The Ballad of Frankie Silver

Rating:
Summary: Quite Good; But not up to par
Review: It is always a shock to read Sharyn McCrumb's "Ballad Series." An author who can create the disappointing "Bimbos of the Death Star" or the vacuous Elizabeth MacPherson books should not be able to "reach" for the status of literature, but McCrumb comes dangerously close to losing her status as a mere mystery genre author in the ongoing Spencer Arrowood/Nora Bonesteel books. "The Rosewood Casket" was incredibly well written, and more than possibly her best book. However, "The Ballad of Frankie Silver," while a decent read, disappoints. McCrumb delivers in the character development of the Silver clan; but she leaves much lacking in giving us to understand the mentality of the other characters, especially those in the current Harkryder case. In view of her use of the Silver story to "tell" the Harkryder story, one would think that some equivalent development of the Harkryder story, along with the characters i! nvolved therein, would have been apropos. But, all we get is a quasi-villanously vengeful, purportedly grieving father who grabs the television cameras every chance he gets; the other characters are one-dimensional, and leave the reader not much involved with their fates. Even the continued development of Spencer Arrowhead is cavalierly neglected.

Moreover, although I can only speak for myself, I have to assume that the overall lack of Nora Bonesteel is a grave disappointment to McCrumb's fans...she is, by far, the most interesting character that McCrumb has generated to date. However, if you've not read any of the other Ballad series books, you are probably going to enjoy this one; and, even if you have, this book should probably not be passed on. It is still good work; just not up to McCrumb's past performance and future promise.

Rating:
Summary: A haunting and compelling book
Review: I have enjoyed many of Sharyn McCrumbs books, mostly on audio tape, but I read this one and it is an unusual mystery story, rich in implications regarding the death penalty. The subject is deftly handled so that the reader does not feel clubbed over the head, and the interwoven stories are developed with texture and depth of character (including the character of the region). I would suggest not only this book, but can safely recommend all of McCrumb's work. Thank you Sharyn.

Rating:
Summary: taken from something that really happened
Review: Sharyn took this story from something that was true.
This book is so good. Of course Sharyn is at her best again.

Rating:
Summary: Storytelling at its best
Review: "Frankie Silver" was the first McCrumb book I read and, like so many other reviewers, I was hooked. While I believe that all of her ballad books deserve five-star ratings, I can see how some people, especially younger readers, might not like them. I will not write a "book report." Instead I will offer ideas about why her stories do not appeal to certain readers:

1) Her exquisite storytelling ability is historically accurate. If the times are set in the early 1830's, she is not going to write in a contemporary style. She captures the dialogue of the era based on written documents of the time. Therefore, her dialogue sounds stilted or dry at times.

2) Ms. McCrumb is a baby boomer. One complaint was that the stories were about people in an older generation. Well, to that I suggest our young reader return to Harry Potter and wait for puberty to pass. McCrumb is a middle-aged adult who writes for adults.

3)When history is viewed as dry and boring, (I fault public school education for teaching history as a dry and boring subject) McCrumb's ballad books will also seem dry and boring. When history is viewed as the true tale of humanity, there is much to learn from her books. Or, to quote George Santayana: "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." We do not know where we are going if we do not know where we have been.

4) McCrumb's ballad series have overall themes, in other words, a big picture. For example, in the "Ballad of Frankie Silver" the theme is the inequality of justice for poor people. She even explains the theme in the Author Notes at the end of the book. If one has trouble with big pictures, or synthesizing information, he or she will be disappointed with McCrumb's ballad series.

And finally, 5) McCrumb's ballad series is written for thinkers. In the age of fast-paced computer technology, her ballad series books are slow by comparison. They reflect the pace of the times in which she writes.

The above reasons probably explain why a lot of people don't like her ballad series books, but they are exactly why I love them. I especially respect the fact that McCrumb writes for herself. She is true to her own voice and heritage and writes with honesty. She does not seem to have a need to write for false mass appeal to make a buck. She keeps her integrity as a writer and still manages to be on the Best Seller list. In other words, she hasn't sold out. I don't believe many popular authors can make the same claim.

