I really, really liked this one. I grabbed it off the shelf at Bennett Martin on a whim yesterday, and I literally couldn't put it down. I've had a fascination with pioneer women for as long as I can remember, and this book definitely fed that fascination. It told the story of the Nebraska prairie through five generations of women through letters, journals, and plain, old oral history. At the the conclusion of each woman's story, I wanted more--especially the first, Abigail, who lived near the meadow in the 1860s. I also enjoyed the women's names: Abigail, Rebecca, Anna, Sarah, and Hope. Holding up the Earth begins and ends with Hope's story. Hope is 6 years old when she and her mother are involved in an accident, and Hope survives and her mother does not. What follows for Hope is a series of foster homes. Her current foster mother, Sarah, takes her to spend the summer on the farm where Sarah grew up. The novel then explores the stories of other young women who lived on this same piece of land. As the reader learns about Abby, Rachel, Anna, and Sarah, Hope learns about herself. This is a wonderful character-driven novel.
What do You think about Holding Up The Earth (2000)?
this book really reaches out and touches your heart in all the right places to make you cry!!!
—Zay123
Very nice story that links several women to the days of settling on the plains in Nebraska.
—babafuller
Mmm...it was okay the first time. But I have no desire to read it again.
—ieliasdottir
It was a very sad book.I loved the nice ending.
—abhi
