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Jim Gulledge earned an AB in Christian education from Pfeiffer University, an MA in English from Clemson University, and a DMin in theological studies from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He has participated in the Adult Development Institute at Harvard University, the Fulbright German Administrators Exchange Program, and the C. S Lewis Summer Residence program in Oxford, England. Gulledge is the author of A Poor Man’s Supper, a novella included in the North Carolina Collection at UNC-Chapel Hill and the W. L. Eury Appalachian Collection at Appalachian State University. A resident of Southern Pines, North Carolina, Jim and his wife, Linda, enjoy visiting with their four children and son-in-law and daily life with their miniature schnauzer, Luka.
Reviewed by Nino Lobiladze for Readers' Favorite
Green Forest, Red Earth, Blue Sea by Jim Gulledge will appeal to mature fans of drama, Southern, and literary fiction. The book has three interconnected parts set in various areas of North Carolina at different times. In the post-Civil War Saluda, Josiah Buckland meets the beautiful Vancie Keller and falls in love with her. Vancie gets pregnant, but her strict mother, Lois, forces her to marry the wealthy and cruel Jagger Hill. Vancie treasures a gold pocket watch she got from Josiah and hopes that her beloved son, James, will find his father one day. Paul Elliott returns from the Great War to tend his family farm in the Piedmont. Paul brings with him a man who saved his life but got wounded and lost his memory. Paul works hard and tries to protect his family from a powerful enemy. A teenager named Tristan McClure finds a golden coin near the coastal town of Beaufort. His uncle, Marcus, starts a treasure hunt, putting their lives in danger.
Jim Gulledge's Green Forest, Red Earth, Blue Sea will haunt readers long after they turn the last page. The author's vivid descriptions and captivating writing style transform the beautifully diverse North Carolina into a battlefield for good and evil. Love and lust, kindness and brutality, loyalty and betrayal fight within human hearts, and readers have a unique opportunity to follow these dramatic battles. Strong Christian faith gives hope to those who are desperate, and the ancestors guard them during the darkest hours. There is a strong element of magical realism without which this incredible tale wouldn't be complete. A great storyteller, Gulledge creates fascinating characters. He opposes the immorality of Jagger Hill and Dred Mabry with the noble intentions of Sam West, reminding readers that wealth and power corrupt some but uplift others. All three parts are mesmerizing, yet Tristan's story is the most touching and offers a thought-provoking twist at the end. I hope for more of this riveting saga.
