The Hornet's Nest

In his ambitious and deeply rewarding novel, Jimmy Carter brings to life the Revolutionary War as it was fought in the Deep South. It was a struggle of both great and small battles and of brutality, often with brother against brother and neighbor against neighbor. The Hornet's Nest follows an intriguing cast of characters on both sides of this conflict. At the heart of the story is Ethan Pratt, who in 1766 moves with his wife, Epsey, from Philadelphia to North Carolina and then to Georgia in 1771, in the company of Quakers. As the eight-year war develops, Ethan and his neighbor Kindred find themselves in life-and-death combat with opposing forces. With its moving love story, vivid action, and the suspense of a war fought with increasing ferocity and stealth, The Hornet's Nest is historical fiction at its best, in the tradition of such major classics as The Last of the Mohicans.