I've read about 6 Sharyn McCrumb books, and I must say, this is my favorite one. I love history, and my husband's family comes from the part of NC where this is set, so I found it especially interesting. It is definitely more history than fiction, but she writes it very well and she drew me into the characters and the battle. I had a hard time putting it down. Yes, it takes awhile to get to the actual battle, and the build up apparently was tedious to some readers, but, as another reviewer commented, one of Ms. McCrumb's points is that there is a lot of tedium in war. While this book seems to have disappointed other Sharyn McCrumb fans, it has actually made me respect her more and want to continue to read her work. If you are more into fiction than history, this may not be the book for you, but I loved it. McCrumb is one of my favorite authors, and I especially enjoy her Ballad novels. This book is about the American Revolution, and for me, it was heavy on war details and light on the interactions between the characters. Sharyn McCrumb always describes the Appalachian scenery very well, the dialog is perfect, and the character development leaves you feeling as if you really knew these people. Maybe I didn't enjoy it as much because it's about war, or maybe she held back a bit because she was writing about historical figures. Either way, this is a good book, but (in my opinion) not her best.
Do You like book King's Mountain (2013)?
Just couldn't do it. 1/2 way through- loved the story but not the writing. oh well.. ONWARD
—AEee
I just couldn't get into this one, I usually enjoy her books. I may try it again later.
—Camille
Really enjoyed reading about a piece of history I hadn't heard before.
—flyingturkey
I love her writing, but can't seem to get into her historical novels.
—toonerdyforyou
