Cross Creek

Book Description

Originally published in 1942, Cross Creek has become a classic in modern American literature. For the millions of readers raised on The Yearling, here is the story of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings's experiences in the remote Florida hamlet of Cross Creek, where she lived for thirteen years. From the daily labors of managing a seventy-two-acre orange grove to bouts with runaway pigs and a succession of unruly farmhands, Rawlings describes her life at the Creek with humor and spirit. Her tireless determination to overcome the challenges of her adopted home in the Florida backcountry, her deep-rooted love of the earth, and her genius for character and description result in a most delightful and heartwarming memoir.

Customer Reviews:

A walk through old rural FL.......2007-05-12

Cross Creek is a series of entertaining if perhaps embellished anecdotes relating to Florida in the years preceding World War II told from the perspective of a educated emigré from the North. Some of the language, which was typical of the times, would no longer be considered politically correct and might be offensive to some. The book, however is totally delightful and gives some insight into life in rural Florida at the time. An excellent companion read is Tom Glisson's The Creek, which gives a native's view of the same time and area. Both books are a must read if you live or are interested in North Central FL.

A Classic of Regional Writing.......2006-11-16

Rawlings explores the lives and interations of the odd assortment of people living in Cross Creek, Florida in the early 1900s. It is often assigned reading for teens, but I doubt that most of them can appreciate it. Her accounts of neighbors feuding and subsistance living gives us many lessons in human behavior.
The lyrical descriptions of wildlife and the orange groves and wild landscape are very appealing. Your mouth waters as you read her essays on downhome foods like hush puppies. She turned those into a cookbook which I'll have to try out.
Modern readers squirm uncomfortably at her use of the N----- word and her characterization of blacks as irresponsible, drunken, immoral, etc. It is probably a faithful representation of common thinking at the time it was written, so recognize it as a snapshot of the times. Then move past that to luxuriate in the beautiful passages in the book. (I deducted 1 star for this)
The reader becomes absorbed in Rawlings' love of the land and the creation of a home. It gives much the same feelings as A Year in Provence or Under a Tuscan Sun.

OFTEN OVERLOOKED WORK.......2006-08-20

I have been familiar with this work for a number of years and have been rather saddened that more attention has not been paid to it. Yes, they did a sort of TV movie some years ago, but while pleasant, it certainly did not do justice to this particular work by Rawlings. As other reviewers have pointed out, this is a rather autobiographical story of one womans struggle at a time when struggling was common, particularly for women. I personally perfer this work over the Yearling, as I simply feel it is better written and far more insightful. This work gives the reader a glance at what this country was like earlier in the last century, both good and the bad. The author does have way with humor and is able to laugh at herself, something that is always refreshing. For a pure joy and a wonderful read, I would recommend this one highly.

A woman for all seasons.......2006-03-18

`Cross Creek' is an extraordinary book written by a woman with the keen ability and insight to draw out the poetic from the mundane. An educated cosmopolitanite from the northeast, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings plunged into the rustic life of cracker Florida with a ferocity belying her Leo sun sign. She longed for the farm life, which ran deeper in her veins than did the comforts of urban living. A Pulitzer Prize writer, a naturalist, and gourmet cook, Marjorie was also handy with a shotgun as a person or two found out who mistook her gender for a sign of weakness. Marjorie was a great observer and devotee of nature which she expressed with a resonance that lingers on the heart. She animated the inanimate and bestowed upon the humblest of Florida's creatures, personality. 'Cross Creek' has reached out to me from the deep past to quicken my present experience of living in Florida. I find myself looking expectantly for personality in the natural world. The evidence already exists in 'Cross Creek'. I wish that I had known Marjorie. She died the year I was born.

