Rating: 
Summary: Another Great Applachian Series Novel
Review: I do so much like Sharyn McCrumb's Appalachian so much better than her Elizabeth MacPherson novels, though I will not stop reading the. But in the Appalachian series, she captures so much of the flavor of the area that they become books the reader cannot put down. She does not fail in this book. She particularly has the skill of combining three stories together, whether one be in the past and one the future, and in the end all of them coming together, thereby always making a cohesive, dramatic ending. The present-day story in this book is about an upcoming electrocution of Fate Harkryder for murder. The story of the future concerns Frankie Silver who brutally murdered her husband in 1832 (or did she?). But wait, there is then a third murder in the book. What do the three have in common? That is the mystery in this book. As another review put it, this book all encompasses the story of the Celts versus the English - from the past down to even the present. It still makes for good reading.
Rating:
Summary: A True Masterpiece
Review: Being a native of western North Carolina, and having grown up around the legend of Frankie and Charley Silver, the title of the book itself intrigued me. Needless to say, I was not disappointed. McCrumb managed to intermingle fact and fiction into a brilliant piece of writing, without confusion, which is no easy task for any writer. She has obviously done her homework in regard to Frankie Silver, and the cover of the book was the piece de resistance. I have personally been to this gravesite, and it continues to be an eerie place. McCrumb is a masterful writer and if this is any indication, her future is even brighter than anticipated.
Rating:
Summary: Very Interesting Blend of Truth and Fiction
Review: The Ballad of Frankie Silver is two stories, one true and one fiction, woven together through mystery and similarity. The one story is the story of Sheriff Spencer Arrowood and someone whom he arrested long ago who is due to be executed. While he is stuck at home recuperating from a bullet wound, he starts thinking about the trial of Frankie Silver and starts researching the case. He believes that there is some similarity between the Frankie Silver case and the case of the man about to be executed. The second story goes back in time to the true story of Frankie Silver. It's told mostly from the point of view of a clerk of the court at the time of the Silver trial. What I found the most interesting was the way that Sharyn McCrumb took a true story, added her own imagination in the role of the court clerk and wove it into a more modern setting. The legalities of both of the cases were interesting and seemed to be well researched. I thought the book was captivating.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting Story
Review: Sheriff Spencer Arrowood is recuperating from a near-fatal bullet. As he does, he's contacted by the state of Tennesee to be an execution witness of a man that Spencer arrested twenty years ago. This case opens doors Spencer would have rather remained closed. At the time he was sure he had the right man but twenty years of reflection on the case, and how it might possibly parallel the hundred-and-sixty-four-year old murder case of Frankie Silver have left doubts in Spencer's mind. So much so that he uses his recuperation time to dig further into the death of Frankie Silver hoping to find the answers he seeks. The above summary sounds dry, I know. But so is this book. Not that the premise and the story isn't fascinating in its own right, but at times it reads more like the history book you hated in Junior High. The author jumps back and forth between three time periods, the time of Frankie Silver (early 1800's), the time of Spencer as a young deputy, and the present. The writing style is different for the early period and this is the part that is really drawn out and dry. I will admit I skimmed parts, but I was fascinated enough by the idea to want to see where Ms. McCrumb was going with this. And I will admit I liked the ending very much. Would I recommend this book? Yes, with the reservation that you realize there will be some slow going inside the covers. The Frankie Silver story is fact and is interesting. It is, perhaps, drawn out just a little too much in this book but it is an interesting story.
Rating:
Summary: An Insight Into Appalachia
Review: Sharyn McCrumb has done it again. She gives us an insight into the beautiful area of the Appalachain Mountains. A modern story 'quilted' into a mountain ledgend. Since I was born in the mountains of SW Virginia, every one of Sharyn's Ballad series is like a visit home.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully crafted
Review: Another wonderfully crafted book from this stellar author. The two storylines and their respective characters, almost 150 years apart but still related, are drawn vividly and compellingly. Most highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: not highly recommended
Review: This book was a bit drawn out through most of it, then cut short with the very predictable conclusion. The similarities among the two stories included in the book were ridiculous, and it would have made a much better story if she had told just the Frankie Silver story, from Frankie's point of view, starting with the struggle with her husband, the murder, disposal of the body, then moved on to the arrest and trial. Now that would have made an excellent read.
Rating: 
Summary: starts out slow but
Review: I just finished reading this book and I thought it was great. It did start out slow but once it got going it was very hard to put down. I got so involved in the story of Frankie I jumped forward to find out the ending. Then I went back and read the whole book. I told a friend about it and she bought it. Sharyn is a wonderful author and her other books I have read were a little bit better but this is a good story. It is a good read.
Rating:
Summary: BALLAD OF FRANKIE SILVER
Review: I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT SOME OF THESE PEOPLE ARE WHINING ABOUT. THE ABILITY TO FOLLOW MULTIPLE PLOTS IS BEST LEARNED IN AN IVY LEAGUE LIBERAL ARTS SCHOOL OF FIFTY YEARS AGO. I THINK THE BOOK WAS WELL DONE AND INTERESTING. I WAS INTERESTED IN THE GENEALOGY OF THE ERWIN'S.
Rating: 
Summary: Uninteresting trivia
Review: As a descendant of Francis Stewart-Silver (Frankie Silver) I thought this book would be of some interest to me. What the story of Frankie Silver had to do with the fictional account of "Fate Harkryder", I have no idea. Such convolution in writing! After many tries, I finally reached the end of the book only to be left with confusion as to what it was all about.
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