"A hundred years ain't such a very long time on the Eastern Shore,"
local farmers and watermen used to say, and that is a telling refrain.
Past and present mix easily on the Shore, and, in this respect, as well
as in certain local customs and habits of language, the region is very
much still an old-fashioned English society. Until fairly recently, the
peninsula was one of the most geographically isolated regions on the
Atlantic coast. In this isolated society, the most important factors
have been agriculture, seafaring, and race--a blend of soil, sea, and
soul. In his attempt to convey the special character of the
region--before accelerating change affects its transformation--John
Wennersten has used these themes as a framework for an absorbing
narrative. His insights into how these elements affected the development
of the area and its current character take the story of the Eastern
Shore beyond mere facts and into the realm of socio-cultural history.
This is a fascinating overview of an unusual--and perhaps
vanishing--lifestyle.