Tennessee Books

Hooks and Schmidt have written the definitive history of the Little River Railroad and Lumber Companies with Whistle Over the Mountain. Hooks has spent most of his 80 years researching the natural and human history of the Smokies. Packed with maps and vintage photos. This has become our "Bible" here at the Little River Museum in Townsend, and is a must for any railroad, logging or hiking fan. Beautifully designed and very well written.

This book made me immediately drive to the Smokies and search out the many logging camps described in great detail. Bill Hooks makes this book a "must have" for the Smoky Mountain Hiker types. The information on the ancient town of Elkmont was fantastic. I will be using this book along with my trail maps to find the many 'turn-of-the-century' archaeological spots tucked away in the National Park.

Dave Foster Wallace urged writers to eschew irony. I feel the same way, and the reason is that for irony to have its effects the society at large must have a solid moral center of good permeating though it, like it did even after the first world war, although that center was by then seriously deteriorating. Then, when one reads a book like this, one clearly understands and is not afraid to feel the irony of this book; its amoral characters, and its nihilistic portrait.

By 2008, that center is nowhere to be found, and hence readers look for something else in any book; sympathize with the characters, to get something warm and true in the positive sense from the experience, to "enjoy" books, rather than learning a dry lesson (the spare prose helps) in the negative.

These are atrocious characters. All of them, even Cohn to whom the center of good gravitates simply because he is an old world degenerate rather than a new world one. You don't go around beating people up.

I don't know how clear I was in expressing my thoughts, but I feel that irony in writing has outlived its usefulness.

This is an old classic. The re-read was worth it. I noted interesting parallels with the author's (Hemingway's) real life. The descriptions of the fishing expedition in the Pyrenees was particularly good. It's still a worthwhile read, but that is the definition of a classic.

A timeless classic -- that still moves me, even now - years after my first reading!

I'm 47 years old, have read thousands of books, and until this week had never read Hemingway. It was only finding myself out of town without a book that I snatched up my high school son's edition of The Sun Also Rises.

This is a very well written, relatively short novel which takes about five hours to finish at a leisurely pace. I must say, that for the first 50 pages or so, I was not impressed. Not a whole lot going on and what was happening didn't exactly get the heart racing. As the characters in the book relocated from Paris to Pamplona, however, I started to become engrossed in the story. I found myself reading later into the night, not feeling sleepy at all and not wanted to leave the story.

The novel follows a group of American and British expatriates in the interwar years (1920s) as they loll around and party their way through France and into Spain for the Festival of San Fermin in Pamplona. The characters are predominantly alcohol soaked wastrels whose life consists of drinking, eating, drinking, passing out, drinking, going to bull fights, drinking, eating, passing out, drinking and doing a little fishing on the side.

It is a tribute to the beautiful, highly descriptive writing of Hemingway that such a backdrop can be crafted into an entertaining read, but I must say he pulls it off. This novel has certainly motivated me to read more Hemingway.

I had mixed feelings about this one. It starts off a little choppy and the characters are hard to differentiate at first. Worse, most of the people in this book aren't all that likeable - they bicker continually and are often cruel to each other and everyone else they encounter (and some of them definitely express some anti-Semitic or racist sentiments.) With all that being said, though, the story and characters eventually come into focus, and I thought it turned into a fairly convincing account of disconnection, evasion, longing, disillusionment, and emotional pain. There's also a certain atmosphere that develops as the characters move through Spain drinking and fishing and sleeping with each other and fighting with each other and going to the bullfights. All of it began to feel very real to me, and I did start to feel sympathy for certain characters. Somehow the last line of the book hit me pretty hard and dramatically improved the way I felt about the entire story. I didn't like this one nearly as much as Old Man and the Sea, but the feel of the book still lingers with me.

If you've read any of the other reviews before this one, then you know the story behind this book. If you haven't read any other reviews, then don't until you read this book.

I was leading a group of advanced readers in my 3rd grade class and this was one of the books the librarian recommended. Being that I was teaching in a Christian school, I had to read the book first to make sure it was appropriate. I began by simply skimming it which lasted maybe a paragraph before I was totally taken in by the story. I finished the story four hours later in the middle of the night. I could not put it down. The book moved me so intensely that I immediately went to the computer to research the author and find any other works. What I found literally caused me to grieve. I was hurt and felt betrayed. There I go, almost ruining it!

