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  • Of Metal and Earth

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Jennifer M Lane
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Of Metal and Earth Kindle Edition

by Jennifer M Lane (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 out of 5 stars (252)
Seven ordinary lives are changed by their extraordinary relationships with a little green Jeep in Of Metal and Earth, a tale of restoration and redemption.

James survives a fierce Vietnam battle by hiding beneath his Jeep. He loses his friends and returns home alone, surviving the town's pity by hiding in the bar. Emotionally scarred, he only finds the determination to lift himself up when he realizes what remains to be lost. He buys a little green Jeep, like the one that gave him shelter in the war, and hopes it will lead to salvation again. But the fortune it brings tarnishes, and James is left to sacrifice the thing that gave him hope for the people who need him most.

Over the next thirty years, the Jeep changes hands, passing between friends, family, strangers, and lovers. A single mother who buys a car for her reckless son nearly destroys a friendship with a man who silently loved her for two decades. An insecure youth at the start of his career learns that the most important lessons are the ones you never set out to learn. A family torn apart by their differences finds that love can be the hardest road to take. And a city architect must choose between the easy way to restoration or a difficult path that could save more than a rusty old Jeep.

Winner of the 2019 Next Generation Indie Book Award for First Novel. Finalist in the 2018 IAN Book of the Year Awards in the category of Literary / General Fiction!
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  1. Print length
    307 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Accessibility
    Learn more
  4. Publication date
    July 19, 2018
  5. Reading age
    15 - 18 years
  6. File size
    1.8 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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From the Publisher

The book cover overlaid with two reviews.
The book cover overlaid with two reviews.
The book cover overlaid with two reviews.
The book cover overlaid with two reviews.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A little green jeep means so much in so many ways. It is symbolic of war, adventure, reliability, break down and visual wear and tear. Author Lane uses restoration and maintenance to set its chronological journey through seven title holders. As with the jeep, its owners are flawed and at risk of total failure at any time. Lane draws the reader deeply into human frailty, imperfect relationships, and everyday obstacles as the title passes from one person to another. How the jeep is treated is tied closely to its owners' flawed relationships, status in society, and decision-making ability. She flawlessly blends love, loss, emotional healing, self-sacrifice, and generosity in this well-paced imaginative look at human nature. It will leave readers wondering what their vehicles would say about them and be grateful vehicles cannot talk." - Jill E. Bemis, Next Generation Indie Book Awards Judge

"I am sitting here trying to find the words to convey what an absolutely incredible novel this is...The writing was flawless...I can't think of a specific audience that would enjoy this novel, it is simply a must-read for everyone." - Dandelions Inspired

"Jennifer M. Lane has done an amazing job of developing multi dimensional characters that the reader will feel invested in from the start. I love being about to picture everything about my characters and what they are doing.
Lane explores deep into many characters lives which adds multiple layers to the story. We have a barrage wonderful characters.
I loved how smooth and quick of a read it was. You would think it would have the ability to be disjointed with the time span it encompasses, but Lane navigates it effortlessly." ~Texas Book Nook

About the Author

A Maryland native and Pennsylvanian at heart, Jennifer M. Lane holds a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Barton College where she served as editor of the newspaper. She also holds a master's in liberal arts with a focus on museum studies from the University of Delaware, where she wrote her thesis on the material culture of roadside memorials. She once co-hosted a daily automotive blog and served as the president of a large car club. She enjoys coffee, whiskey, tea, and spending time with her partner Matthew and their own 1964 Jeep CJ-5.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07FPVGGJN
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pen & Key Publishing
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 19, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.8 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 307 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1721271535
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 15 - 18 years
  • Best Sellers Rank: #1,567,758 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars (252)

About the author

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Jennifer M Lane

Jennifer M Lane

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A Maryland native and Pennsylvanian at heart, Jennifer M. Lane holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Barton College and a master’s in liberal arts with a focus on museum studies from the University of Delaware, where she wrote her thesis on the material culture of roadside memorials.

Jennifer is a member of the Authors Guild and the Historical Novel Society. Her first book, Of Metal and Earth, won the 2019 Next Generation Indie Book Award for First Novel and was a Finalist in the 2018 IAN Book of the Year Awards in the category of Literary / General Fiction. She is also the author of The Poison River Duology Series (Downriver and Upstream), Stick Figures from Rockport, and the Collected Stories of Ramsbolt, including the books Blood and Sand, Penny's Loft, Hope for Us Yet, and A Good Day for Pie, The Worsted House, and The Warmth of Fires. Tinker, her latest release (June 2026) is alternate historical romance set during the Whiskey Rebellion.

