Meh.In a nutshell, this book is about how what goes around comes around; in the context of this novel, if you take someone's land, someone will eventually come and take your land (or the land of your future offspring). McCrumb uses the sad story of the Americas to illustrate a moral point, reaching back to Daniel Boone's days of European settlers stealing land from Native Americans (though somehow he's revered, right?) and following this thread to 20th century America, where a family -- presumably offspring of the aforementioned sticky-fingered settlers -- in Appalachian Tennessee is on the verge of having their farm "stolen" (read: bought for cheap) by a greedy developer.But there's more to the story than this, isn't there? Well, there is, but things become muddled. Just what is the point here? The moral lesson gets overshadowed by the story of an old, dying man who wants his four scattered (and, frankly, jerkish) sons to return to the family homestead and build his casket. Each son has a significant other, and trying to keep up with the plot lines of the four grown men, the women in their lives, the dying man, two little girls (one alive, one not), an old woman who has the gift of second sight, and the greedy land developer was a bit exhausting. Oh, I forgot: add to that list the old man and his daughter whose farm the developer wants to buy, Daniel Boone, and also a weird, out-of-place chapter from the point of view of Nancy Ward, an 18th/19th century Cherokee woman.I see what McCrumb was going for, I really do. I just would have preferred a more simple telling of the story, and for that matter, maybe less of the story: narrowing the focus instead of casting such a wide net. To me, the most interesting plot line revolved around the ghost girl and the circumstances surrounding her life and death. Come to think of it, why was that plot line even included? It was a thread that ran through the entire book, but honestly, if it had been left out, I don't think it would have mattered.I like spooky stories. I like stories about Appalachia. I like spooky stories about Appalachia, and I really wanted to like this book, but to me it was too disjointed. There's an awful lot going on, and I never knew where to "look," so to speak.
Sharyn McCrumb's "Ballad" novels, set in the Tennessee mountains, wonderfully blend the region's history and lore with modern day characters. In this novel, many old favorites appear, including Sheriff Arrowood and his mother Jane, and Nora Bonesteel. Nora is now in her later years, and "the sight" informs her that neighbor Randall Stargill, once her fiance, is dying. Reluctantly, Nora executes a long-delayed commitment, delivering a box to Randall's sons with the request it be buried with him. To the family's shock, the box contains the bones of a child.Interwoven with flashbacks of the lives of Randall and Nora are the stories of Randall's sons: Clayt, a nature lover and Daniel Boone re-enactor; Garrett, a soldier in the Army; Charles Martin, a country music star; and Robert Lee, car salesman and the eldest. Randall's last request was that his sons build for him a casket from rosewood stored in the barn. As they create their father's final resting place by hand, dramatic events unfold involving neighbor Dovey Stargill, childhood playmate, widow of a fifth Stargill brother, and suddenly a fugitive after she commits assault to prevent her father from being evicted from their farm. Dovey takes to the woods, but the law is out in force, and her journey leads her down the same path walked by the long-dead child.
What do You think about The Rosewood Casket (1997)?
A tinge of Gothic, but so much more than that. McCrumb gives us a lesson in the history of the local flora and fauna and how man in his thoughtless arrogance impacted it, destroying much of it and also bringing in importations, whether deliberately or incidentally, that either thrived in their own right or destroyed native habitat. The author also uses the old-timey legends that were brought in by the immigrants from the British Isles that colored their way of life, and gives us a strong history of the Appalachians.But the story itself is about modern day, the old families whose hardscrabble farming has now become impossible and who are beset by opportunists who wish to make a quick land grab and turn it into money. The loss of the rural economy forcing the young to leave and migrate to the big cities to make a living leaves gaping holes in the old mountain communities. Politics and governmental regulation that favor the rich and weaken the possibilities of the poor -- all these changing times and mores come down on the old families as they die out. There is a lot to think about while reading McCrumb's fine story.
—Shari
I was really disappointed in this book. It started out with a very intriguing premise, and the characters, at first, felt very realistic and with quite a lot of depth. But about halfway through, I realized that nothing was really going to happen plot-wise, and the one big "event" that does occur happens to one of the minor characters that I couldn't have cared less about. The book has meandering side steps, going into detail about things like the inner thoughts of a random paramedic or doctor treating a main character, which seemed to serve no purpose. The primary "mystery" of the story is only solved at the very end, and it's about what you'd expect. While the author does do a nice job of describing how beautiful this part of the country is, the story goes nowhere and has no real direction or purpose.
—Mary
I really liked this story. I loved the feel of the book--like I was sitting on the porch in a rocking chair watching the clouds in the sky, listening to an old southern grandmother tell the story. It just had a really pleasant, easy-going feeling. But it wasn't just a pleasant, easy-going book. The story really moved along and I was never bored or tempted to skim. I liked the flashbacks that interrupted the story for just a minute and told some of the backstory. Instead of just being distracting, they were a complete story in their own right, a story I wanted to hear more of. And parts of the story were harsh and forced me to face the worst in humanity. Some people didn't treat each other particularly well, which may have been a reflection of the hardness of life on the mountain. Other people were truly likable. I found myself rooting for them to survive and succeed.I liked the ending a lot. There was some sadness, but overall I think it was happily-ever-after. I'll definitely be reading more by Sharyn McCrumb and I'm hoping to run into some of the characters from this book again.
—Amy