But instead of telling you everything involved in this drama, I recommend that you read the book. I went on to read the book with my ninth grade literature class two years in a row. It was too mature for the third graders and the older kids were reading modern works. It was one of the most powerful lessons I have ever given.

The background and spectacle caused by this book is a perfect example of the ad hominem fallacy. An individual's personal choices do not necessarily make their work null and void. I had my students fall in love with this book before I gave them the background of its author. Most of them came to the same conclusion: this man was changed somewhere along the way. Whatever he was in previous years, he had had an experience that gave him the ability to touch our lives in such a powerful way that he MUST have been changed. But the argument rages on.

I encourage you to read it for yourself and allow it to teach you. Though it is not a Christian book, it has much truth in it that is borrowed from a Christian worldview. Much of it is even prophetic in a very convicting sense for Christians. It helps us look in the mirror to see ourselves anew.

I quoted this book extensively in my podcast, Christian With A Brain. It set the tone for a discussion I did on Understanding the Atheistic Heart. Don't let the drama scare you off, this book is well worth reading.

Nutshell review - Not withstanding the controversy surrounding the authenticity of the story and author, there are two ways to read this story; (1) with your mind, or (2) with your heart. The first way will gain you little. The second way will truly touch you.

Some of the reviewers here seem unfamiliar with Cherokee History. Forrest Carter was of Cherokee ancestry and was a fiery Southerner with racist views. These facts are not so mutually exclusive as one would assume. The Cherokee nation was allied with the Confederate States during the war. Colonel(later General) Stand Watie led the Cherokee Mounted Rifles. Aside from the Cherokee, there were Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Seminole tribes fighting with the Confederates as well. So you see, Forrest Carter (or Asa if you like) was more than likely a product of his times. Not an evil man, just wrong. But he did write a great book.

I first read this 20 years ago, before I "knew" the author's history. I loved it. I just re-read it with my 10-year-old. (Beware, adult language and material. We probably should have waited a year or two.) Now I know about the author. And I still love this book. The author may have been a drunk and may have done some awful things, but this is a beautful and wonderful book and I can't find any racism or anti-semitism in it. I'm Jewish and appreciated the author's head-on confrontation of a common sterotype. Perhaps in his writing he tried to make up for what he did in his public life? Who knows, but I believe your life will be enriched by reading this book.

A 5-year old orphan named Little Tree is raised by his Cherokee Grandma and Grandpa in a small mountain home during the days of the Depression. Little Tree learns about the Cherokee tribe and history. He also learns about the importance of love and respect for the land. His grandparents struggle to survive under difficult conditions however they show incredible compassion and love as they raise Little Tree. There is considerable debate over whether this book is fiction or non-fiction. Whatever it happens to be, this is good heartwarming story that is worth reading and having your children read.

One of the best historical fiction stories I have read. i lived in Franklin, Tennessee and to envision the locations described in the book was quite entertaining. It rates up there with other Civil War stories such as ASIN:0312426933 The Judas Field: A Novel of the Civil War, ASIN:0345422473 Gods and Generals and ASIN:0345444124 The Killer Angels.

It was difficult for me to believe that this fine historical novel was a debut effort. Then I did a little research and learned that Robert Hicks has a musical background. Add an obvious passion and knowledge for the subject to his lyrical ear, and you have a symphony. I'm really looking forward to his next one--not only because he's such a fine writer, but I'm curious if he'll be able to handled a different subject with equal dexterity.

....from which you need to read the Epilogue first. Otherwise, you may have trouble separating fact from fiction. And this is NOT the place for me to defend General John Bell Hood against Wiley Sword's lies; Mr. Hicks avoided that necessity. The Battle of Franklin of November 30, 1864 was quite real...9,000 Americans dead in about four hours; [What would the press make of that now]? Carnton Plantation is real....I bought my copy of this book there, I've seen the blood still soaked into the floors, and walked thru the cemetery. Sacred Ground. Carrie McGavock was real, as were her family, and her slave Mariah. Carrie really did wear black, and really did live out her days caring for the cemetery, though she was only an actual "widow" for her last few years, she really did carry the title of the book. Nathan Bedford Forrest was certainly real, but he only gets two small cameos, the second of which is fiction, and the first may be, too. The rest.......

