Read Online Foggy Mountain Breakdown Curated By Sharyn McCrumb Contained In Paperback
had been introduced to Sharyn McCrumb through the haunting and mysterious Holmesian pastiche "The Vale of the White Horse", The way she had fused myth into everyday life as well as her superb characterisations had made that pastiche superior to many others, That had driven me to get hold of her first collection of short stories, And here we are!
First of all, McCrumb's characters and dialogues are sharp and realistic here as well, Those who wish to see the Appalachian settings and the people of those parts come alive, would really enjoy the book,
Secondly, these are solid short stories, with a healthy dose of dark humour, rather than mysteries or other works of genre fiction,
Unfortunately, the book has been seriously compromised by the nanosized font and dirty paper that has become even shabbier over the past two and half decades, That made reading the book a real chore,
Otherwise, a good collection of short stories, Recommended. Absolutely smashing collection of stories, I liked some better than others, but they all had points of interest and the natural cadence of her writing goes down easy, This is a very mixed bag of short stories, ranging from whimsical through touching to macabre a la Edgar Allen Poe, Some I really liked, some I didn't like at all, They are not mysteries such as those for which the author is known, Most readers will enjoy the book, but will probably feel the same way about it, Whether you like the particular story or not, Sharyn McCrumb is a master storyteller, befitting her Appalachian ScotsIrish roots, Sharyn McCrumb is highly regarded as an expert storyteller and regional author whose audience is farreaching, Having never previously read any of her works, I decided to start with a short story collection, The audiobook version of FOGGY MOUNTAIN BREAKDOWN and OTHER STORIES is expertly performed by a variety of narrators and has a cinematic quality to it, The stories range from whimsical to mysterious, I particularly enjoyed the last story in which Ms, McCrumb employs a series of letters between an author and one of her ardent fans who will do anything to keep his favorite author writing the crime novels he so greatly enjoys.
This particular story ends with a great plot twist, The fact that I saw it coming did not diminish my admiration for Sharyn McCrumb's writing skills!
If the reader enjoys short story collections, they will find something in this collection to enjoy.
I have given this book four on Goodreads, I borrowed this audiobook through Libby, Absolutely loved this collection of short stories, Entertaining, insightful with just that last bit left for the reader! Heading back out to get another book by Sharyn McCrumb! Foggy Mountain Breakdown, the firstever collection of Sharyn McCrumb's short fiction, is a literary quilting of old and new, humorous and heartfelt, offering awardwinning worksand two stories never before published, contrasting mountain childhoods past and present.
Chilling tales of suspense alternate with evocative character portraits and compelling narratives that embrace the southern Appalachian locales and themes of McCrumb's acclaimed Ballad Novels, Within this cornucopia of two dozen stories, Old Rattler, a mountain healer, skirmishes with a serial killer, . . Princess Di investigates longkept secrets within the House of Windsor, . . A reincarnated murder victim seeks delicious revenge, . . And while honeymooning in the bridegroom's ancestral hilltop homeplace, two newlyweds harbor second thoughts,
The author's perfectpitch ear for dialogue and ability to illuminate the dark side of human nature merge with her brilliant artistry to make Foggy Mountain Breakdown a virtuoso collection for devotees of Sharyn McCrumband for the legion of new readers who will find themselves caught under her spell.
Two women I work with insisted I read this to better understand Appalachian culture, A lot of between the lines stuff, set often in the Smokeys just South of Gatlinburg, TN, The area near Cades Cove, Charmingly written and it does allow much insight, in case you thought you knew it all, Sharyn McCrumb is fast becoming one of my favorite authors, Her stories are funny, wellcharacterized, and tend to have a very satisfying twist at the end, I enjoyed this book very much, Excellent audiobook with multiple narrators! "An Autumn Migration" and "A Predatory Women" were highlights, My mom read several of Sharyn's Ballad novels when I was a young child, so I will be digging them out of the basement to read them myself.
Sharyn McCrumb is a master storyteller, If I didn't have to work, I would have read this book in one sitting, We have tales from the Appalachians, as we would expect, but also modern fairy tales, fantasy stories and Tales of Terror, Some of them are heartwrenching, others humorous, They always keep you on your toes, One features a character or two from the Ballad novels, I kept waiting for Nora Bonesteel to show up, McCrumb's characters are never allgood, or allbad, She recognizes a poor and tragic upbringing, but never excuses it, The stories in the first half are the best, The modern retelling of a classic tale is probably the weakest one in the bunch, but still interesting, All in all, I liked the mountain people stories the very best, but the entire collection is enormously readable, and sometimes very thoughtprovoking, I've had this collection of McCrumb's short stories for some time now sitting on my shelfforgotten really, I am kind of kicking myself for waiting this long to enjoy this collection, especially since I have enjoyed a few of her novels in the past,
Like her novels, the short stories collected here in Foggy Mountain Breakdown and Other Stories showcase McCrumb's ability to craft characters that feel like they could literaly walk off the page and stand before you.
Her ear for dialog is quite spot on, particuarly that of her characters in the stories set in the hills of Appalachia,
In many ways, McCrumb's writing and her characters remind of me of Flannery O'Connor's writing and her characters they are often quirky, dark, and intriguing, and they highlight some of the basest elements of human nature.
However, the characters are appealing rather than repulsive even with their darkest tendencies revealed,
Perhaps McCrumb reminds me of O'Connor because they are both Southern women writers, McCrumb, however, is not poor immitation of O'Connor she brings her own strenght and execellent ear for dialog to these stories,
Great selections of interesting short stories to keep you on your toes As always with a collection of short stories, there were some I liked more than others.
