Rating: 
Summary: Appalachian Roots
Review: Sometimes an author gets so bound up in a subject that is tangential to the plot, she neglects to tell a coherent story. I'm afraid Sharyn McCrumb has to plead guilty to this writerly sin in "The Songcatcher." She seems to have become so fascinated by her search for her own ancestors that she incorporated large chunks of their history into this book (see "The Songcatcher's" Afterward), with only a slight bow to plot relevance. While her ancestors are fascinating and would hold my interest for an extended e-mail conversation, they do clutter up this novel's story. Ostensibly the author uses flashbacks to show the origin of "The Rowan Staff," an ancient ballad that was passed down through generations of the McCourry family, beginning with the boy Malcom who was abducted from the Scottish island of Islay and brought to pre-Revolutionary America. He becomes a lawyer, fights the Revolution, and emigrates to the southern Appalachian Mountains. His progeny remain in the highlands of North Carolina and Tennessee, fight in the Civil War, World War II, and work the ancestral farm or become lawyers, all the while singing "The Rowan Staff." You might think this sounds like a pretty straight story line from the 1760s to the current millennium, even though the characters change, but McCrumb chooses to portray the lives of her ancestors in vignettes that are interspersed with the modern-day saga of a folksinger who is searching for an old song. Actually there are two folksingers who want to record "The Rowan Staff," two plane wrecks, two characters who are lost in the mountains, two ghosts, and two old folks who have the Sight. My favorite character, Miss Nora Bonesteel, who is one of the Seers and who has shown up in previous McCrumb novels, almost gets lost in the shuffle of multiple viewpoints and the back-and-forth zap of the timeline. McCrumb is a good writer and has a great ear for dialogue, but this story tries to play too many songs at once.
Rating:
Summary: Appalachian Roots
Review: Sometimes an author gets so bound up in a subject that is tangential to the plot, she neglects to tell a coherent story. I'm afraid Sharyn McCrumb has to plead guilty to this writerly sin in "The Songcatcher." She seems to have become so fascinated by her search for her own ancestors that she incorporated large chunks of their history into this book (see "The Songcatcher's" Afterward), with only a slight bow to plot relevance. While her ancestors are fascinating and would hold my interest for an extended e-mail conversation, they do clutter up this novel's story. Ostensibly the author uses flashbacks to show the origin of "The Rowan Staff," an ancient ballad that was passed down through generations of the McCourry family, beginning with the boy Malcom who was abducted from the Scottish island of Islay and brought to pre-Revolutionary America. He becomes a lawyer, fights the Revolution, and emigrates to the southern Appalachian Mountains. His progeny remain in the highlands of North Carolina and Tennessee, fight in the Civil War, World War II, and work the ancestral farm or become lawyers, all the while singing "The Rowan Staff." You might think this sounds like a pretty straight story line from the 1760s to the current millennium, even though the characters change, but McCrumb chooses to portray the lives of her ancestors in vignettes that are interspersed with the modern-day saga of a folksinger who is searching for an old song. Actually there are two folksingers who want to record "The Rowan Staff," two plane wrecks, two characters who are lost in the mountains, two ghosts, and two old folks who have the Sight. My favorite character, Miss Nora Bonesteel, who is one of the Seers and who has shown up in previous McCrumb novels, almost gets lost in the shuffle of multiple viewpoints and the back-and-forth zap of the timeline. McCrumb is a good writer and has a great ear for dialogue, but this story tries to play too many songs at once.
Rating: 
Summary: I love the Ballad series
Review: The Songcatcher is the story of a family in Tennessee, a father and daughter who can't communicate with each other at all. The father is a retired judge who respects his housekeeper's opinion more than his daughter's. The daughter is a famous folksinger who is never quite good enough for her father. Her father is dying and speaking to his dead friends and relatives. The doctor suggests that the housekeeper call Nora Bonesteel, a local woman with "the Sight", to talk to him. They are old friends and she understands about his seeing people noone else sees. Nora suggests that Lark be called home to see her father for what might be the last time. Lark reluctantly agrees, and decides to look for a song that has been in the family for centuries while she is there. Her plane crashes into a mountain on it's way to Hamelin and the search for the song is the only thing keeping her going while they search for her. Nora is visited by ghosts, as usual. There are also a few subplots involving the local residents, mostly the sheriff's office. The ballad series is the McCrumb's best. Her stories revolving around folk songs are always interesting and the characters of Nora Bonesteel and Spencer Arrowood are her best. These characters and the ones from her own family make these novels a joy to read.
Rating: 
Summary: Sheer pleasure to read
Review: The Songcatcher was one of those wonderful discoveries. I picked up the book to read during a meal alone while on a business trip and was capitivated. Ms. McCrumb'interweaving of the story of the song's travel to Appalachia via the travels of Malcolm McCourry family, of the search for Lark McCourry, and of Lark's search for the song was masterful. I can't wait to read another of her books.
Rating:
Summary: Songcatcher cuaght me
Review: The Songcatcher was several stories at once, all of them good. Since Joe LaDonne is my favorite of her repeating characters, I wished his part was bigger, but it was good just the same. Sharyn can take a time or a setting and put you in the middle of it. You feel the roll of the sea, the fear of a crashed airplane rolling, the beauty of the Appalachian Mountains. Every time I read one of her books, I fell like I've been on a journey, seen friends, met new people, and lived another part of time.
Rating:
Summary: Anxiously awaiting the next book in the series
Review: This book is amazing. All of the ballad novels are wonderful. The murder, mystery, suspense- all of the books were the type you can't put down. This one is no different. Way to go Ms. McCrumb! I look forward to all that you write. The characters and stories are top notch.
Rating: 
Summary: Not her best...
Review: This book was given to me by my sister. The Appalachian mountains have always fascinated me. My husband was born in West Virginia. My son-in-law is from Tennessee. I loved this book - a truly original story spanning three centuries of family history. The editorial review is excellent. I consider this book a "keeper". It is so unique - the gifted author has written a satisfying tale. I had to read the entire book straight thru - it captivated me, informed me, and made me eager for more. It is easy to read, very spellbinding, and I recommend it to all who like reading fiction that seems to be too real to be fiction. Books by James Michener, such as Centennial, give me this same feeling. Time spent reading both these authors is well spent.
Rating:
Summary: An Original Story
Review: This book was given to me by my sister. The Appalachian mountains have always fascinated me. My husband was born in West Virginia. My son-in-law is from Tennessee. I loved this book - a truly original story spanning three centuries of family history. The editorial review is excellent. I consider this book a "keeper". It is so unique - the gifted author has written a satisfying tale. I had to read the entire book straight thru - it captivated me, informed me, and made me eager for more. It is easy to read, very spellbinding, and I recommend it to all who like reading fiction that seems to be too real to be fiction. Books by James Michener, such as Centennial, give me this same feeling. Time spent reading both these authors is well spent.
Rating:
Summary: McCrumb at her best
Review: This is a wonderful book, true to the spirit of Appalachia and full of interesting characters.It follows the history of a song through two centuries and interweaves the life of Malcolm McCorry, kidnapped from Islay in 1751 and a contemporary story of one of his descendants. It is a hard book to characterise, certainly it isn't a conventional mystery, even that is a plus. This book is magic.
Rating: 
Summary: Slow story
Review: This was a very slow story that never really seemed to move anywhere. I had hoped the movie would have been better, but it was even worse. I have read Sharyn McCrumb's books before and enjoyed them.
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