...is a work of fiction. Zachariah Cashwell and Nathan Stiles are nobody in particular, and thus stand-ins for everybody. The romance between Carrie and Zachariah is certainly fabricated. The story of how the cemetery got to Carnton is "fiction" in the sense that it's condensed to make it flow easier, with made-up characters to move the action....

I don't read "romance novels", but the circumstances on this one were different. I shall mention another book sold at Carnton..."For Cause and For Country", by Eric Jacobson, who, like Mr. Hicks, works there. Don't buy it unless you're serious: for me it was a page turner [stomach turner, too, in spots]....for others it may be merely 500 pages of small print. But, it's the REAL story of General Hood's Tennessee Campaign of fall, 1864. Not a whitewash of our great and maligned General, but not Wiley Sword's tapestry of lies, either. Mr. Hicks calls THIS book the fiction it is....

I absolutely loved this book and can't wait to visit the actual site. If made into a movie, this story would equal Cold Mountain's fame. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves history and the south.

Never would I have thought anyone could write this well about such a devastating battle. I had previously read of the battle at Franklin, but this novel adds the necessary context to many of the events that took place. A great deal of research and thought went into writing this well, and the author is to be highly commended for his work!

I originally read this book upon checking it out at the library. However, I simply enjoyed reading it so much, it became necessary to purchase a copy for myself. There are so many new insights to be gained upon reading a book the second and third time. I felt this was one of those books. I will ALWAYS treasure this novel as it speaks to the very human and caring side of everyone's character...

I enjoyed "Crazy Ladies". It was written in a style I like. Different characters get a chance to narrate so you are able to get other points of view on certain events.Also I like novels that extend through the years. You get to see how characters grow up and what happens to them later on in life.
The hippie stuff and anti-Vietnam was a little overdone, but other than that, I really liked this book.

This is my first MLW book and I'll hunt for more. I just moved from TN (a 30 yr native!) this summer to Chicago. I wanted to read something that reminded me of home and I got it. This book has everything and I laughed outloud several times. I could perfectly envision her characters. You'll love this book whether you're from the south or not. It's a genuinely good book. Your "hunger" for a good book will be satisfied after reading this one.

If you have not yet treated yourself to a Michael Lee West novel, then you are in for a surprise and delight! All of her books are THE BEST. This is the first one I found and I was hooked on the first page.

Crazy is what this book is! It is rich with a great story line, full of fun and surprises. The people are "true" people who you will fall in love with. The old Southern charm rings true here.

I hated to see this one end. Check out the rest of Ms. West's books; they are pure gold.

CRAZY LADIES would also make a great movie. The only problem with this book was that it ended. For me, it could have gone on and on and on ----------

Do yourself a favor and read this one. You will be glad you did.

"Crazy Ladies" had me temporarily rearranging my priorities and putting other things aside in order to get back to this book every chance I got. Not like me, but I don't regret a minute of it. The only downside is that now I'm finished with it and I don't want to be!

The very best thing about this book is the natural voices of the characters. I should know - I grew up and live in the same area where this story and its characters live. Not surprisingly, since Ms. West was living in this area too when she wrote "Crazy Ladies", the dialect is perfect -- genuinely colorful without being pretentious or overbearing. How refreshing!

Normally, for reasons I've never figured out, I don't like stories told in first person. This one is told in the voices of six first persons, and I loved it, probably because each one tells her part/side of the story without pontificating or rambling. Instead the story is woven together like 6 colors into one tapestry. It makes the story move along which is part of what kept me hooked.

This book has a Fannie Flagg feeling to it, but with a little less escapism and a little more real life. If you like Fannie Flagg's work, though, I can't imagine your not liking "Crazy Ladies".

From the beginning, you'll be swept up into the events of the characters' individual and collective lives, through developments banal and dramatic. Ms. West's development of her characters and the settings is phenomenal, and I'm delighted to learn she's written more including what is apparently a sequel to "Crazy Ladies". As soon as I finish this review, I'm going to order that one, and probably more!