But if you enjoy her work, you'll enjoy this book, These ranged from spooky and chilling to funny and entertaining! I'm so obsessed with Sharyn's writing, Another enjoyable read. Short story collections are always hit or miss for me and if I'm being honest, mostly a miss, Knowing that, I still picked this up to read during the long car line time to pick up my daughter in the afternoons and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it! While a couple of the stories are forgettable I mean, they can't all be winners there are several that are highly memorable, including:
A Snare as Old as Solomon
Remains to Be Seen
Gentle Reader
The Matchmaker
Old Rattler This is my current favorite I'd love a fulllength novel about Rattler!
An Autumn Migration
Most of these are mysteries/involve murder, some have humor, several have a southern gothic vibe but what they all have in common is compelling characters.
This was my first Sharyn McCrumb and it certainly won't be my last!
For more reviews, visit sitelinkwww, rootsandreads. wordpress. com A friend of mine recommended Sharyn McCrumb she had just attended one of the author's events, and really like how she was a "local girl" a lot of the writing set in Appalachian mountains.
I am so glad I began reading her, because now I've got a new author and a load of new books to read,
Anyway, THIS is a collection of short stories, While I normally read a book fairly quickly, I found myself pausing a day or so between stories because I couldn't shake them off that quickly, One or two were so haunting, that I did the opposite and immediately starting reading another, The writing isn't contrived or pretentious just real life, Much like the mountains she loves,
Highly recommended, especially for anyone interested in Appalachian life/mindset/culture, NOTE TO MYSELF: I only read "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" story, The story, Gentle Reader, is astar, I enjoyed this collection of stories but it took me a long time to get through it, Each story was enjoyable in varied ways but my favorite was “Old Rattler” because it features a character from one of McCrumbs full length novels set in present times.
I like to read series that develop the same characters over time, McCrumb has done this in some of her “Ballad” series books, This would be a good book to sample Sharyn McCrumbs writing style,
Its close to impossible that I will become interested in a shortstory collection, But Ive long toyed with reading the authors two other series collections, so I thought this group of short stories would at least give me a glimpse into her writing style.
It did at least that, and I liked the style enough to start on the series soon,
That said, I found the collection rather uneven, My favorite and arguably the darkest of the stories was “Foggy Mountain Breakdown,” the story of a young man in povertystricken Appalachia who labors long and hard for a secondhand bicycle he cobbles together from used parts only to have his bike abused and broken by a neighborhood bully.
The story with its chilling consequence is memorable and worthy of your time if you dont pay any attention to any other stories here,
In “All Brides Are Beautiful,” a reporter craving celebrity status agrees to marry a serial killer only to have that backfire memorably,
Theres a rather unimpressive story in here about Princess Diana that I blew off after a short few minutes, But on balance, this generally has merit, There is profanity in this book, and the mysteries arent exactly cozy in case that has bearing on whether you read it, But the writing style carries you along through Appalachia's rolling hills, even into London,
short stories which Sarah Vaughn says I must read as it gives an overview of authors work, Also Sarah wants me to read it so I understand the sequence of the eightElizabeth MacPherson Novels: Sick of Shadows, Lovely in her Bones, Highland Laddie Gone, Paying the Piper, The Windsor Knot, Missing Susan, MacPhersons Lament, If Id Killed Him when I Met Him Lord that seems like a lot of books to readpgs.
writtenThe writing is really good but the stories were all so dark that I had to slog through the last few, I love short stories and I am glad that I read these, a couple will stick with me, but in a rather distressing way, I was looking for creepy for the autumn season but these were just more dark than creepy, Surprisingly enjoyable. Best expressed IMO as "Twilight Zone Liteish, " I really was expecting the stories to make a severe right turn into the macabre as they approached their apex, but they strayed just short of my imaginative expectations.
Nevertheless, I'll be looking forward to more creations from Ms, McCrumb.
I liked the mix of stories here, Good dark winter reading. Great read with fantastic short stories! Sharyn McCrumb, an award winning Southern writer, is best known for her Appalachian “Ballad” novels, including the New York Times best sellers The Ballad of Tom Dooley, The Ballad of Frankie Silver, and The Songcatcher.
Ghost Riders, which won the Wilma Dykeman Award for Literature from the East Tennessee Historical Society and the national Audie Award for Best Recorded Books, The Unquiet Grave, a well researched novel about West Virginias Greenbrier Ghost, will be published in September by Atria, a division of Simon Schuster, Sharyn McCrumb, named a Virginia Woman of History by the Library of Virginia and a Woman of the Arts by the national Daughters of the American Revolution, was awarded the Mary Hobson Prize for A Sharyn McCrumb, an award winning Southern writer, is best known for her Appalachian “Ballad” novels, including the New York Times best sellers The Ballad of Tom Dooley, The Ballad of Frankie Silver, and The Songcatcher.
Ghost Riders, which won the Wilma Dykeman Award for Literature from the East Tennessee Historical Society and the national Audie Award for Best Recorded Books, The Unquiet Grave, a well researched novel about West Virginia's Greenbrier Ghost, will be published in September by Atria, a division of Simon Schuster, Sharyn McCrumb, named a Virginia Woman of History by the Library of Virginia and a Woman of the Arts by the national Daughters of the American Revolution, was awarded the Mary Hobson Prize for Arts Letters in.
Her books have been named New York Times and Los Angeles Times Notable Books, In addition to presenting programs at universities, libraries, and other organizations throughout the US, Sharyn McCrumb has
taught a writers workshop in Paris, and served as writer in residence at King University in Tennessee, and at the Chautauqua Institute in western New York.
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