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A review by dreesreads
Honey in the Horn by H.L. Davis
3.0
This book won the Pulitzer just 4 years before Grapes of Wrath (1936/1940). Which is really kind of amazing, as these books have a lot in common—they look at migrations of people and what led them there. Obviously Grapes of Wrath looks at a much larger migration in a different time and place and a much worse human-induced climatic catastrophe. But though this book is dated (esp when discussing the various Indian tribes—though Davis does go into detail about who is who, there are not just "Indians"), Davis does have some opinions about speculators (from town site sellers to work crew leaders), gossipy families, unsatisfiable settlers, etc etc.
While the focus of this book is Clay Calvert, an orphan who grew up on a farm that took in a fair number of orphans, the story is really about Oregon. It is about a semi-settled country and those trying to get rich on what is left. You meet orphans, Indians of various tribes and upbringings, settlers of varying competencies, an outlaw, a horse trader, itinerant workers, land speculators, and settlers who cannot quite be happy so keep moving looking for something better. Of course, this takes place 1904-1906—the best land has been taken and used for decades, and what is left is borderline.
I can see why this won the Pultizer when it did. It is about the generation that saw Oregon go from frontier to settled and American, though not everyone was quite ready for that. He actively mocks many of the sorts of settlers you learn about in history classes—land speculators that want to sell lots and get out before the town never gets built; gossipy families who can't quite manage to be successful as quick as they want, so the keep moving and never achieve that success; workgang "bosses" preying on immigrants adnd the not-so-bright.
Definitely an interesting read, the second half is stronger than the first.
While the focus of this book is Clay Calvert, an orphan who grew up on a farm that took in a fair number of orphans, the story is really about Oregon. It is about a semi-settled country and those trying to get rich on what is left. You meet orphans, Indians of various tribes and upbringings, settlers of varying competencies, an outlaw, a horse trader, itinerant workers, land speculators, and settlers who cannot quite be happy so keep moving looking for something better. Of course, this takes place 1904-1906—the best land has been taken and used for decades, and what is left is borderline.
I can see why this won the Pultizer when it did. It is about the generation that saw Oregon go from frontier to settled and American, though not everyone was quite ready for that. He actively mocks many of the sorts of settlers you learn about in history classes—land speculators that want to sell lots and get out before the town never gets built; gossipy families who can't quite manage to be successful as quick as they want, so the keep moving and never achieve that success; workgang "bosses" preying on immigrants adnd the not-so-bright.
Definitely an interesting read, the second half is stronger than the first.