A shocking incident in the early days of her marriage in the 1930's, forces Miss Gussie along a certain path in life, where she does what she has to in order to protect herself and her family. The story then follows the lives of her daughters and two more generations after that. We meet the plain ones, the pretty ones, the jealous and the open hearted in a story which connects the generations in a very real way which I enjoyed enormously and would thoroughly recommend to anyone looking for a light, entertaining read about women with strong character, for better or worse. This is M/s West's first novel so I look forward to finding more recent ones.

First of all Marvin isn't the one reading the Black Rose it is me Jackie and I am loving it. But you see I had already read the first and last in the Trilogy, so I am finding out things I didn't know about when I read the 3rd book. I had gotten the firs two in a used book shop and had to order this one. I love Nora Roberts books. I am also reading some of her books under the name J.D.Robb. This is probably more info than you wanted. Jackie in Cushing, OK.

THE BLACK ROSE is the second in the garden series. It mixes botanicals with southern culture and the paranormal.

The setting is a centuries-old mansion just outside of Memphis and comes with its very own ghost. And now love will blossom between Rosalind Harper and Dr. Mitchell Carnegie. I liked the twist and turns of this book.

Still...

Preference wise, I liked BLUE DAHLIA better. Both are great reads. It just Stella and her hunky babe are who I really fell in love with.

I love N.R's Trilogies. This is one of my favorite. I OVER LOVE the Three Sister's Island trilogy, my most favorite of all.

In this one, we continue with a ghost haunting... it takes the lives/loves of three fabulous couples to find the answers to Who? What? Where? When? and How? Kinda like a mystery within a romance.

I am not big into mysteries, cuz I am a romantic at heart, so the mystery does not overshadow the romanace and gives a little intrigue.... I DID enjoy this haunting.

You started with Stella in Book 1 "Blue Dahlia", widow and mother of two boys, who finds Logan; Now we continue on with Roz and Mitch, 40's, three grown boys and the 'matriarch' in this storyline. No, not the mother but the one who brings the 3 women together in her fabulous home and creates a sisterhood/family throughout this trilogy.
Roz is the woman we all wish we could be. Strong, brave, smart, and respected in all manner of speaking. She now must work with Mitch to further the search in the mysterious ghost "Amelia" as she falls in love with Mitch in the subtle gentleness of middle-age, HA! 40's.. and I'm almost 50, what am I talking about.

The intensity of the storyline continues and the lives blend further. It's a "can't put this down" book.

The storyline will end with Hayley, young pregnant and brave, who struggles with herself before she falls for Harper.

Be sure you have "Red Lily" ready to go after this book, b/c you'll read right thru the end of the trilogy.

I absolutely LOVED David in here as well, and wish there had been a storyline for him that ended in a romance as well.

This is not the first time I have read this trilogy. I keep and reread these stories every few years. I never want to put the books down.

Great read, but plan for a full week of reading if you have all 3 books in this trilogy.

This book was a little slower to take off then "Blue Dahlia" but I liked this story better. It kept me entertained most of the time and I enjoyed learning more about who the ghost used to be.

This story is about Roz who is once widowed and once divorced. After seeing what happened with Stella and the ghost a little less then a year ago decides to hire someone to help research her family history. Dr. Mitchell Carnagie is the one hired for this task, and as they spend more time together the feelings begin to develop. As their feelings grow stronger, the ghost (a.k.a. the Harper Bride) makes her feelings known too.

I liked the interaction between Roz and her ex-husband, it certainly had some good moments as well as bad. With Harper and Hayley you read about more of the bond that they share and I look forward to reading "Red Lily". I enjoyed this book.

Roz Harper is a loving and kind, but fiercely protective of those she loves. When the Harper House resident ghost known as the Harper Bride starts terrorizing those she loves, Roz decides it is time for some answers. The Harper Bride who has never brought harm to anyone in the house before is now pulling all the stops out.

Dr Mitchell Carnagie is hired to delve into history to discover what happened in the past. When he sees first hand the terror at the house, he decides immediately to learn more. As he spends more time at Harper House, Mitchell finds himself drawn to Roz. He finds her strength, beauty, and vulnerability to be a potent combination he can't resist. When Mitch and Roz decide to explore their special connection, again the ghost vehemently protests.

As more is revealed about the Harper Bride, it is disclosed her name is Amelia. Mitch learns more about Amelia through old books and photographs. The more they all learn, the more disturbing the story becomes.

Great second book of the series. I didn't think it was possible, but this book surpassed the first.

