Lost Plantations of the South

By: Marc R. Matrana

Narrated by: John Burlinson

The great majority of the South's plantation homes have been destroyed over time, and many have long been forgotten. In Lost Plantations of the South, Marc R. Matrana weaves together diaries and letters and other rare documents to tell the story of 60 of these vanquished estates and the people who once called them home.

From plantations that were destroyed by natural disaster, such as Alabama’s Forks of Cypress, to those that were intentionally demolished, such as Seven Oaks in Louisiana and Mount Brilliant in Kentucky, Matrana resurrects these lost mansions. Including plantations throughout the South as well as border states, Matrana carefully tracks the histories of each from the earliest days of construction to the often contentious struggles to preserve these irreplaceable historic treasures.

Lost Plantations of the South explores the root causes of demise and provides understanding and insight on how lessons learned in these sad losses can help prevent future preservation crises. Capturing the voices of masters and mistresses alongside those of slaves, this book explores the powerful and complex histories of these cardinal homes across the South.

The book is published by University Press of Mississippi.

©2009 University Press of Mississippi (P)2017 Redwood Audiobooks

Perfect performance

I was given a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.
Truthful, factual and honest.
The narrator takes you on a journey into the past--good and bad. His voice is perfect and makes what could easily be a dull and monotonous take on historical landmarks, a look into the lives and inner workings of farm life of over a century ago.
These tales have a place in my heart.

A travel thru southern history

Loved it. This book really helps you understand the south through their plantations. What they became and what they are now. The narrator was superb. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Absolutely wonderful and educational

I found this to be very educational as far as learning about these great plantations. I felt as though I was taken on a tour and shown everything about how they were built, managed, how ownership was transferred and even how they were eventually destroyed. Listening to John Burlinson narrate this book made me feel like I was given a personal guided tour. He did such a great job with the narration that I didn't get bored (some of these types of books can begin to drone on after a while). I highly recommend this book to anyone who thinks they may find it interesting. The only thing that would make it better would be if I could also look at pictures while listening! I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Slave Deeds on the Christmas Tree

If you are interested in the architecture, agriculture, & the people groups populating the South, you will find a treasure trove of history in this straightforward work by Marc Matrana.

The American Southern style of neoclassical architecture is easily recognizable, & displays an effort on the part of plantation owners to transplant old world culture & history here in the colonies.

Matrana covers both sides of the dichotomy of the owner who "nurtured his family & enslaved people," with vivid descriptions. I requested & received a free review copy of the Audible version. I highly recommend the book for those interested in history.

Exemplary

I just love old homes and architecture of the early homes and plantations. This book is beyond excellent. So much depth to each homes story. I have been looking up each one to see pictures. I’m listening to it a little at a time because I find myself playing it back to rehear some of the details again. I wish I had a better memory I love sharing bits and pieces of this book with others. What s gem! I received this book at no charge for an honest review. I’m so glad I took a chance on it. Continuing to Relisten to it hoping to gain even more gems to share. :)

Lost Plantations

This is an extensive study of Southern plantations that have been lost due to natural disaster, neglect and lack of foresight. The author has does a great job in researching these plantations. There are extensive descriptions of the start of the plantations, their various owners, the reasons for their demise and the treatment of the slaves owned by the planters.

I enjoyed listening to the book, but I think that this type of book would be better in a hard copy. The addition of maps, illustrations/photos, and a glossary for the various unfamiliar architectural terms would have been helpful in understanding what you are reading. Having lived close to a lot of these plantations, I especially enjoyed hearing about them and wish I could travel back to see the sites of the old mansions.

The narrator does a good job, but I had to speed up my Kindle to 1.5 in order to keep my interest.

If you are interested in the history of Southern plantations, the Civil War's impact on the South or just history in general, this is an interesting read.

Not what I was expecting

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The book seemed to be interesting, but I would have changed the narrator. He was boring and very monochromatic.

What other book might you compare Lost Plantations of the South to and why?

This was a lot like several other history books that I have read. I can not come with a specific title.

What didn’t you like about John Burlinson’s performance?

It was too slow and monochromatic. Not very interesting.

Did Lost Plantations of the South inspire you to do anything?

Not really

Any additional comments?

I was given a copy of this book in an exchange for a honest review.

Lost Plantations ... AND their long lost stories!

Wow. This was a LOT more than I expected! Not just filled with architectural descriptions as the title might imply - but includes MANY awesome stories and facts about life on the individual plantations - most of which I guarantee you have not read elsewhere, ...unless you have a whopping huge library.

It really made it quite interesting with all these behind the scenes goings on! Hardships, frivolity, sadness, ingenuity and determination, and certainly not the way Hollywood portrays it! I learned LOTS of things that I never knew concerning how things were done back in the day.

Of course for the purist history buffs, there are also oodles of the who, what, wheres, names, dates, and places as well. And believe it or not, that was even fascinating too, hearing about how certain properties were acquired - stolen - or lost!

I thought the narrator did a great job. It was like you were getting a personally guided tour from one of the long time local historians. Pleasant mature voice. I can almost see him standing there wearing a white linen suit as he points to one of the buildings on the sprawling plantation. Lol.

Although I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request in exchange for my voluntary review, I can honestly say that I enjoyed this one.

Lost Plantations of the South

Lost Plantations of the South
: Marc R. Matrana

This is a good accounting of the history of southern Plantations. It was interesting to learn who had owned, visited, and what became of the plantation. The architectural descriptions let the listener "see" the past.


The narration was well done.John Burlinson's voice was pleasing to hear.



I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Love the southern drawl

Fantastic in depth look at the lost plantations of the south. Love the combination of description on architecture to personal accounts of Plantation life. Great narration.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review