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A Little Bit of Heaven:
Nestled on a hilltop in the Great Smoky Mountains is a refuge where life moves at the pace of the creeks, the rains, and the famous smoky blue haze. It is a land of woods and meadows, wildflowers and wild animals, and people whose way of life retains much of bygone days. Purchase Knob is a collection of writing by Kathryn McNeil inspired by thirty years of summers spent at her Appalachian home, Purchase Knob, named after the mountain that's framed in the author's picture window. Here in a temperate rain forest lies a land of incredible biodiversity and beauty where McNeil has spent her summers keenly observing her surroundings: wildflowers, weather, chestnut forests, and animals small--Bob White--and large--bear! McNeil also introduces us to a collection of unforgettable people, rugged locals like Leitha and Ernest, who through the years helped Kathryn cope with the chores of mountain life; their son Amos, a teller of tales, drinker of beer, a charmer of women; neighbors Jake Sutton, who marks his territory with dead automobiles, and Jamie Sutton, who works at the sawmill between extended visits to prison. In Purchase Knob, most of all, we get to know Kathryn McNeil herself, through her voice and her love for the place she lives each summer. She speaks clearly to her neighbors, and her book speaks clearly to its readers. She is honest about her emotions, and about her gratitude for the constancy of her mountain place. She and her former husband discovered this spot in 1964, and they built their house there. Although that marriage didn't last, Kathryn McNeil's love affair with the home did, and she has been returning to it ever since. As her friend Amos told her, "Just you sit on that porch of yours and look at the mountains. They never change, not like people. You can always trust them. Oh, they may hide once in a while, get clouded up, but they always come back out. It's like finding old friends again." The Purchase Knob property is due to be donated to the National Park Service and become part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the year 2000. |
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About the author Kathryn McNeil is a writer who lives in San Francisco and spends her summers in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. |
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Purchase Knob 80 pages, paperback, $8.00 For ordering information, click here or phone (800) 662-8351 |