Small Town Girl is easy and feel-good reading capturing many of the general feelings and emotions of the reader.

Perfect for inclusion in your holiday leasure reading.

I also liked "Then Came Heaven", but the "hero" in that was a janitor, which I found to be a turn-off. I don't mean to sound like a snob, it's just the way I feel.

Anyway, though romance novels have never been my thing (I like romance in my books, I just don't care for it to be the sole focus--I only read romances with the frequency that I do now because I want to learn how to write them as they sell five times more than all other genres combined), I loved this one, and since the last time I've read this, I've developed an appreciation for the romance novel, if not a great love for them.

Though I don't care for the new country music, I do like some of the old stuff, and I was excited when Poplar Bluff, Missouri (my birthplace and where I spent many summers as a little girl with my grandparents and other extended family), was mentioned.

But, those aren't the only reasons.

I thought Ms. Spencer did a good job with character development, for though the story wasn't anything new, I grew to love the people (or dislike them).

Though I understand Faith's (Kenny's girlfriend's) dilemma, being a Catholic and not being able to marry a divorced man (so it's better to just shack up with him???), I can't feel that sorry for her when she loses Kenny to Tess, because, as Kenny says, "Don't you realize how ridiculous it sounds that I've been dating you for half my life?" (This is not an exact quote, but something like it.) I was a little annoyed that Kenny and Tess couldn't wait until they got married to have sex--not a very good example to set in front of Casey, even if they were engaged, because engagements can be broken more easily than a marriage can be dissolved.

I really didn't see anything wrong with Tess not wanting to have children. I think it's wonderful that she loves Casey as her own. Not every woman needs a bear a child (nor a man) to feel fulfilled and if she does, then that isn't healthy, because her happiness is dependent upon someone else. Whether childless (not by choice) or childfree (by choice). We can all contribute to the world in a myriad of other ways--not just as a mother, but as a daughter, a sister, a wife, a granddaughter, an aunt, a niece, a good friend, or just a very good person.

Tess is a strong woman (weak women make boring heroines), and Kenny is a good man (though one can understand Faith feeling duped, even if they were just "dating"--they weren't even living together). I really believe Faith's pride was hurt more than her heart was broken, and I think Kenny felt this, too.

I am also glad Ms. Spencer made Tess a size 10 instead of something ridiculous (not to mention unattainable for some), like a size 2.

I just found this book when I was moving stuff out of storage. It's been in storage for at least 3 years and I guess I've owned it since it was first published in 1997. I have no idea why I never read it before this! It was fun, romantic, sincere and just portrayed many very charming people. I am now going to find some more books by LaVyrle Spencer and read them!

This story, I confess, I rented as an audiotape read by Melissa Manchester. In fact, I think the only reason I liked it at first is because Manchester is such a talented narrator. The story itself started out okay, but it was a cliche' romantic comedy--the kind Lifetime will probably make into one of their worse movies down the line. Tess McPhail, country star who comes home for a month to look after a mama with a bad hip for a month in a small town, falling in love with the next door neighbor she tortured in high school and helping his talented daughter to become a success in Nashville? This plot is so unbelievable, thin, and hokey that Britney Spears could use it as a smutty getup for one of her concerts.

Sure, I laughed a few times, but it was like the cliche' romance crap that only jello queens and teenagers unaffected by the cruelty of life can appreciate all the way through. Even Manchester was laughing during her narration where she shouldn't have been, and I wondered how much they paid her to read the book all the way through. I don't think it was enough, or they wouldn't have left her laughter in. I don't even like current country music, so that probably didn't help anything, but I was impressed by Spencer's knowledge of show business and the recording process itself.

That doesn't excuse the fact that the characters are mostly cardboard cutouts of movies and novels you've read or seen over and over, and you can predict the outcome right from chapter uno. If some idiot who picked on me in high school expected me to fawn all over them and got mad because they're some dare-da-dare-yeehaw millionaire, I would laugh at them so hard and torture them back every chance I got. I wouldn't roll around in the grass with them and cheat on someone who's been with me for 8 years!

The last two chapters made me sick when they were fooling around in the hotel, and then the wedding itself? This book was cornier than a farmer's field in July, and the plot was so silly and juvenile that it's incomprehensible to accept the fact that a fully grown woman wrote it. I was humiliated to have it in my possession, but not as embarrassed as Spencer should be for having written it.