intriguing look into the life of Marjorie Rawlings.......2005-12-03

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Yearling) moves into a cabin in Cross Creek and tells of her life in this tiny community in central Florida around the 1930's.
She makes the change from life in a big city to a life that is simple and yet demanding, quiet yet open to all and full of new,unimagined challenges and conquests.
She uses language of the time. While it would not be considered politically correct, the language does bring the realities of life in rustic Cross Creek into a clearer more tangible experience, abundantly filled with the feel, the taste, and the scents of life in the backcountry.
Her education in the flora and fauna, her tribulations with hired hands, her understanding of those around her are all so vividly told that you feel as if you could have been there watching it all take place before your very eyes.
The insight into the mind and heart of Marjorie Rawlings was both intimate and detached at times. Sometimes she was a delicate piece of the "machinery" driving this backcountry haven and at other times she seemed to feel as if she were but an observer, an outsider, merely watching from a well placed vantage point. This is an intriguing look into the life, the heart and the soul of this beloved classic author.

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Rawlings Humor and Recipes
Much more than a cookbook
A Must For Any Rawlings Fan, Cook or Not!
Fantastic recipes of Southern cooking
MKR "took more pride in her cooking than in her writing"

Cross Creek Cookery
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
Manufacturer: Fireside
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

Cooking for One | Quick & Easy | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0684818787

Book Description

The Classic Book on Southern Cooking

First published in 1942, Cross Creek Cookery was compiled by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings at the request of readers who wanted to recreate the luscious meals described in Cross Creek -- her famous memoir of life in a Florida hamlet.

Lovers of old-fashioned, down-home cooking will treasure the recipes for Grits, Hush-Puppies, Florida Fried Fish, Orange Fluff, and Utterly Deadly Southern Pecan Pie. For more adventuresome palates, there are such unusual dishes as Minorcan Gopher Stew, Coot Surprise, Alligator-Tail Steak, Mayhaw Jelly, and Chef Huston's Cream of Peanut Soup.

Spiced with delightful anecdotes and lore, Cross Creek Cookery guides the reader through the rich culinary heritage of the deep tidal South with a loving regard for the rituals of cooking and eating. Anyone who longs for food -- and writing -- that warms the heart will find ample portions of both in this classic cookbook.

Customer Reviews:

Rawlings Humor and Recipes.......2005-08-24

A great read... both for the recipes and for a large dose of Marjorie Rawlings' folksy humor. Loved it from cover to cover.

Much more than a cookbook.......2005-08-23

A big fan of MKR, I stumbled over this little book at a booksale several years ago----it's paperback and coming apart from use, and the pure pleasure of reading Ms. Rawlings' commentary and recollections of living at Cross Creek. Her biscuit and hoe-cake recipes are worth the price, as they evoked memories of my grandmothers kitchen where it wasn't a meal without fresh, hot bread.
Highly recommended---even if you're not a cook!

A Must For Any Rawlings Fan, Cook or Not!.......2000-12-11

I've been a fan of Rawlings since I first read her as a teenager. Reading her biography many years ago, I learned of her pride in her cooking. I didn't even know she'd issued a cookbook until I came across this edition!

Upon reading the book I was immediately reminded of the "Alice B. Toklas" cookbook. The structure and literary emphasis are much the same. Thus, for the same reason, it's a joy to read even if one doesn't cook!

However, like "Toklas", the recipes are also a treasure. Many of the recipes contain ingredients too exotic for the average cook, but many more are easily prepared. This can also be a pleasurable and valuable resource for those, like me, who enjoy reading and preparing recipes from old cookbooks. Our eating styles have changed enormously in the nearly sixty years since Rawlings wrote this book.

If you are a fan of Rawlings, buy the book whether you ever plan to cook any of its recipes. Its reasonable cost is a further bonus!

Fantastic recipes of Southern cooking.......1999-05-09

As the other reviewer has mentioned, this is a collection of recipes, filled with anecdotes of central Florida life in the 1930s and 1940s. The recipes are fantastic and one wants to try all of them (although it may be difficult to prepare alligator-tail steak). And, what a pleasure it is to read a cookbook written by an accomplished author. You just keep picking it up.

