Reviews

The Unquiet Grave: A Novel by Sharyn McCrumb

sandygx260's review against another edition

4.0

My librarian recommend this book to me. What a sad, strange book, filled with incredible attention to detail and lyrical prose. At times there's too much emphasis on the 1930 tale and not enough of the Greenbriar Ghost tale set in 1897, but ultimately it comes together. By the book's end I was crying... the story sneaks up on you and stabs you in the heart.

I need to check out more of McCrumb's tales.

kim_holloway's review

5.0

This is the story of a ghost, a murder trial, and a mother's love and unrelenting search for justice for her daughter. Though the events of the novel, based on the true story of the Greenbrier Ghost of West Virginia, took place in the late 1800s, the issues McCrumb explores are still relevant in early 21st century. In this novel, McCrumb explores gender roles, racial inequality, and social/class issues, highlighting the fact that we have not yet solved these problems that we have always grappled with. McCrumb often uses a quote from Shakespeare that defines her novels: "What's past is prologue." As with her other novels, most notably The Ballad of Frankie Silver and Ghost Riders, McCrumb demonstrates the proof of this statement.