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
252 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find this book well-written with controlled elegance in its prose, featuring wonderful characters and an engaging story that draws readers in through its scenes and settings. Customers describe it as a delightful read with healing themes, and one customer notes how it brings the jeep to life. They appreciate its emotional depth, with one review highlighting its poignancy for car enthusiasts.
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23 customers mention story, 23 positive, 0 negative
Customers enjoy the story of this book, describing it as creatively-crafted and filled with love, with one customer noting how the scenes and setting drew them in.
This is a great story about the memory anchors tied to a Jeep. It touches the lives of many people....Read more
...Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of....Read more
...It has a happy ending.Read more
...Enjoyed the stories and the characterizations. Well done,Read more
21 customers mention readability, 21 positive, 0 negative
Customers find the book delightful and easy to read, with one mentioning there's never a dull moment.
Great read!Read more
...I enjoyed this quite a lot. It's a quick and easy read, but don't mistake that for "simple."...Read more
...Thank you Jennifer for a wonderful read,.Read more
Easy story that pulls you in & keeps you reading. Brought back lots of memories from my childhood with my dad's jeep.Read more
13 customers mention character, 13 positive, 0 negative
Customers enjoy the characters in the book.
...Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of....Read more
...The characters are well rounded, and the scenes and setting drew me in. Looking for more from this author.Read more
Fantastic voice, well-drawn characters, and exceptional storytelling.Read more
Excellent book! The storyline weaves together nicely and the characters are wonderful! Well done!Read more
12 customers mention writing style, 12 positive, 0 negative
Customers appreciate the writing style of the book, noting its controlled elegance and lightness of prose.
Unique premise. Well written. A page-turner from the start, with the tension building steadily until the final pages. Truly enjoyable read.Read more
What a beautifully written book filled with stories of love, life, grief, healing and restoration. I am generally a fast reader....Read more
Beautifully written -- there's a sense of poetry thoughout this novel that strikes just the right balance between rich description and lightness of...Read more
...A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written family heirloom book....Read more
11 customers mention content, 11 positive, 0 negative
Customers praise the content of the book, finding it well done and healing, with one customer noting how it brings the jeep to life.
...As for myself, the sign of a good book is when I hesitate to read more than a chapter at a time when nearing the end....Read more
...a beautifully written book filled with stories of love, life, grief, healing and restoration. I am generally a fast reader....Read more
...Enjoyed the stories and the characterizations. Well done,Read more
Easy story that pulls you in & keeps you reading. Brought back lots of memories from my childhood with my dad's jeep.Read more
5 customers mention emotional, 5 positive, 0 negative
Customers find the book emotionally engaging, with one customer noting it's particularly poignant for car enthusiasts, while another mentions it provides enough emotional depth to connect with the characters.
What a beautifully written book filled with stories of love, life, grief, healing and restoration. I am generally a fast reader....Read more
...for you to imagine living in such a town and enough of the emotion to relate to the characters and feel with them....Read more
...following a car through its owners, is a great idea and is poignant for "car people.”...Read more
...The human characters were all fully developed and captured my emotional interest....Read more
Delightful!
5 out of 5 stars
Delightful!
I first discovered this gem by accident - I believe I saw an ad for it. Once I read the description, I was intrigued and decided to purchase it. And I was not disappointed! The book weaves several personal tales together through their intersection with a 1964 green Jeep. I was drawn to each character, and could relate with the bond they felt with the Jeep, since I have a VW bus with a similar connection. I didn't want the story to end, and, have to admit, got a bit teary towards the end. Jennifer Lane did a fantastic job bringing each character to life, and I felt like I was reading something that actually happened. I highly recommend this book!
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Tony Parsons
    5.0 out of 5 stars family heirloom
    Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2019
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    1964, 4 friends: James, Andrew, Norman, & David had volunteered to go to Quế Sơn Valley, Vietnam.
    Elk River. James (Vietnam War vet) was the only 1 who came back.
    Tom (bar owner), & Lily (wife) offered James a place to stay, until he got back on his feet.
    1967, Tom had his own apartment & a CJ-5 Jeep.
    Dr. Claire (granddaughter, vet) moved to Elk River, took over the farm & opened up her own vet clinic.

    James helped her get things done/organized.
    It wasn’t long & they became an item & later got married.
    1974, Claire got sick, & was diagnosed with cancer.
    Catherine (James/Claire’s daughter) would miss her mom.
    Elmwood (Elk River). Rebecca (MS finance student) had known William “Billy” A. Norman (MS Econ student) for a long time.
    The 2 of them got to know each other & she moved in with him.
    They both graduated & were moving to Washington, DC.
    Olivia “Liv” (mother), had bought Ben (son) William’s old Jeep.
    Officer Martin (Montgomery County Sheriff’s dept) had called Mark (mechanic shop owner). Ben had been charged with; trespassing. underage drinking, & a DUI.

    Mark picked Ben up & took him home in the morning.
    All hell broke loose with he/Oliva.
    Kate, & Alex had got the 1964, CJ-5 Jeep restored/running. Was it just a summer romance?

    I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.

    A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written family heirloom book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great family heirloom movie, or better yet a TV series. There is no doubt in my mind this is a very easy rating of 5 stars.

