Ferrol Sams' "Run With the Horsemen" Trilogy

a book list by Peter, the avid reader who runs Flashlight Worthy

shelved under Americana and Fiction

This trilogy is little known but much beloved by anyone who reads it. It was recommended to me by a close friend and I've since recommended it to several friends. Every one of us ends up absolutely loving the books. To be fair, the first book starts out a little slow. But once you get about 50 pages in you won't stop until you're done.

Oh, what's it about? A very smart boy growing up in poor, rural Georgia during the Great Depression. Beyond that, I want you to discover it for yourself. :)

Run with the Horsemen

Run with the Horsemen

by Ferrol Sams

This book, and the second in the trilogy, tell the story of a very, very bright boy growing up on a family farm in rural Georgia during the Great Depression.

While it started a little slow — I recall questioning the book for about 50 pages — it soon picked up and then held my attention straight through for all 1,000+ pages of the trilogy. As an added bonus, it's not only one of my favorite books of all time, it's also one of the funniest books I've ever read.

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This book also appears on:

Books About Simpler Times

Mary Bentley Houk's Favorite Books

Peter Steinberg's Favorite Novels

 
 
The Whisper of the River

The Whisper of the River

by Ferrol Sams

Val says:

The middle book of the Porter Osborne, Jr. trilogy. All 3 of these books are wonderful.

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When All the World Was Young

When All the World Was Young

by Ferrol Sams

Kim Laird from Lansing, MI says:

Wonderful memoir of a time and period in history that most of us know little about. The author grew up between the two world wars, in the South. I love his stories because they're told with great good humor, simplicity, and also great love for the people who made up his life.

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If you've read this far, I should let you know that in my opinion, the 3rd book is not quite as... compelling as the first two.

It's not that it's not well written. On it's own, it's a truly excellent book. But when compared to the first two, it falls just a wee bit short. Why? It's not that the quality of the writing declines — I think it's because the subject matter changes and with it, the tone.

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