I love all of McCrumb's ballad series. Not necessarily the best writing, nor the most intriguing mysteries, but the way that she weaves together the stories behind each of the folk ballads with the modern-time happenings is just...magic to me.

Not enough of the ghost, but some fascinating lore of the area. I'd never heard of the Melungeon ethnic group either!

An absolutely charming story about Appalachia, weaving history together with the present and giving a gorgeous portrait of life in one of the oldest and untouched parts of America.

I first read this when it was published in the early ‘90s, and I’m very happy to say it holds up. Atmospheric southern Gothic noir. The story is gripping. The writing is evocative. Characters that feel like real, lived-in people.

"Haunting terror and suspense" is written on the front cover of my copy of She Walks These Hills. In my opinion, this statement could not be further from the truth. In no sense did I find it terrifying. A ghostly apparition was mentioned a handful of times in passing, but nothing even remotely scary came of it. In short, I was expecting a frightening ghost story. Instead, I got a crime fiction... and a very good one! I found She Walks These Hills to be a captivating story that I couldn't help bu...

I love books with strong plots, and the architecture of McCrumb's novel has an admirable set of relationships between past and present. The foundation of her novel is based on the legend of Katie Wyler, an 18th century settler, captured and held by the Shawnee until she escaped and walked miles and miles home (roughly from Morgantown to Ashville)in hopes of reconnecting with her people. McCrumb juxtaposes this tale with several characters who live in Appalachia in the late 20th Century. Each con...

There are more people walking the woods of these hills than coyotes howling at the moon. Having walked some of the trails in the Appalachian Mountain region of our great country, it was a treat to recall my own appreciation for the beauty of this land. This story covers three different time periods. The ghost of Katie Wyler, a pioneer woman is from the late 1700's. We have Hiram (Harm) Sorley, a 65 year old escaped convict who's memory is stuck in the 1960's. Then comes present day with Jeremy C...

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'll admit to having been disappointed when McCrumb segued into her NASCAR books, but understand the desire to evolve. Of her many ballad books I loved this one most because of the way that she wove together the history, the mystery and the ghost stories. Beautifully written and a well made statement about women's roles in the past and present.

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...

This puts a realistic picture of Appalachian life for us who might want to think of it romantically.

I think I'd have to create another bookshelf to correctly categorize this one. It's a mix of mystery, history and some individual relationships - combining at least 4 different stories into a coherent, and for me, enjoyable & quite readable whole. The Katie Wyler story (history portion) seems very similar to the story in "Follow the River" (James A Thom, story of Mary Ingles.) All in all a good story and well told.

I cried at the end. This was an atmospheric tale and I loved it. My favorite character was Martha. I loved how the author fully emerges the reader in the folklore and the landscape and then, connects us with the characters. Once we're hooked, the action begins.Favorite passages:I loved the author's description of the landscape around Ashe Mountain in September, which places me right there in the midst of it all: "the sharp chill of the lengthening nights and the dulling of the asters as they shr...

“…She walks these hills in a long black veilShe visits my grave when the night winds wailNobody knows, nobody seesNobody knows but me…” ~~Songwriters: Danny Dill / Marijohn WilkinSung by Lefty FrizzellAn elderly man convicted of murderer escapes from prison, after 30 years of confinement, and heads to his home in a small Appalachia town. The ghost of Katie Wyler roams these same hills that the convict will be taking. Next, a college professor, who is writing a paper on Katie Wyler, is hiking the...

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This was an alright story. It is about many different people in a small town in the Appalations(sp?) and their connection to each other. There is an elderly escaped convict, a middle aged woman dispatcher who wants to be a deputy(and feels the need to explain this on every friggen level), a history Student who tries to walk the 200 year old trail of a girl who escaped the indians and maybe a ghost. There is also a of a radio dj(who really bugged me, but I don't like radio dj's so thats a Jessi t...

I originally read this as the Common Book for my freshman year in college. At the time, I was unimpressed in part because we read from a copy with a typical "supermarket" format that guided my expectations before I ever opened the book. To be honest, watching and hearing about McCrumb's interactions with people on campus didn't help.I recently read another of her books at the recommendation of a colleague and came back to this one because it seemed to fit some themes for a course I'll be teachin...

Gosh I love these! Just a damn good story with damn good writing!

The strength of this book is the author's obvious knowledge, and love for, Appalachia. Her vivid descriptions of the mountains and hollers, and her engrossing characters make you feel as if you've stepped out of your home and into a small town, deep in the mountains. I truly enjoyed getting to know the folks in Dark Hollow, Tennessee. (Particularly the DJ, "Hank the Yank" - he made me laugh out loud!)I give the book only 3 stars because the author's use of point of view during the story was not

An interesting story set in the Tennessee/North Carolina mountains about mountain living. I really liked the parallel stories of the young woman escaping from Indians in 1700's and the 60+ prison escapee. The story has many memorable characters which interweave into the main story. The few pages about the honor student who kills himself after a football game ties into the mountain mentality. The traditions concerning death, love, and life seem silly, but are essential to survival. Once I started...