I started reading LaVyrle Spencers books by accident. There were some books being given away in the break room at work and I thought the book was 'The Blessing' rather it was 'Family Blessings'. I WAS HOOKED!!! I finished this book ('Small Town Girl') last night and it was WONDERFUL!! I was sucked in and could not stop reading!! I was rooting for Tess and Kenny and wanted Faith to bow out gracefully!! If you like Country Music, Romance, and Family....you'll love this book!!

All of McCarthy's writing is at times disturbing, but this book is perhaps the most twisted of the six I have read. The main character is a Tennessee hermit, Lester Ballard, similar to though less refined than McCarthy's Cornelius Suttree. In the beginning of the book, Ballard is evicted from his land and takes up residence in an abandoned house in the woods, then later in a cave. He roams the woods like a specter, hunting rifle under his arm, scavenging for discarded items he can use in his home. During one of these wanderings, he comes across a dead man and woman in a parked car. He carries the woman's body back to his home and keep her for carnal purposes. CHILD OF GOD is probably the most unsettling book I've read since A.M. Homes' The End of Alice. Part of what makes the book so difficult to read is that McCarthy's writing, like Homes', is so strong. It legitimizes the depravity of the story in a way that other writers couldn't. The book never feels shocking for the sake of shock. And although there are no truly likable characters in the book, Ballard is certainly memorable. And if there is a theme, it is that societies create their own own depravity when they cast out and neglect its citizens, as we are all born children of God.

Cormac McCarthy may be the most important writer around these days. All of his works exude their own unique brilliance, causing readers to struggle for stopping points. "Child Of God" is an earlier masterpiece laying the groundwork for his future works. Lester Ballard loses his home to auction and is forced to rough it in a dilapdated cabin in the woods outside of town. Inside, his vagrant mind begins to lust for his strange obsessions. One day he stumbles upon a dead couple in a wrecked car and stumbles into necrophelia. Before long he takes to roaming the woods and seeking new victims, all the while lusting for revenge upon the people who moved into his old home.
This is the simple explanation for a deep, and disturbing tale of the wants and needs of a twisted, tormented mind. "Child Of God" is a fantastic read and one in a line of McCarthy classics!

First of all, this is a very dark book, creepy and depressing throughout!

The book centers around a lonesome man by the name of Lester Ballard, he's a little bit (Hannibal Lecter) and a little bit (Ed Gein). Lester finds a dead girls body, instead of telling someone, he takes her home. After the first one, Lester can't stop!

The story in "Child of God" takes awhile to really get going, but the last half of the book is a page turner!

Highly recommended to all McCarthy fans!

Amazingly this McCarthy book was written in 1973! Wow!

Great short read that takes you to a dark, dark place!

I love horror of any kind; novels, short stories, movies, you name it. Being from Tennessee, I'm especially drawn to "rural legends" about backwoods boogie men that you often wonder are or aren't lurking somewhere off in the woods beyond your back doorstep.

My first McCarthy book was "Blood Meridian", which I devoured this past spring. I say devoured as it totally consumed my reading time but took some three weeks to finish. While reading novels, especially longer ones, I dabble in a short story or two along the way. That was not the case with "Blood Meridian", it consumes you and I found myself doing extra research about the locales and peoples it mentioned. At times, with the inclusion of Spanish and a variety of not-everyday-use words, it was a tough though very rewarding read and it's ending will chill you to the bone.

"Child of God" has all of the greatness that is McCarthy but it a much more digestible pill. The expertly crafted prose drip with poetics while communicating exactly what the reader needs to know to picture a scene. Many authors try this and all you're left with is watercolor gobbledygook. The blurb on the front cover says "demands its reader's attention from the opening sentence" and quite honestly there is no better one sentence summation.

The novel narrates the sordid and assorted episodes of Lester Ballard, a nare-do-well inhabiting East Tennessee's mountainous region. Some of the things Lester gets away with boggle the mind but you learn that there may be divine, or infernal, powers at work. Often, there is a dreamlike quality to many of the tales and in every case each character jumps to life in your very living room. There is humor, sometimes blackened, and there is small town life in a nutshell, and there is enough horror to make Edward Lee have convulsions.