MKR "took more pride in her cooking than in her writing".......1997-08-01

It is evident from her cookbook that Marjorie tasted of nearly everything and learned to make delicious dishes out of some very odd things: Poke Weed (on toast), Pot Roast of Bear, Smother-Fried Squirrel, Gopher Stew, Coot Surprise, Jugged Rabbit, a host of Pilaus, and an infamous blackbird pie. Of course this book is not simply a culinary freak-show. There are dozens of recipes for desserts, seafood, meats-found-at-the-A&P, jams, and soups, featuring ingredients of which we are all familiar and unafraid. She was proud to share them and claimed each recipe was nothing short of first-rate. Included among these is her piece de resistance, Crab A La Newburg, and the best Strawberry Shortcake ever. Accompanied by anecdotes of Florida rural living in the 1930s and 1940s, this book is a delight and an excursion from a mundane kitchen

The Cross Country Quilters: An Elm Creek Quilts Novel

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The Cross-Country Quilters
Extension of fun and expansion of characters
A very womanly focus, on woman's life in various aspects
Awesome book!
terrific

The Cross Country Quilters: An Elm Creek Quilts Novel
Jennifer Chiaverini
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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Friendship | Women's Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0743202570

Book Description

These five women arrive at Elm Creek Manor hoping to find in their quilt lessons an escape from the problems they left at home. Julia, an aging starlet, has pinned her hopes to a plum role in a historical epic whose director is under the mistaken impression that Julia already knows how to quilt. Megan is a successful engineer who has won prizes for her miniature quilt designs. The one challenge she has yet to master is single motherhood. Donna, a mother of two, must hasten to teach her daughter independence and self-esteem -- lessons she, too, must take to heart. Grace is a renowned curator of antique quilts, whose creative flair is waning for reasons she is unwilling to reveal -- even to her closest friends. Vinnie, the senior member of the group, is a sunny soul with a tragic past. Her overwhelming desire is to bring happiness into the lives of those she loves.

Although the Cross-Country Quilters share a common creative goal, as the year goes by their bonds are tested by the demands of daily life. But despite differences in age, race, and background, the friends' love for quilting and affection for one another unite them in a patchwork of caring and acceptance. The quilt they make reminds them of an everlasting truth -- friends may be separated by great distance, yet the strength of their bond can transcend any obstacle.

Download Description

Readers of The Quilter's Apprentice and Round Robin have been enchanted by Elm Creek Quilt Camp, where women gather each year for quilting, friendship, and fun. The third in the Elm Creek Quilts series introduces the "Cross Country Quilters", a group of farflung friends who pledge to complete a "challenge quilt" -- symbolic of each woman's personal goals -- before they meet again in one year's time. The five women who arrive at Elm Creek Manor hope to find in their quilt lessons escape from the problems they left at home. As the year goes by, their bonds are tested, but despite differences in age, race, and background, the friends' love for quilting and affection for one another bind them together in a patchwork of caring and acceptance. Eventually they learn the serendipity of their choice. Earlene Fowler, author of Mariner's Compass and Seven Sisters, has described the Elm Creek Quilts series as "full of homespun wisdom and the joys and sorrows shared by women everywhere". The Cross Country Quilters builds on these themes, as its heroines discover, as true friends must, how to stitch the pieces of their lives into a unified whole.

Customer Reviews:

The Cross-Country Quilters.......2007-02-13

This book was very good. I liked they way the quilting was weaved into the lives of the characters. The characters seemed so real. I enjoyed it immensely. It has helped me get motivated to get more of my projects done. I plan on reading more books by this author.

Extension of fun and expansion of characters.......2007-01-12

The third book in the series that adds to the characters of the Elm Creek Quilter's story. It draws one into the group of quilters as their personal stories are expanded. This book leaves you wanting to know more about your new friends!

A very womanly focus, on woman's life in various aspects.......2006-05-23

Chiaverini has moved away in this novel, from a focus on the women at Elm Creek Quilts, to some of the women who visit the camp each summer. A group whose problems unite them in a loose way, they come together at the camp and form the cross-country Quilters. After their week at quilt camp they share a peice of fabric. It is going to be made into a quilt, but they are not allowed to make it into a square until they have solved the problems which have caused them to 'escape' so to speak. They decide they will keep in touch during the year and support one another where they can.