Rating:
Summary: Quite Good; But not up to par
Review: It is always a shock to read Sharyn McCrumb's "Ballad Series." An author who can create the disappointing "Bimbos of the Death Star" or the vacuous Elizabeth MacPherson books should not be able to "reach" for the status of literature, but McCrumb comes dangerously close to losing her status as a mere mystery genre author in the ongoing Spencer Arrowood/Nora Bonesteel books. "The Rosewood Casket" was incredibly well written, and more than possibly her best book. However, "The Ballad of Frankie Silver," while a decent read, disappoints. McCrumb delivers in the character development of the Silver clan; but she leaves much lacking in giving us to understand the mentality of the other characters, especially those in the current Harkryder case. In view of her use of the Silver story to "tell" the Harkryder story, one would think that some equivalent development of the Harkryder story, along with the characters i! nvolved therein, would have been apropos. But, all we get is a quasi-villanously vengeful, purportedly grieving father who grabs the television cameras every chance he gets; the other characters are one-dimensional, and leave the reader not much involved with their fates. Even the continued development of Spencer Arrowhead is cavalierly neglected.

Moreover, although I can only speak for myself, I have to assume that the overall lack of Nora Bonesteel is a grave disappointment to McCrumb's fans...she is, by far, the most interesting character that McCrumb has generated to date. However, if you've not read any of the other Ballad series books, you are probably going to enjoy this one; and, even if you have, this book should probably not be passed on. It is still good work; just not up to McCrumb's past performance and future promise.

Rating:
Summary: Mixed bag
Review: I completely enjoyed the Frankie Silver part of the story, and was inspired to do some web and library searching of my own on the topic. McCrumb did an excellent job of relating the history and making it come alive.

I had more trouble, however, with the fictional side of the story. (major spoilers ahead!) Some reviewers, and McCrumb herself, have classified this novel as being "about class and justice." I'd say it's more about truth and justice. In both cases, the historical and the fictional, the defendant withheld information that would have changed the outcome of the case. Yes, Frankie's hill-born ignorance of the law might have kept her from making her confession before the trial, when the self-defense plea would have helped. But her hanging was based not so much on the killing as the mutilation of her husband's body, and she kept her lips eternally sealed about that with full knowledge of what the information would mean to those it involved. That decision wasn't born out of poverty or ignorance, and it sealed her fate. While the second case was put in to prove "the rich don't hang," it also showed that stubborn pride and misplaced loyalty to brethren isn't just a hill trait.

The supposed parallel on the fictional side doesn't work very well for me. Frankie was protecting those who'd tried to protect her. Fate's "sacrifice" was a crime in itself, given the violence of the trail murders. Also, it's hard to believe that even in the dark ages of the '70's, law enforcement would content itself with prosecuting the youngest, never previously indicted brother of a troublemaking clan, never even looking sideways at the two eldest who already have felony convictions.

You can look at recent legal cases in the news and know that Ms. McCrumb is right in thinking that justice isn't exactly blind, and it is possible to buy a verdict with the right connections. But the defendants themselves, not their social class, were the turning points in the main cases in this book. (although you could argue they wouldn't have been in the situation in the first place except for their social class.)

it's definitely a thought-provoking book, and has made me want to take a drive through Kona.

Rating:
Summary: It's All Good
Review: Anything by Sharyn McCrumb is great. She can tell a story within a story, bringing the past into relevance with the here and now. I went to see Sharyn when she spoke in Evansville. She passes her respect of Appalachia to her audience. In the Appalachia series you get the story behind the old ballad running alongside current events, both past and present come together in the final chapters.

Rating:
Summary: LYRIC PROSE
Review: When I turned the last page of The Ballad of Frankie Silver I remember thinking "this is the best book I've ever read". Sharyn McCrumb's prose reads like poetry, not a single word or emotion wasted and everything she says contributes to the quality of the whole. You are never rushing through parts of the story, but instead savor every word. I just wish there were more books like it! What's so interesting is to think that the same woman who wrote Bimbo's of the Death Sun (the first of her books I read) wrote Frankie Silver. The woman's a verbal chameleon! This book caught and held my interest from the first chapter to the final page and I cannot recommend it highly enough. I was so intrigued by the subject and story itself that I ended up doing a web search about Frankie Silver and realized just how much actual history McCrumb has woven into her story. One reviewer called her Ballad Books the "jewel in her crown", a statement I wholeheartedly agree with, and having read all of the Ballad Books I believe Frankie Silver stands above the rest. I fantastic story!

Rating:
Summary: Keeps you interested, whole way through
Review: One thing about a McCrumb book, they keep your interest the whole way through! They're all great, filled with suspense and mystery. You can't wait to get to the end to see what happens! Highly recommend all of the books in the Ballad Series.

Rating:
Summary: A spectacular edition to the ballad novel series....
Review: This true story of an eighteen year old frontier girl hanged for murder is a stirring tale of mountain justice but it is also a study of contrasts between the mountain south of log cabins and trappers and the flat land south of plantations. The magic in this story is that the author brings to life people who have been dead for more than a century, making us care about the fate of one young girl who should not have been sentenced to death. An intriguing look at how the poor are treated in the justice system.