I didn't do any research while reading this particular McCarthy novel but I wonder if this could be another story based on the exploits of Ed Gein, ala Pyscho and the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Rest assured the details are not gratuitous, just enough so you get the picture. While I love the above mentioned films/book, what separates McCarthy from them is his lyrical prowess, his gift for words. John Gardner, in his book "The Art of Fiction", discusses the idea of elevating the popular. By this, he means taking something within popular culture and turning it into a work of art. To my mind, this is exactly what you have with McCarthy and "Child of God". He has taken a gruesome event in history, one that had already been exploited (for lack of a better term) before, and combined it with his lyrical prowess to create a highly literate work of utmost horror.

This is only the second McCarthy book I have read. I can safely say it and "Blood Meridian" are resting at the foremost position on my list of favorite books of all time. Have a read, and see if it doesn't merit a place on yours.

If you found the minimal, bleak, tone-poem style and sometimes-horrific subject matter of The Road to your liking, then you can do no better than to turn to this early McCarthy tale, written in 1973.

Here the protagonist is some kind of freaky, Southern gothic nutjob, with a penchant for bizarre and/or murderous activities amid the locals. It's evident from the very first page that Cormac is a master storyteller with a highly unique style, although his roots do include Faulkner among others.

This is an excellent airplane book, short, portable, and something that can be finished on a single trip. But I wouldn't call it beach reading.

As a ghost novel, this is fair. Not spectacular, but fair.

Any student of history would be skeptical of any claim that the book is from an original manuscript written so many years ago--it is too full of anachronisms and figures of speech which are 20th century. As a student of history, I had a hard time suspending disbelief, but when I did, I was somewhat entertained.

One of the better Bell witch books i have read.There are some really bad ones . We Tennesseans like our Bell Witch stories.

This story is dull and slow-moving at times, it is a worthwhile endeavor to muddle through till the end. Written about a "haunting" of the 1800's, this book is written in the literary style of that time. Sometimes, that could prove trying to some readers. This book is worth the extra effort.

Betsy is haunted by a ghost. The people of the time, the 1800's, believe it is a result of a curse placed on her when her father had a land dispute with a neighbor woman. Throughout the book we follow all the details of the haunting, as well as the town's reaction to it. It isn't until the very end, that the true reason for the "haunting" is revealed. The ending is a shocker, but satisfying.

This narration, written by Betsy's husband to their daughter, reveals the details of her mother's haunting. With the text of this book, Betsy's father also left a statement explaining that the book must be opened and read if her mother began to again show signs of the "haunting". This serves as the prologue of the book.
The haunting of Betsy is written vividly, with colorful descriptions and settings. The characters are well-developed, and the reader actually falls in love with Betsy's sweet and devoted husband.

On the surface, this story doesn't seem very spooky ... until something in the text reminds you that it is not a historical novel. This is a journal of paranormal events that truly happened ... and it stays with you.

This was the best fiction chiller I have read all year. You never can quite tell whether it is fiction or fact. Chilling tale with a good twist at the end.

I had no idea what order these books came in so I just took what was there and dove right in. I remember Kay Hooper from her Romance days, but this was so much better than any of those. Hooper has a great sense of timing in her writing and that makes it easy to keep on going.

I listened to the unbridged audio and found myself so intrigued by the story that I kept sitting in the car in parking lots because I didn't want to stop the flow.

The paranormal aspect of this is so good that it makes your skin crawl. I love that in a creepy book. I also love the way, Hooper can make characters so likeable that you feel as if you know them.

I love the way everything just weaves around together to hold you tight. Loved this book.

Product was in good condition, plays well, was received in the time it said it would be.

Excellent book, suspenseful, a definite page turner. This is yet another one of a series of "Fear" books by Kay Hooper. She continues to be one of my favorite authors as each book I read delivers intrigue, the paranormal, along with a bit of romance. Her portrayal of characters make them come to life, and you cannot help but cheer for them. Received in perfect condition, and quick and easy transaction.

Kay Hooper continues to be one of my favorite authors. Once I pick up one of her books, I cannot put it down until the last page. Great read

The spooky and eerie book'll keep you reading with out any inkling of what'll be written in the next page. The problem is the end. With this amazing story you'll expect an excellent end and here I think that KH just wanted to end the book without thinking too much, that was a big flaw.