North of Nelson: Volume 1

Stories of Michigan's Upper Peninsula

De: Hilton Everett Moore

Narrado por: Rory Young

North of Nelson presents six gripping short stories set in the wilderness of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan that will hold the listener spellbound as the various protagonists live, and sometimes perish, in this often harsh and rugged land. The mythical village of Nelson frames the life and plights of the various actors as they plunge headlong physically, psychologically, and metaphorically into the treacherous waters of the Sturgeon River Country, where humans live precariously on the edge of a knife, and every mistake could be fatal.

While this work is entirely fiction—it easily spans over a century—the tales dig at, and lay bare, a slice of Americana, a neglected culture, which is rapidly atrophying in rural areas—not only across the Upper Peninsula, but in much of the rural north.

In the opening story, "The Irascible Pedagogue", set in the later part of the 19th century, the lonely and maddened heart of the village pedagogue, Horace Nelson, ends regrettably as jealously invades his troubled mind causing unpredictable mayhem and murder. In the second and award-winning short story, "The Silent Mistress", Lizzie must endure not only the poverty and destitution of the Great Depression but also the inexorable decline of her husband's life as he wastes away from the ravages of alcoholism. Other memorable stories in North of Nelson: Volume 1 will not only entertain but challenge the listener to examine the guts and sinew of a rare and vanishing culture—the great Upper Peninsula.

©2022 Hilton Everett Moore (P)2023 Hilton Everett Moore

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Moore's stories are reminiscent of Wendell Berry and Ron Rash where geography plays an important role not only in linking the stories but also serving as another character. While the location is distinctly the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, it transcends to other locations such as southern Ohio, eastern Kentucky, Appalachia, the Ozarks, or many other tight-knit rural areas where family is paramount. The central theme of relationships draws the characters not only to each other but to the place they call home. Moore reveals the same affinity to the Upper Peninsula that he allows his characters to feel." (Robert Boldrey, MA in English, professor, North Central Michigan College)

"These six stories reminds me of the early Joyce in Dubliners. Each is a careful analysis of deep and painful emotion generated by crime or illness or simply the remote ruggedness of Upper Michigan. I think a genuine U.P. literature needs this sort of work and am glad to see it." (Dr. Donald M. Hassler, professor of English, Emeritus, Kent State University; former executive, extrapolation advisor, International Authors Publisher)