    Thank you for the free author; BookSends; Amazon Digital Services LLC.; book
    Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
    8 people found this helpful
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  • Kristi W.
    5.0 out of 5 stars A touching story, thoughtfully written
    Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    I just finished Of Metal and Earth early this morning. I loved it. I read it this week and had trouble putting it down. I would go to bed each night and intend to read a few pages, as I normally do, and put it down when I became drowsy. I ended up reading 50-70 pages each night. The general theme of the book, following a car through its owners, is a great idea and is poignant for "car people.” For those of us who have used our car as an escape, gone on drives as a refuge, bonded and made friends of other "car people" this was a touching read. The descriptive writing is impressive. I found myself smiling in appreciation at the use of language to describe moments, things, and situations. I found the characters and their lives relatable. Everyone goes through relationship tension, regrets, family tension, illness, loss and I think the expression of the emotions and reactions of the characters in those situations was realistic and relatable. I loved the Jeep's title change documents between character sections; I found the addition very touching. This book made me think of objects in my life that I share with others and objects that other people share with me, and it made me realize that this is the type of book that I will re-read again.
    12 people found this helpful
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  • Libby
    4.0 out of 5 stars very much a hallmark story
    Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2023
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Cute little read. If you need something light and airy, this is the read for you. It has a happy ending.
    One person found this helpful
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  • LJ
    5.0 out of 5 stars Breezy & Character Driven
    Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2019
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I have been sadly lacking in completing book reviews over the last year so here I am, trying to catch up.

    I enjoyed this quite a lot. It's a quick and easy read, but don't mistake that for "simple." The story itself is complex and elegant while simultaneously remaining nicely streamlined. The Jeep is a fully fleshed out character in itself; it's not easy to give such depth to an inanimate object, but the author has managed to do just that. It's clear that the author is well-versed in the world of cars and mechanics and that love shines through brightly.
    The human characters were all fully developed and captured my emotional interest. I became invested in each one, sometimes becoming sad when the Jeep had to move on to another person, thus cutting my time short with certain characters.
    The end tidied up all the loose threads into a lovely little package. I won't lie - it made me cry. How did I come to care for a Jeep and its family so much? My emotional investment was solid.
    While I typically will read almost any genre, I tend to be heavier on sci-fi/fantasy, and I will admit that this contemporary fiction was a refreshing change. I read it in two days. It took me that long because I had to work. :)
    For anyone that's looking for a heartwarming book to cozy up on the couch with, or maybe sit out on the deck or on the beach and soak it up, this is it. And if you're a car nut, you definitely should check this out.
    11 people found this helpful
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  • Ted Eberhard
    5.0 out of 5 stars We got a winner!
    Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Not every book deserves a rave but I’m compelled to do so here. From the first sentence your off and running, finding yourself reeling from the realities of war and wondering where do we go from here. As you begin to cozy into the pages, you realize this isn't a book about people who are larger than life but about people who are simply living through the march of time and battling the ripples of what life hands you. Jennifer, satisfyingly evokes the spirit of a jeep who takes you on a beautiful journey rich in character detail with layer upon layer of texture that highlights the trauma and beauty human existence. There is a simple, unforced, controlled elegance to her writing that feels like an electric blanket on low. As for myself, the sign of a good book is when I hesitate to read more than a chapter at a time when nearing the end. I found myself slowly holding onto each moment, each word. I did not want this to end. I did not want to say goodbye to that CJ-5. I enjoyed this book from cover to cover and from here on out, I will be on the lookout for Jennifer M. Lane novels!
    9 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Shelly Campbell
    5.0 out of 5 stars What a carefully crafted, satisfying read!
    Reviewed in Canada on August 28, 2018
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Of Metal and Earth is so aptly named. Reading this book is as satisfying as the smell of digging into deep dirt, and as multi-textured as rusting metal. Jennifer does an incredible job of breathing life into each character and letting us in on their personal journeys as the Jeep pushes each of them to tackle life from a different angle. This book is fresh and nostalgic at the same time. Like a restored car, take your time enjoying this read, because they just don’t make them like this anymore.
    Report
  • S Dean
    5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely and unusual book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 22, 2018
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Recommended by a friend. I don't read a lot of litfic anymore but this was a gorgeous, heartfelt novel with a really unusual structure. Maybe I should get back into the genre! The writing is stunning, too, and that always matters to me (as a reader).

    Trying to avoid spoilers so--the story follows a chain of people as James' Jeep passes from person to person, connecting their interweaving stories which they each document in a black binder (that also keeps the Jeep's records) before passing on to the next owner. The story follows the threads that connect us as individuals--because we are always more tightly bound than we realise--and plays out the ways in which redemption manifests for different people.
    Report
  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great lockdown read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 19, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Very believable storyline. Loved every moment.
    Very good feel good factor to see us through a farther unhappy period of civic 19.
    Report
  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiration
    Reviewed in Canada on December 22, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Was a great book ,being a car guy I can understand how you miss a car you sold or was in an accident, and the replacement was never the same.
    Report
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