The Ballad Of Tom Dooley (Ballad, #9( (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
Poorly written... What could have been a great story was not done well. There is not one sympathetic character in the entire book. None of the characters change at all throughout the book. There is much repetition which gets tedious. The passages told in the voice of the lawyer are repetitive and boring. The narrator, Pauline, is an odious character who is just plain mean and cruel, with nothing redeeming about her. This might have been ok if the author had ever shown how she got that way. But 3/4 of the way through the book, this still is unexplained. My only hope is that she ends up hanging for the crime -- but it probably won't happen since that's not what happened in the real life event on which the book is based. Growing up in North Carolina, I heard the song about "Tom Dooley" a lot, and have always been fascinated by the true story behind the song. Sharyn McCrumb does a good job with this historical fiction account of her theory of the motive behind the crime, and its instigator.I understand why she used the narrative around Gov. Zebulon Vance, Tom Dula's attorney, as a framing device for the story. He's more likable than the other narrator, who, without spoiling things, is not a very nice person. But, I found his sections to be repetitive, and not that interesting. I think this book could have used another round of editing.The author's note at the end is great, and helps to bolster the believability of the story she crafted.
What do You think about The Ballad Of Tom Dooley (Ballad, #9( (2011)?
I love these books. Sharyn McCrumb captures the South in shades of grey without stereotyping.
—kseniaKL
must have been pretty good, because I couldn't put it down once I opened it.
—Sarah
I love her historical fiction. She is a great appalachian writer.
—Master
I love the story told by a spiteful herion
—Anaatropicana
