John Taylor’s Bookshelf
The Granville Hermit
Robert S. Foster
Synopsis: What drives a man to withdraw? What drove a quiet man named Carl L. Morse to choose a life of solitude away from people he knew and grew up with? By early adulthood Morse had experienced betrayals, leaving only a select few he could trust. Was it the heartless acts of others? Was it lost love? Was it the atrocities of WWI? What was it that altered Carl Morse’s attitude toward society and public interaction? He was known as a seer, a horse whisperer, one who could read people, who could intuit what was going to happen… And yet he retreated from all human contact, gong into the forest he loved, to the creatures he cherished, the place he felt safe, to reappear only twice a year.
Based on the real life of Carl L. Morse of Granville, Vermont, Morse’s life became folklore. He lived, he loved, he retreated, he vanished. But for those who new him — he is not forgotten.
Critique: Robert S. “Butch” Foster, the author of “The Granville Hermit” met Carl Morse as a child. He was fascinated by their encounter, feeling that he, too, shared the gift. In his novel based on a true life character, Morse has created an inherently fascinating, thoughtful and thought-provoking read — one that will linger in the mind and memory long after the book itself has been finished and set back upon the shelf. “The Granville Hermit” is particularly recommended as an addition to both community and academic library Contemporary Literary Fiction & Folklore collections.
John Taylor Reviewer