Among the people of the district, with their simple, direct ideals and way of life, he finds the peaceful atmosphere he craves, while his more intellectual philosophy and character come to be valuable elements in the lives of his new friends. From his relationship with Sammy Lane and the Matthews family arise in dramatic fashion the gripping situations and thrilling incidents that bring him into a peculiarly intimate connection with these people, their country, and their simple life.
My review:
The first time I read this book I was about 9 years old. It sat, along with several other Harold Bell Wright books, on my dad’s bookshelf. I can still feel the old cover if I close my eyes and imagine it. So it’s safe to say there’s a lot of memories held within this books pages.
I remember shortly after I read it my family took a trip to the Ozarks in Missouri. It’s pretty famous there and there is even a life showing held out doors. As I re-read the story over the last few days I found myself recalling bits and pieces of seeing it there, live on the stage.
Wright does such a fantastic job of describing his characters. From the young giant, Grant Matthews (Young Matt) to the beautiful Sammy Lane. Every character has a unique feel to him or her and.. well there just aren’t words to describe how much I enjoyed re-acquainting myself with them.
If you are a nature lover, you would love this book. If you love good, solid stories dealing with life, love, death, heartache and a return to faith, you would love this book. And even though the book is somewhat dated its principles still apply to today. This book is one of my favorites and I’m just sad I haven’t made time to revisit it sooner.
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