There is some background provided to some of the women, Vinnie, the oldest member of the group, and participant in Elm Creek Quilts, then there is Megan, Donna, and Julia (a movie star.) Each have their own secrets and their own way of trying to cope - from a life of a betrayal by an ex-husband, to a daughter trapped in an increasingly controlled and abusive relationship - and a little surrealistically - a movie star who comes to quilt camp to learn how to quilt, only to find the gentle story of pioneer woman's struggles turned into an action flick called Prairie Vengeance.

There are some genuinely good moments in these and the women's problems are generally simple, straightforward issues. They do not have unrealistic lives - their needs and support are easy to relate to. What I find hard, at times, is the quick resolve which seems to happen, or perhaps it would be truer to say the almost unseemly segue to a finish. So Julia the movie star walks out of the movie but suddenly finds that she will be a star anyway in an all too-easy conclusion. Megan suddenly is getting married and Donna's daughter is hauled out of the relationship but does not pine to go back.

Now some of this grates on me a bit, on the other hand I do like reading about small things in women's lives, the very minor problems (well they are generally) and the focus on a quilt which in the end the group comes together at Elm Creek to piece together. And that is lovely. A lovely way to finish things.

Awesome book!.......2006-05-09

This is a great book about a diverse group of women that meet each other at a quilters camp and continue their friendship after they leave. Each lives a different life with their own problems they are trying to resolve. Quilting is their common ground which brings them together and helps to continue their friendship! A great book to read!

terrific.......2005-08-09

Author is a good story teller who knows quilting and quilters. I couldn't put the book down and must read all the others in the series.

Average customer rating:

Cross Creek

Manufacturer: Scribners
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: B000GU9HQ2

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A Look at Old Florida
Better Than Cross Creek.
The real Florida
Memories of Real Florida
Cross Creek Culture

The Creek
J. T. Glisson
Manufacturer: University Press of Florida
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0813011841

Customer Reviews:

A Look at Old Florida.......2007-05-12

The Creek is a delightful look at rural FL in the years prior to and shortly after World War II. If you have already read Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings' Cross Creek, The Creek will provide additional information and entertainment, as well as give you the added perspective of a native whose family and father in particular were featured prominently in Cross Creek the book. I found the book thoroughly entertaining and a worthwhile read. It along with Cross Creek is a must read for anyone with an interest in North Central FL.

Better Than Cross Creek........2006-08-21

No one on the planet is a bigger Rawlings fan than me. But THE CREEK is better reading than CROSS CREEK. And the writing is a wee bit better than Rawlings. This book is going in my Floridiana collection.

The real Florida.......2005-12-28

If you want to know what Florida was like until just a few years ago this is the book. Great reading and stories about real people and places. Although Cross Creek has not changed a lot it is just a matter of time. This book is one of the last ways to see the original Florida and the people who settled there before the modern roads and air conditioners.

Memories of Real Florida.......2005-09-14

For those of us old enough to remember the South before theme parks, interstates, and air conditioning this book revives many wonderful and a few not so wonderful memories. J.T. Glisson brings that period of Florida history alive with his vivid descriptions and wonderful stories. Very well written with the distinctive outlook and perspective of a true Florida Cracker. Enjoyed every page of this very entertaining book.

Cross Creek Culture.......2005-06-21

J. T. Glisson grew up next door to Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings in this small central Florida community. This book of stories from his childhood provides a great context for learning about Cross Creek, and fans of M. K. Rawlings will find lots of insight into her place in the community. Glisson, himself, is a fine writer. He has great insights into life in Cross Creek, and his commentary provides a good understanding of some of the contemporary values and mores that continue to shape Florida's culture. There are also some interesting subtexts in the book. For example, Glisson affectionately gives the scoop on Rawlings. He modestly provides some specific references to himself in her writing, but after reading this work, I'm convinced that the character Jody in _The Yearling_ is modeled to a great degree after Glisson. He is also very funny. More than a few of the stories had me laughing outloud.

