The Crucial Moment
The Crucial Moment is a novel by Mary Noailles Murfree, published in 1891. It is set in the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee in the late 19th century. The story follows the lives of two families, the Murfrees and the Wilsons, who live in the same small mountain community. The Murfrees are a wealthy family, while the Wilsons are poor and struggling to make ends meet. The novel follows the two families as they face a series of difficult decisions and life-altering events. The Murfrees must decide whether to accept a marriage proposal from a wealthy suitor, while the Wilsons must decide whether to accept a job offer from a local mine. The novel explores the themes of love, loyalty, and family, as well as the struggles of life in a rural mountain community. It is a story of hope and resilience in the face of adversity.
By Mary Noailles Murfree · First published 1911 · Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, Adventure · 6,909 words
First lines
A mere moment seems an inconsiderable factor in life -- only its multiplication attaining importance and signifying time. It could never have occurred to Walter Hoxer that all his years of labor, the aggregation of the material values of industry, experience, skill, integrity, could be nullified by this minimum unit of space -- as sudden, as potent, as destructive, as a stroke of lightning. But after the fact it did not remind' him of any agency of the angry skies; to him it was like one of the obstructions of the river engineers to divert the course of the great Mississippi, a mattress-spur, a thing insignificant in itself, a mere trifle of woven willow wands, set up at a crafty angle, against the tumultuous current Yet he had seen the swirling waves, in their oncoming like innumerable herds of wild horses, hesitate at the impact, turn aside, and go racing by, scouring out a new channel, leaving the old bank bereft, thrown inland, no longer the margin of the stream.
What this Textopian page supports
The Crucial Moment is listed on Textopian as a novel by Mary Noailles Murfree, dated 1911 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Novel
- Author: Mary Noailles Murfree
- Date: 1911 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance, Adventure, Coming of Age, Southern Gothic
- Length: 6,909 words
- Structure: 1 section, 70 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
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- Work identity for The Crucial Moment by Mary Noailles Murfree
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Discussion starters
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Genres
- Historical Fiction — The Crucial Moment is set in the late 19th century and follows the story of a young woman's journey of self-discovery in a time of great social change.
- Romance — The Crucial Moment follows the romantic journey of the protagonist as she navigates her relationships with the people around her.
- Adventure — The Crucial Moment follows the protagonist's journey of self-discovery as she embarks on a series of adventures and experiences.
- Coming of Age — The Crucial Moment follows the protagonist's journey of self-discovery as she navigates the challenges of growing up in a changing world.
Tags
Fiction · Mississippi River · Short stories · along · bank · brake · came · could · dog · face · fire · great