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twocatstailoring's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Mental illness, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Emotional abuse, Classism, Physical abuse, and Bullying
arthur_pendrgn's review against another edition
5.0
I think I like this better on a re-read than I did on my original perusal. When I know what the end is, I better appreciate the skill it takes to reach it.
bisonwoman's review against another edition
5.0
I’ve had this book on my shelf for more years than I care to admit. I’m so glad I finally read it and discovered the writing of Sharyn McCrumb. Now I get to embark on a reading adventure of all her books.
maryrobinson's review against another edition
4.0
Fantastic mystery set in Appalachian Mountains in the early 1990s. Setting and atmosphere are beautifully described - and it has a great cast of characters. The main female character is transitioning from working as a sheriff’s dispatcher to being the first woman deputy and it’s fun to watch her development.
attytheresa's review against another edition
4.0
I've had a copy of this on my TBR forever - since it was published in the 1990s. Not sure why I never read it, although likely because during that period, I was looking more for silly and fluffy cozy mysteries as opposed to ones with darker themes. Not that this was all that dark in truth.
A ghost walks Appalachia - a young woman making a 100 mile trek through the wilderness back home after escaping from the indians who kidnapped her and took her to West Virginia. Jeremy, a graduate student studying these folklore tales decides that to write a proper dissertation about Katie Wyler, the 18th Century young woman who made this trek, he needs to at least hike part of her journey. Nevermind that a hike for him is walking to the car and wilderness is an unmown backyard in suburbia. About the time Jeremy starts planning his hike, Harm Sorley, a 63 year old mentally ill (memory disease) murderer serving a life term escapes prison and is believed to be heading home to Appalachia, hiking through the same wilderness. And Martha, the dispatcher for the sheriff's office in Hamelin, a town in Appalachia that was Harm's home, goes on probation as a deputy. There are other characters - primarily Sabrina a young mother in a troubled marriage and Hank the Yank, a local DJ who becomes intrigued by Harm's story - whose stories interweave with the other main threads and contributing to the grand finale. Nearly everyone in the story is on some kind of journey.
I really enjoyed this one - the mystery, the writing, the characters. There is plenty of humor and wit as well as pathos and tragedy. I feel it did an excellent job of intertwining contemporary Appalachia as well as its folklore and history while creating an interesting, complex mystery/ghost story and likeable characters. The villains are recognizable and not front and center.
I give it 4.5 stars - I found the finale a tad over-orchestrated. McCrumb does a masterful job bringing all the threads together, and while I understand why there were so many to braid together at the end, I think it could have done with one or two less to avoid the ending looking contrived. This particular edition has a lot of wonderful additional materials.
A ghost walks Appalachia - a young woman making a 100 mile trek through the wilderness back home after escaping from the indians who kidnapped her and took her to West Virginia. Jeremy, a graduate student studying these folklore tales decides that to write a proper dissertation about Katie Wyler, the 18th Century young woman who made this trek, he needs to at least hike part of her journey. Nevermind that a hike for him is walking to the car and wilderness is an unmown backyard in suburbia. About the time Jeremy starts planning his hike, Harm Sorley, a 63 year old mentally ill (memory disease) murderer serving a life term escapes prison and is believed to be heading home to Appalachia, hiking through the same wilderness. And Martha, the dispatcher for the sheriff's office in Hamelin, a town in Appalachia that was Harm's home, goes on probation as a deputy. There are other characters - primarily Sabrina a young mother in a troubled marriage and Hank the Yank, a local DJ who becomes intrigued by Harm's story - whose stories interweave with the other main threads and contributing to the grand finale. Nearly everyone in the story is on some kind of journey.
I really enjoyed this one - the mystery, the writing, the characters. There is plenty of humor and wit as well as pathos and tragedy. I feel it did an excellent job of intertwining contemporary Appalachia as well as its folklore and history while creating an interesting, complex mystery/ghost story and likeable characters. The villains are recognizable and not front and center.
I give it 4.5 stars - I found the finale a tad over-orchestrated. McCrumb does a masterful job bringing all the threads together, and while I understand why there were so many to braid together at the end, I think it could have done with one or two less to avoid the ending looking contrived. This particular edition has a lot of wonderful additional materials.
cmbohn's review against another edition
5.0
Harm Sorley has gone a little crazy in prison. Either the alcohol or the confinement, mostly likely both, has got him confused about where - and when - he is. But not so confused that he couldn't escape and start heading for the only home he's ever known, in the country hills of Tennessee.
But much more time has passed than Harm realizes. His beautiful wife and baby daughter are almost 40 years older. The land has changed. And Harm himself has changed too.
His wife, remarried now to a 'respectable' sort of man, isn't afraid of him at all. But local law enforcement don't know whether to take his disappearance as a joke or a menace. They've got other things to deal with, like patrolling high school football games, dealing with domestic disputes, and personnel issues. And then some graduate student gets a goofy idea to trace the footsteps of a long-lost pioneer woman who escaped her Indian captors and made her way back home. His effort might have been helped if he hadn't packed everything he might possibly have needed and bought brand new hiking boots before he left.
I loved the way McCrumb wove all these separate strands into a rich and moving story. It really helped that I have seen this land, and hiked (OK, not for long!) along a part of the trail, and seen what the land has to offer. Poetic and tragic and suspenseful all at the same time. 5 stars.
But much more time has passed than Harm realizes. His beautiful wife and baby daughter are almost 40 years older. The land has changed. And Harm himself has changed too.
His wife, remarried now to a 'respectable' sort of man, isn't afraid of him at all. But local law enforcement don't know whether to take his disappearance as a joke or a menace. They've got other things to deal with, like patrolling high school football games, dealing with domestic disputes, and personnel issues. And then some graduate student gets a goofy idea to trace the footsteps of a long-lost pioneer woman who escaped her Indian captors and made her way back home. His effort might have been helped if he hadn't packed everything he might possibly have needed and bought brand new hiking boots before he left.
I loved the way McCrumb wove all these separate strands into a rich and moving story. It really helped that I have seen this land, and hiked (OK, not for long!) along a part of the trail, and seen what the land has to offer. Poetic and tragic and suspenseful all at the same time. 5 stars.
carolsnotebook's review against another edition
5.0
I loved it. It's a blending of Appalachia's present and its past, of the truth behind folk songs and the way the present often echoes the past. I love how all the characters lives intersect, how they interact with each other. Of course, maybe I just love stories about Appalachia.
I didn't know where to shelve it though, it's not a mystery, but it is; it's not a ghost story, but the ghost is important. I will definitely read more of the Ballad Novels.
I didn't know where to shelve it though, it's not a mystery, but it is; it's not a ghost story, but the ghost is important. I will definitely read more of the Ballad Novels.
laurabythebook's review against another edition
4.0
This was really good! The writing and narration sounded authentic and surprisingly like my Eastern Kentucky in-laws. Definitely plan on reading other books in the series.