Reviews for Into the Sound Country: A Carolinian's Coastal Plain

The average rating for Into the Sound Country: A Carolinian's Coastal Plain based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2014-12-17 00:00:00 Joseph Cortina Into the Sound Country: A Carolinian's Coastal Plain by Bland Simpson and Ann Cary Simpson (University of North Carolina Press 1997) (975+/-). This is a fantastic read for those who love the coast. It's a special bonus for those who specifically love the beaches of North Carolina above all others. Although I am a Tennesseean, both sides of my family hail from eastern North Carolina. My father's family and my mother's family have been settled in North Carolina for close to two hundred years in small towns about a hundred miles apart. Both of these towns are mentioned over and over in this book and are each featured prominently in separate chapters. It quickly becomes clear to the reader that the authors adore the "Down East" portion of the state. (Please permit me an aside: The author refers on numerous occasions to the distinctive accent of those who live on the coast in or near the Outer Banks; he uses the nickname which is often applied by the natives themselves: "Hoigh-Toiders," or "High Tiders." This closest phonetical pronounciation for this is "Hoy Toy-durs;" to imagine how the Bankers pronounce this, think of the accent you heard in any pirate movie you ever saw. That's the accent precisely!) Another bonus gleaned from this reading is the fact that the author is one of the Red Clay Ramblers, a regionally popular bluegrass band. I loved this book and can't wait to pass it on to my relatives. My rating: 8/10, finished 12/16/14.

Review # 2 was written on 2019-03-19 00:00:00 Zachary Ares Nora Percival began her life as a pampered, well-loved child in Samara, Russia, on the banks of the Volga River. Her father was a businessman, her mother a talented pianist. Her early years were fun and happy, and Nora was a bubbly, curious child. Soon, though, upheaval overtook her life with the advent of the Russian Revolution. Nora's father, targeted by the Communist regime, escaped to America, leaving behind Nora and her mother, a woman in fragile health who suffered from depression. The two were forced to move in with Nora's grandparents, aunts, uncle, and cousins in a small apartment, where food and heat were scarce. Everyone, from the wealthy to the poorest, suffered during this time. Starvation was rampant and Nora's family became alarmed when first small domestic animals disappeared, then small children. Nora's father finally managed to get funds to the family, and eventually Nora and her mother sailed to America. But Nora's mother's homesickness sent them back across the ocean, only as far as England, where Nora's mother was hospitalized and Nora ended up first in a work house, then in a hostel for transmigrates, where she anxiously awaited word from her father and longed to be back in America. What an interesting, wonderful story. Nora is a prodigious child who learns to read at an early age and teaches herself English. Her effervescent personality shines throughout the book, and one feels sorrow for such a young girl forced to live in horrific depravity, while taking on adult responsibilities and caring for her mother, whose depression never lessens. Percival excels at drawing the reader into her story with rich descriptives and prolific insight enmeshed within a period of history that is as fascinating as it is tragic. Historic buffs will appreciate a first-hand look at the events leading up to the Russian Revolution as well as those during and after. Excellent book. Highly recommended.