Book Review Continued From 30A
Smith paints each scene with such realism that you can almost hear the crack of whips on cattle drives, feel the thick, humid air, and see the sun setting over the Everglades. Tobias’s friendship with the Seminoles and freed Black settlers reveals the deep humanity and cooperation often left out of history books. These moments of shared survival are among the novel’s most moving. As the story continues through Zech and his son Solomon (“Sol”), Smith explores love, am- bition, and loss with heartbreak- ing honesty. Zech’s divided loyal- ties between his wife Glenda and his Seminole love Tawanda reflect the complexity of life in a time when race and identity were in flux. When the novel transitions to Sol’s generation, we see the toll of progress, the rise of Miami, the draining of the land, and the great Okeechobee flood that reshaped South Florida forever. Sol’s wealth and success come at a cost: the fading memory of the wild, un- spoiled Florida his grandfather once knew. A Land Remembered is truly re- markable and captivating. Even readers who aren’t naturally drawn to history will find them- selves swept up in this powerful, human story, reminding us that progress often demands sacri- fice, but the land, and the spirit
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