St Simons Trilogy- Eugenia Price

Right at the end of our quick-trip Charleston sojourn I finished the last book in the St. Simon’s trilogy by Eugenia Price. This series of historical novels begin at the time of the American colonies and continue through the American Civil War and beyond. The first book, Lighthouse, was discussed in an earlier post.

Books 2, New Moon Rising, and 3, Beloved Invader, continue the saga of the Gould family on St. Simon’s Island in Georgia. It is with the last book that I began to fully appreciate that these books were stories about real people and real times in history.

Although these books are not full of thrill seeking episodes or scenes of passion and want, the “quiet” tone of these stories are compelling--- mostly because as you read about the descendants of James Gould, the patriarch of this southern, plantation-owning  family, you want things to go well for them simply because they do have to overcome so many obstacles. New Moon Rising is about the Gould family's fortunes through the Civil War. The story is not complicated, yet in the simplicity of the telling, readers will experience life of a complicated family living in complex , history-changing times. The Beloved Invader is the last book in this series and focuses on the influence of Northern Yankee money in reconstructing the South. The conflict in this book is on how the St Simins Islanders adjust to their new post-war existence.

The early 1800s were different—people had less access to outside information, lived more remotely, and depended on visitors passing through the area to bring them news from far-away places. Towns and villages were smaller, and so getting along with one’s neighbors was really important. Even small tidbits of family life fueled the rumor mill, and so prominent families lived in a fish-bowl of sorts.

The end of this trilogy is so satisfying because we learn that a real-life heroine, Anna Gould Dodge, known as a plain-Jane young woman, met a charismatic man who transformed her life, gave her a child whom she lost prematurely, and then suffered the loss of her husband at an early age. This plain-Jane young woman ultimately became the founder of a boys home which continued to exist for many years.

The St Simons trilogy presents life on this southern island as it existed before it became a resort area—reading these historical novels will transport you into another age and time—a perfect escape from the modern, wired world!

Lighthouse by Eugenia Price

Lighthouse by Eugenia Price is a book written in the 1960s about the deep South before it became the deep South. It is the story of James Gould, a young man from Massachussetts in the late 1700's who needed to go away from home to make a name for himself. Like most stories, the hero finds trouble, overcomes obstacles, finds love and then life seems perfect, only to lose everything due to circumstances, rebuilds his life, and so on. This is classified as a historical novel because Eugenia Price, dentist turned writer, has based this story on real people who lived in the times she describes.

I was in the mood for a book about the South, because we're headed to a few days in South Carolina, and this book seemed to fit the bill...somewhat. When I said it was written in the 1960's that was an important notation, because Price has created a very strong Negro dialect in the story that diminishes her writing talent. The story itself is basic, and somewhat disappointing but then in an epilogue Price herself writes that although this is the first book in the St. Simons trilogy, it was also the last book written in the trilogy. The ending seems awkward and clearly sets the stage for book two. So now on to Beloved Invader, book two in the St. Simons trilogy.