She Walks These Hills

Wow! I don't remember when I have so enjoyed a book. Sharyn McCrumb wove a story that touched the very heart of Appalachia and it's people. She portrayed them not as ignorant hillbillies which is often the case, but as people that love their land, their stories, their songs and their culture. It's a story of mistakes, both old and present and how they overcame and learned from them. Read this book. I guarantee you won't be able to put it down.

Another of McCrumb's "ballad" series, featuring Sheriff Spencer Arrowood and his deputies Joe LeDonne (ex-Vietnam vet with lots of PSTD residuals) and Martha Ayers (who means to change the way things are done in the Hamelin, TN, sheriff's department). In this one, a 63-year-old convicted murderer with a mental disorder that affects his short-term memory, escapes after serving 25+ years of a virtual life sentence. Speculation runs high as to what his intentions are, as he wanders unfound through the Appalachian wilderness headed for "home" and the wife and baby daughter he thinks are still waiting for him in the holler where he left them. Lots of good stuff in here about hillbillies vs. town folk, Yankees vs. Southerners, men vs. women, show more the physical world vs. the spirit world, book-learning vs. common sense--all gently ensconced in a heck of a good story. And let's not leave out Nora Bonesteel, another of McCrumb's recurring characters. Nora knows things, because she sees things, and it's always best to listen to her. She isn't in this story much, but she's essential to it, and I really want to believe she's still living in that lovely house in the cove, waiting for the next person who needs her knowledge, compassion and Sight to come along. show less

She Walks These Hills is a hauntingly atmospheric blend of mystery and Appalachian folklore with a touch of the supernatural. I’ve always thought The Ballad of Frankie Silver was the strongest of author Sharyn McCrumb’s Ballad series but rereading this one made me change my mind.

I love a good mystery, I was born and raised in Appalachia, so how did I not discover Sharyn McCrumb until now? Thoroughly enjoyed this book. The details are spot on, from the hollers to the food.

These stories set in the Appalachian mountains are incredible! This one is about a certain stretch of the mountains that are haunted by an eighteenth century pioneer woman. The present day plot is set in this area, and the two times run parallel to each other. I find it hard to describe this since the concept is so unique, but I do know what I like, and I like these stories very much. I recommend that you begin with the first book and read in order (this is the third in the series). In this book we see Martha come into her own as she works as a deputy. She is on the trail of an elderly escaped convict and this man's path seems to cross with a bunch of other present day people, as well as the ghost of the eighteenth century woman. I know show more it sounds far-fetched, but believe me it is not. This book is incredibly well-written. show less

Summary from Sharyn McCrumb's web site

She Walks These Hills: An Introduction

She Walks These Hills is the story of mountain journeys, both literal and figurative. Charlotte Pentland's passion is the first Appalachian journey: that of the mountains themselves. Through a vein of the mineral serpentine that runs from the hills of Georgia up to Nova Scotia, she hopes to trace the mountains' kinship back across the ocean following the serpentine chain to its beginning, in the mountains of western Scotland. Scholarly research in a good place to hide from an unpleasant reality: that Charlotte's father is the escaped convict, even now wandering in the Appalachians.

Historian Jeremy Cobb is backpacking on the Appalachian Trail, attempting to show more retrace the tragic journey of Katie Wyler, who was kidnapped by the Shawnee in 1789, and who escaped, making her way home through hundreds of miles of wilderness. Jeremy has no trail experience, but he is determined to complete his scholarly quest or die trying. He doesn't know that the spirit of Katie Wyler is still seen wandering the hills, trying to get home. Mountain wise woman Nora Bonesteel sees her every autumn "when the air is crisp, and the light is slanted, and the birds are still."

Sheriff Spencer Arrowood feels sorry for Harm, imprisoned for life for killing a hated local bureaucrat. There is even some doubt about Harm's guilt. Besides, the elderly convict has Korsakov's syndrome, a side effect of chronic alcoholism that robs its sufferers of their recent memories. To Harm, it is always 1967. As the psychiatrist tells a deputy: "You may get this fellow out of the hills, but you'll never get him out of the past. He's got nowhere to go." Harm doesn't even remember the crime. He doesn't know he's an escaped convict. For Martha Ayers, who wants the job of deputy, catching Harm Sorely would be the best way to prove her fitness for the position.

Harm, an Appalachian Don Quixote on the edge of reality, meets both Jeremy and the still-wandering Katie Wyler on his journey back to a home that isn't there any more. He is the "last moonshiner," holding the dream of an unspoiled wilderness in the fragile web of his delusions. When he goes, it will be lost forever.

My Review

I had no idea what to expect going in to the this book. Was it a mystery? historical fiction? literary fiction? ghost story? I'm still not sure how exactly you would class this book but I do know it was a great story no matter where you shelve it.

The multiple story lines and characters made it difficult to really connect with any of the characters but that really didn't matter. The writing style is very lyrical which I sometimes find distracting but it really worked with this book.

The author had a habit of leaving cliffhangers everytime the character point of view changed making this a very difficult book to put down and a very quick read.

This is a difficult review to right because it's hard to summarize exactly why I liked this book. There was so much going on and the way all the plot lines ended up tying in together was really well done. All I can say is to just try the book and you'll see what I mean. show less

you often read MycCrumb as much for the mystery going down as for the historical story being told in the background, and watching the two of them interweave is always fascinating.