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fuzzkins's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
pamelarope's review against another edition
4.0
I knew a minute amount about the Hatfields and McCoys but this book really brought it to life. I was very impressed with the way Rinaldi wrote using the jargon of the Kentucky/West Virginia mountainfolk. She must have done a ton of research. I recommend this book to any history buff looking for a piece of history not everyone knows about.
kfont42's review against another edition
5.0
I bought this book on a vacation to West Virginia and read it in 3 days. It’s definitely not a happy story, but it’s a fast, interesting one to follow. I’d recommend it!
rachieturtle's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book back in 2008 for Battle of the Books and I remembered how interesting it was to see the story of the Hatfields and the McCoys through the eyes of one of them. We're having this book again for Battle, so I was excited to pick it up and read it again.
brimelick's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Ann Rinaldi was one of my go-to authors when I was younger, I read her books at the library because they were so quick and enthralling. I saw this book second-hand and I grabbed it and a few others of hers just so I could have some nostalgia on my bookshelf. I never read this one when I was younger so I thought it would be a good one to try out. It is definitely an older elementary/early middle school book but it was still a great quick read. I am not very well versed in the story of the Hatfields and the McCoys feud so I thought this might be a great place to start knowing that Ann does a fantastic job with her research. Keep in mind, this book is HEAVILY fictionalized and she explains what she fictionalizes at the end in the author's note so make sure you read that as well. From a story perspective, it flows pretty well. You are seeing the story from the perspective of one of the youngest children at the time of the feud so other than Fanny being a McCoy, she doesn't grasp what the nitty-gritty details are so she gives quite an unbiased viewpoint. That is until she begins to lose family members due to the fight. Her family is full of over religious and abusive people so be very aware of that when reading either yourself or with children. I recommend this for anyone who is interested in this folklorish feud and isn't going to be upset that it is fictionalized.
Content Warnings
Contains violence, blood, war, kidnapping, child death, death, fire, murder
bluebirdiebop's review
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
angielisle's review
2.0
I gave this book two stars because the topic interests me.
I'm from WV. The author relies on cliches and stereotypes for her characters. I did feel offended at times and I'm not a person who feels that way often.
Rinaldi failed to grasp a good understanding of "Mountainese" - or that there are several dialects of it. The few times she did attempt a dialect, it was one that could've came from anywhere. Her use of this false Appalachian dialect was also inconsistent. Needless to say, this made it very difficult to believe her authority on the subject.
I will give her credit for packing the book with tons of information about the feud, but there was so much information that this read like a history book. I didn't feel as though the author gave enough emotional development to the story - and emotion should have been present, as this is essentially a story about murder, justice, and love in an area that was far removed from the rest of America (a plot not too distant from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet - but I doubt the author made this connection).
This brings me to another point: Romeo and Juliet would have been a good play for Rinaldi to have studied before writing this book, as those same attitudes and sentiments, as well as speech patterns, would have been prevalent in this period of Appalachian history - and anyone seriously dedicated to Appalachian study would have known that and not needed stereotypes for the basis of her characters.
I'm from WV. The author relies on cliches and stereotypes for her characters. I did feel offended at times and I'm not a person who feels that way often.
Rinaldi failed to grasp a good understanding of "Mountainese" - or that there are several dialects of it. The few times she did attempt a dialect, it was one that could've came from anywhere. Her use of this false Appalachian dialect was also inconsistent. Needless to say, this made it very difficult to believe her authority on the subject.
I will give her credit for packing the book with tons of information about the feud, but there was so much information that this read like a history book. I didn't feel as though the author gave enough emotional development to the story - and emotion should have been present, as this is essentially a story about murder, justice, and love in an area that was far removed from the rest of America (a plot not too distant from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet - but I doubt the author made this connection).
This brings me to another point: Romeo and Juliet would have been a good play for Rinaldi to have studied before writing this book, as those same attitudes and sentiments, as well as speech patterns, would have been prevalent in this period of Appalachian history - and anyone seriously dedicated to Appalachian study would have known that and not needed stereotypes for the basis of her characters.