She Walks These Hills

Rating:
Summary: An enchanted mix of folklore and present day happenings.
Review: An enticing mystery on several different levels. The ghost of a pioneer girl walks the mountain trails in search of peace after being kidnapped by the Indians. A 63 year old felon escapes prison and believes he is still in the 1960's. Murder and mayhem abound in a present day Appalachian town. Set in the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains all is not what it seems.

A fast paced mystery with a dash of exclusivity that spices it up and gives it a punch of unique individualism. I did find it a bit predictable but enjoyable none the less. Kelsana 6/10/02

Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down
Review: I couldn't put this book down. It was excellent! There were so many sub-plots going on, and they were all so interesting. I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next. I really recommend this book. So far, the Ballad Series hasn't let me down.

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining
Review: I thought when I first picked this book up that it was going to be one of those gothic potboilers with spooky ghosts, swooning women and brave (male) ghostbusters. Oh, and a scary, escaped killer out to wreck havoc on innocent people. It's got a tiny little bit of the goth in it, but it's much more than that. It's a modern story about modern people and takes on some big topics - prejudice, bigotry, justice, right and wrong, good and evil, stupidity in pursuit of noble causes. There's not a badly drawn character in the book; they all feel like real people with real complexities and complicated motives, often only precariously in control of the situations they get themselves into. The dialogues flow smoothly and sound real - you can hear these conversations. You'll recognize these people and you'll recognize yourself in them. Even the ghost story underpinning the book is fascinating and historically informative. If your looking for a readible story that will hold your interest, this is it.

Rating:
Summary: A Page Turning Suspense!
Review: If you're looking for a great mystery combined with many story plots, and some historical backround, you should definietly read this book. McCrumb has done an excellent job of taking the lives of a variety of different characters and weaving them all together throughout this book. Although contradictory to what others may say, this book is centered around the escape of an mentally ill old man from jail and how a number of other people's lives tie in with his journey home. You will get to know three police officers, two of whom think the escaped convict is no threat, but one who does. A radio announcer who hypes up the old man's journey is another big focus of this plot, along with a college professor who is on a journey of his own to follow the trail of the legend, Katie Wyler.

Even thought it may be hard at times to follow the many characters who are introduced, they all come together in the end and make an exciting and page turning book. This book is set in the Appalachian mountains around Virginia and Tennessee and McCrumb has done a wonderful job on describing the scenery of the land. McCrumb's language makes you feel like are there in the mountains. Along with the scenery, McCrumb has also done her share of research on the area and provides information (as one of the characters) about the geological factors of the Appalachians. With all the surprised that end each chapter, you are always wondering what will happen next, or who will finally meet who. For a great anytime reading get Sharyn McCrumb's She Walks These Hills.

Rating:
Summary: She Walks is wonderful!!
Review: In this novel about journeys, college professor Jeremy Cobb retraces the path of a pioneer woman kidnapped by the Shawnee in 1779, and escaped convict Hiram Sorley whose brain is stuck in the past tries to return to a home and family that are no longer there. I see in all this a metaphor for the vanishing wilderness; just as Hiram tries to reach a vanished place and Jeremy walks a pioneer woman's trail now criss-crossed by highways and villages, we in contemporary America face a wilderness threatened by environmental abuse and urban sprawl. This book is a warning to treasure the wild spaces before we too become dreamers with no where to go.

Rating:
Summary: Greatest Appalachia Story ever read .
Review: McCrumb has written a book here that I could not put down . Harm Sorley is a elderly man that has escaped from prison but he don't remember why he was sent there or why he is walking the mountains and the sheriff isn't in no hurry to catch him . A radio DJ is taking the same trail that Katie Wyler walked many years ago when she escaped from the indians and finds a body in the old trailer where Harm used to live and the sheriff now has to ...

Rating:
Summary: In A Long Black Veil, she Walks These Hills....
Review: Of all her novels, this is by far my favorite of the McCrumb masterpieces, and I have read most (not all) of her diverse books. This one involves a woman who loves a sinner; he went to his death before he would divulge their relationship and cause her problems. Little did he know that by his actions, she would forever 'walk these hills' in a long black veil.

Before leaving the small town, I would call my local deejays of the morning to request the new release, SHE WALKS THESE HILLS, which gave them something to snicker about as it was an old, old song called THE LONG BLACK VEIL released in the fifties by Ferlin Husky. I later learned that Johnny Cash also had a pretty good version.

Ms. McCrumb varies in her subject matter and researches her later books to some extent. This is one of her best. It just may be my favorite of her varied ballads using some of the same colorful characters in Hamblen County, TN -- right up the road a piece from Knoxville.

Rating:
Summary: The author I've been searching for ....
Review: Sharyn McCrumb is visiting our libray tomorrow here in Maryland. Her visit includes a musician, story telling session, etc. so I thought I'd check out one of her books. Wow! I normally wouldn't give a book like this a look but boy, am I glad I did.

Excellent wrting skills with a good command of vocabulary and structure; excellent interweaving of stories amongst time (I thought this was better incorporated than in 'The Hours'), wonderful character development with impeccable research. Held the reader's interest with out having to resort to objectionable language, steamy sex, or graphic, gratuitous situations. You cared about these characters and were pulled into the story. I could almost imagine the hill country.

Some readers said this wasn't her best - well if that's the case than I can't wait to read her other novels. What a treat - this is what I have been searching for - just a really good book.

Rating:
Summary: Appalachian Fiction at its Finest
Review: She Walks These Hills is another excellent book in the Appalachian series by Sharyn McCrumb. She again combines two stories - one in the present and one in the past along with a pinch of a ghost story, culminating in an overall satisfying novel.

This installment tells of the stories of Harm Sorley, an escaped murderer in the Appalachian area, a college professor following the trail of Katie Wyler, a pioneer woman trying to get to her home in 1799, and Hank the Yank, a bodacious radio personality who tries to get into both these stories. I will not give the ending away as some reviewers did, but you need to read this book to get the full flavor of the area and the era.

How do these three characters intertwine with each other - both from the past and present? It is up the reader to find out in this thrilling novel.

Rating:
Summary: A very entertaining book!
Review: WOW! That's about how I feel about this novel written by Sharyn McCrumb. Of all the books I've read of late, this has to be one of the very best. I wish I could give it a 10 rating. The book was loaned to me. "Read this, I think you'll like it." Well, she was right. I didn't just like it. I loved it. Being of Cherokee decent, and knowing a little about the Appalachia area, naturally that sparked my interest. Being a native of the area, McCrumb has done a wonderful job with this novel. She mastered the plot, the characters, the dialogue and ME. I couldn't put the book down. I'm putting McCrumb at the top of my list as one of my favorite authors. The research and persons involved made this book everything that it is. My hat is off to McCrumb. Without further ado, I'm off to the library to gather another novel she's written. Take my advice and get a copy of this book. You'll see what I mean.