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Liked It “A mystery novel in Sharyn McCrumb's excellent "Ballad" series, set in rural Appalacia and featuring elderly Nora Bonesteel, who has "the sight." As in the other books in this series, there are ghosts in those hills. Recommended.” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“A mystery novel in Sharyn McCrumb's excellent "Ballad" series, set in rural Appalacia and featuring elderly Nora Bonesteel, who has "the sight." As in the other books in this series, there are ghosts in those hills. Recommended.”
Judy D wrote this review Saturday, November 28 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This is a wistfully wonderfully tragic book. ”
Bwitchd3 wrote this review Thursday, July 30 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This book ended up being nothing like I expected it to be....but I liked it nonetheless. The whole "ghost" story line felt like an after thought for the author. I really would've enjoyed a more "haunted" storyline. So don't read this expecting a ghost story....you'll be highly disappointed. But the story of the hunt for Harm , the escaped convict with mental issues, was enough to keep me interested. ”
Mtnmoovr wrote this review Thursday, April 30 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I enjoyed the story and the locale was intriguing as it is near where we now live. I will definitely read more of her work.”
Lara W wrote this review Monday, March 30 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Summary from Sharyn McCrumb's web site
Danielle M wrote this review Tuesday, March 24 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
She Walks These Hills: An Introduction
She Walks These Hills is the story of mountain journeys, both literal and figurative. Charlotte Pentland's passion is the first Appalachian journey: that of the mountains themselves. Through a vein of the mineral serpentine that runs from the hills of Georgia up to Nova Scotia, she hopes to trace the mountains' kinship back across the ocean following the serpentine chain to its beginning, in the mountains of western Scotland. Scholarly research in a good place to hide from an unpleasant reality: that Charlotte's father is the escaped convict, even now wandering in the Appalachians.
Historian Jeremy Cobb is backpacking on the Appalachian Trail, attempting to retrace the tragic journey of Katie Wyler, who was kidnapped by the Shawnee in 1789, and who escaped, making her way home through hundreds of miles of wilderness. Jeremy has no trail experience, but he is determined to complete his scholarly quest or die trying. He doesn't know that the spirit of Katie Wyler is still seen wandering the hills, trying to get home. Mountain wise woman Nora Bonesteel sees her every autumn "when the air is crisp, and the light is slanted, and the birds are still."
Sheriff Spencer Arrowood feels sorry for Harm, imprisoned for life for killing a hated local bureaucrat. There is even some doubt about Harm's guilt. Besides, the elderly convict has Korsakov's syndrome, a side effect of chronic alcoholism that robs its sufferers of their recent memories. To Harm, it is always 1967. As the psychiatrist tells a deputy: "You may get this fellow out of the hills, but you'll never get him out of the past. He's got nowhere to go." Harm doesn't even remember the crime. He doesn't know he's an escaped convict. For Martha Ayers, who wants the job of deputy, catching Harm Sorely would be the best way to prove her fitness for the position.
Harm, an Appalachian Don Quixote on the edge of reality, meets both Jeremy and the still-wandering Katie Wyler on his journey back to a home that isn't there any more. He is the "last moonshiner," holding the dream of an unspoiled wilderness in the fragile web of his delusions. When he goes, it will be lost forever.
My Review
I had no idea what to expect going in to the this book. Was it a mystery? historical fiction? literary fiction? ghost story? I'm still not sure how exactly you would class this book but I do know it was a great story no matter where you shelve it.
The multiple story lines and characters made it difficult to really connect with any of the characters but that really didn't matter. The writing style is very lyrical which I sometimes find distracting but it really worked with this book.
The author had a habit of leaving cliffhangers everytime the character point of view changed making this a very difficult book to put down and a very quick read.
This is a difficult review to right because it's hard to summarize exactly why I liked this book. There was so much going on and the way all the plot lines ended up tying in together was really well done. All I can say is to just try the book and you'll see what I mean.”
“I loved this book. Sharyn McCrumb is a writing goddess in my eyes. Talent just doesn't do her justice. How she works with words...oh how I hope to one day have even a 1/10 of her talent! All I know is only one other author (Alexandra Ripley) has ever inspired me to want to visit some place. I was so excited to go to Knoxville, TN to try and catch a glimpse of the life McCrumb had described in her book. (I'm not sure it was TN she was describing. Been a while since I read it. I just remember she had said something about the Smoky Mtns and I knew Knoxville bordered them, so... I wanted to see this magical place she had described. Her words definitely captured it!)”
Courtscribe wrote this review Sunday, September 28 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Another of McCrumb's Ballade series. This story, with its parallel history, is wonderfully haunting and satisfying.”
Melody J wrote this review Tuesday, July 1 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“A ghost, a criminal and a teacher all walk the Tennessee mountains in one of the best Ballad series books. I enjoy this series and Nora Bonesteel's knowledge of all things, whether here today or long in the past. Love this series!”
bookaholic wrote this review Thursday, May 15 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I have read all of Sharyn's ballad novels. This is the one that started it for me. She is a marvelous story teller, blending the legends of the past with events of the present in the setting of her beloved Appalachian mountains. At heart of this one is a ghost story.”
Kim F wrote this review Tuesday, April 8 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This was my introduction to Sharyn McCrumb's work. It will always be my favorite of her books. ”
IYamVixenBooks wrote this review Sunday, December 2 2007. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