Hope-Life-Love (Counted Cross Stitch) (Stoney Creek Collection, Book 94)

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Hope-Life-Love (Counted Cross Stitch) (Stoney Creek Collection, Book 94)
Tony and Marilyn Vredevelt
Manufacturer: Leisure Arts
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000JGRRYC

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Cross Creek Cookery
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
Manufacturer: Charles Scribner's Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Cross Creek Cookery

ASIN: B000E191NW

Product Description

Cookbook of Old Southern dishes.

Idella Parker: From Reddick to Cross Creek

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Idella Parker: From Reddick to Cross Creek
Idella Parker , Bud Crussell , and Liz Crussell
Manufacturer: University Press of Florida
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

African-American & Black | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0813017068

Invasion of Privacy: The Cross Creek Trial of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

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Invasion of Privacy: The Cross Creek Trial of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
Patricia Nassif Acton
Manufacturer: University Press of Florida
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Authors | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0813009065

Betrayal at Cross Creek (American Girl History Mysteries)

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Gripping
Unpredictable and Exciting Yet Informative!

Betrayal at Cross Creek (American Girl History Mysteries)
Kathleen Ernst
Manufacturer: American Girl
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1584858788

Customer Reviews:

Gripping .......2005-02-06

This is another in the History Mystery series from American Girl, in which a young American girl is confronted by a mystery that will tax her resolve and her ability. This is the story of Elspeth Monro, whose family fled from the wars and troubles of Scotland, only to find themselves caught up in the American Revolution. Someone is trying to force her grandfather to declare himself for the Patriots, someone who knows all about the family's comings and goings, but who? Also, Elspeth's grandmother has a great grudge against a newcomer to the community, is this man her family's enemy? There's more going on here than meets the eye, and Elspeth will need all of her courage and determination to see this thing through.

The final chapter is a bit of a bonus, a look at the experiences of the Scottish immigrants during the American Revolution. My thirteen-year-old daughter has been a fan of the American Girls books for years, and I was quite glad when this one fell into our hands. The story is quite gripping, and keeps you at the edge of your seat. Also, the mystery is handled expertly, and the ending is quite a surprise.

My one and only complaint is that this book does not contain the nice illustrations that we had come to expect with the American Girls stories. It would have been nice to see what the people in the story looked like. But, that said, the story is excellent, and will keep you reading, unable to put the book down. My daughter and I both highly recommend this book to you!

Unpredictable and Exciting Yet Informative!.......2004-05-28

Intriguing historical information and an exciting mystery all rolled together into a fabulous book -- the name of the series says it all -- History Mysteries. This latest installment in one of my favorite series is no different. Betrayal at Cross Creek is the story of Elspeth Monro's, a Scottish immigrant to North Carolina at the start of the American Revolution, search for the person threatening her family. The thrilling adventure will keep readers fascinated until the surprising conclusion.
The story starts when Elspeth, her Grandda, and her American friend Mercy are frightened by Patriots trying to convince Grandda to join the Patriots. Elspeth and her family are threatened repeatedly after this. Grandda is undecided about which side to join, and Grannie, remembering the horrors of The '45, a war Scotland lost against England many years ago, is against the war altogether, and doubts the wisdom of fighting the powerful British army a second time. Elspeth begins to only feel at ease when she is at her weaving apprenticeship to Mercy's mother, Mistress Blair. But when she suspects Mr. Blair of betraying her family to the Patriots, along with Tall Tam MacRacken, who she's heard mysterious tales about, she thinks nothing could be worse.
However, the situation does get worse -- much worse. Elspeth's cousins, Duncan and Robbie, run away to join the Loyalist army and Grandda enlists too to protect them. Now Elspeth has to protect her grandmother and aunt. Can she keep her family strong and solve the mystery of their betrayal to the Patriots, too?
This book was a wonderful way to learn about a less-covered side of the American Revolution -- the role of the new immigrants who weren't on either side. I learned a lot, and enjoyed a great story at the same time. The plot was unpredictable and exciting.

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