She Walks These Hills

This is my first exposure to author Sharyn McCrumb, and she has a narrative style that is riveting. Great characters, showing strengths & weaknesses, like normal people. Add a touch of supernatural Appalacian folklore, and McCrumb's wonderful characters take off. Characters like Harm Sorley, Hank the Yank, Nora Bonesteel, Jeremy Cobb and, especially, Deputy Martha Ayers, were individually as different as they come, but they all managed to touch each other's lives as the story progressed. This is my idea of a real page-turner; I enjoyed it very much.

WOW! That's about how I feel about this novel written by Sharyn McCrumb. Of all the books I've read of late, this has to be one of the very best. I wish I could give it a 10 rating. The book was loaned to me. "Read this, I think you'll like it." Well, she was right. I didn't just like it. I loved it. Being of Cherokee decent, and knowing a little about the Appalachia area, naturally that sparked my interest. Being a native of the area, McCrumb has done a wonderful job with this novel. She mastered the plot, the characters, the dialogue and ME. I couldn't put the book down. I'm putting McCrumb at the top of my list as one of my favorite authors. The research and persons involved made this book everything that it is. My hat is off to McCrumb. Without further ado, I'm off to the library to gather another novel she's written. Take my advice and get a copy of this book. You'll see what I mean.

She Walks These Hills is another excellent book in the Appalachian series by Sharyn McCrumb. She again combines two stories - one in the present and one in the past along with a pinch of a ghost story, culminating in an overall satisfying novel.This installment tells of the stories of Harm Sorley, an escaped murderer in the Appalachian area, a college professor following the trail of Katie Wyler, a pioneer woman trying to get to her home in 1799, and Hank the Yank, a bodacious radio personality who tries to get into both these stories. I will not give the ending away as some reviewers did, but you need to read this book to get the full flavor of the area and the era. How do these three characters intertwine with each other - both from the past and present? It is up the reader to find out in this thrilling novel.

This book was my introduction to Sharyn McCrumb, and I'm definitely partial to the Appalacian series. This was a haunting, unforgettable story that drew you in, not just to the story itself, but to the people and characters. It reads easily, and you don't want to put it down because you just NEED to know what's gonna happen. I love the way Ms. McCrumb tells two stories in parallel, and the way that the two stories seem to come together, although they are more than 100 years apart.

I have recently discovered Sharyn McCrumb and don't know how I managed to overlook her novels all these years. In the past 3 weeks I have read 3 of her Appalachian novels. Most recently I read She Walks These Hills in 2 days. I could not put it down. Spencer Arrowood comes alive as the sheriff and I enjoy finding out more about the people of that area of the country. I am also intrigued by the remnants of English and Celtic customs in the people of the Appalachians. Ms. McCrumb writes very well, develops her characters in a way that you wish you could actually meet them and have them as your neighbors. Needless to say, I will be reading more and more of these wonderful novels. They are as colorful as country quilts.