The Rosewood Casket

Rating:
Summary: McCrumb delivers another winner!
Review: As I read this novel, the old song "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" ran through my mind. The endless circle is the losing of the land. The prehistoric animals of iceage Appalachia lose the land to the Cherokees, who lose the land to the settlers, and their descendants lose the land to the real estate speculators. When Randall Stargill's four sons gather on the family farm to build their father's coffin, they embody the latest generation to face the quandry of losing the land. This is a story of cultural politics as much as of family dynamics. McCrumb lets you feel the love of the mountains while suffering the pain of losing them.

Rating:
Summary: Beautifully written and with literary merit.....
Review: I came across the Rosewood Casket in one of my bookshelves, a first edition I had no memory of buying. Most often drawn to British writers (or Americans who "write British"), I was quickly drawn not only into Sharyn McCrumb's story, but her style and clear indication that she knows English and how to use it to great advantage. She is unpretentious and even her other-worldly concerns are non-intrusive and never offensive. She is a very gifted writer, indeed. I'd regret that I hadn't read her before, but now I get to read EVERYTHING. Now that I've finished the Rosewood Casket, I handed it to my husband, Allan Eckert. We sat across from her last year at the Kentucky Book Fair and I enjoyed her delightful personality very much. Now I can enjoy her wonderful books.

Rating:
Summary: Sharyn wrote it
Review: I came across the Rosewood Casket in one of my bookshelves, a first edition I had no memory of buying. Most often drawn to British writers (or Americans who "write British"), I was quickly drawn not only into Sharyn McCrumb's story, but her style and clear indication that she knows English and how to use it to great advantage. She is unpretentious and even her other-worldly concerns are non-intrusive and never offensive. She is a very gifted writer, indeed. I'd regret that I hadn't read her before, but now I get to read EVERYTHING. Now that I've finished the Rosewood Casket, I handed it to my husband, Allan Eckert. We sat across from her last year at the Kentucky Book Fair and I enjoyed her delightful personality very much. Now I can enjoy her wonderful books.

Rating:
Summary: Sharyn wrote it
Review: If Sharyn McCrumb wrote the book you know it will be great. She is a wonderful author and all of her books are so good. She makes you feel like you are there and that you know the people that you are reading about. From the first to the last page it's got you. Do read this wonderful book.

The father has saved Rosewood so that when he dies his sons will built him a casket. The sons all live in different places and have not seen each other for a while but they all come back to do this for their father.

Excellent book

Rating:
Summary: Loved all of the Ballad novels, this one is no different
Review: McCrumb has a way with her story telling and writing. If her stories aren't pulling you in and making you stay up at night to finish the book...I think you're in the minority. She's a great writer and I've enjoyed all of the Ballad novels I've read so far, very much. I think if you try her books, you won't be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: This is Sharyn McCrumb's best yet!
Review: Sharyn McCrumb is doing for Appalachia what Tony Hillerman has done for the Navajos. She presents a realistic picture of these fine, brave, proud people without the grotesqueness of Cold Mountain or the distortion of Deliverance. This is not so much a mystery novel as it is a novel that happens to have a mystery in it. Her characters are well-rounded and the setting is true. My only quibble with it is her vagueness in the matter of firearms and their use. I would like to have seen a closer connection between the use of the rosewood casket and the actual ballad. Otherwise, this is a good one.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent read
Review: Sharyn McCrumbs books convey the character and spirit of Appalachia in a beautiful way. Her descriptions of the land and the people make you long to know more. This book is no exception. In this story a distant family comes together as their father lays dying. Ms McCrumb portrays her characters personalities so vividly you feel that you are reading about your hometown and the people in it and you really come to care about the characters and the area in which they live. I hope she continues to write her Ballad series and allows us the privilege of getting to know people such as Sheriff Spencer Arrowood and Nora Bonesteel better.

Rating:
Summary: A Complete Bore
Review: This is a book that almost every one can love. It is a loving picture of a family, and community, caught between traditional Appalachia and the 20th century. There is suspense and whimsy, sorrow and joy, and just an over all good story. All McCrumb's Appalachian novels are wonderful, but I think this is my favoriate.

Rating:
Summary: I loved it!
Review: This was my first novel by Sharyn McCrumb and I loved it.It's not all that suspenseful-so if that's what you're looking for,you might be disappointed.Although the hunt at the end was exciting.This is a truly wonderful book about a family coming together when they find out that their father is on his deathbed.I loved all of the characters and from reading this novel I can tell that the author has good insight into what makes people talk and react the way they do.Her characters were wonderfully developed and I couldn't help but fall in love with themI'm sure we have all met people who have reminded us of some of the Stargills.The description of the mountains and land where the story took place was also done very well.It made me feel like I was there and not too many writers can make me feel that when I'm reading.I felt like I could feel the atmosphere of where everyone lived.I also like the way she tied the present with the past and the undercurrent of mystery added to the novel.Sharyn has got a new fan and I hope all of her other books are as enjoyable as this one was.I noticed our local library has The Ballad Of Frankie Silver so I think I'll go down and pick it up.