Blood Feud: The Hatfields and the McCoys: The Epic Story of Murder and Vengeance [Hardcover]

Lisa Alther (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 22, 2012

America's most notorious family feud began in 1865 with the murder of a Harmon McCoy, a Union soldier, by a Confederate Hatfield. But Southern grudges run long and deep. More than a decade later tempers flared over stolen hogs. This accusation triggered years of bloody violence and retribution that led to a tragic Romeo-and-Juliet interlude, a Supreme Court ruling, and a public hanging. The final feud trial took place in 1898, but the rivalry didn't end there. Its legend continues to have an enormous impact on the popular imagination and the people of the region. Here is a fascinating new look at the infamous story of the Hatfields and the McCoys.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Alther is an expert on the subject of the feud."
--Wall Street Journal

"An exhaustively researched, well written, and beautifully produced volume...that considers not only the events of the feud and their consequences but the complex web of unique circumstances...that allowed the conflict to continue for so long."
--Knoxville News Sentinel

"Well researched and finely written...Alther goes beyond the bloody facts, showing how utterly American the feud was, and how it reverberates yet today...But the best part is tracking the bloodstained characters through their astounding, outrageous lives. Lots of photographs spice things up even more."
--Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St. Paul)

"Alther's book is well researched ... a fever dream of bloody revenge and forbidden romance deep in the mountains."
--Lexington Herald

"BLOOD FEUD joins a host of key paradigm-shifting books about mountain identity, including 'Miners, Millhands, and Mountaineers' by Ronald Eller and 'The Mind of the South' by W.J. Cash...[and] also great Appalachian memoirs such as John O'Brien's 'At Home in the Heart of Appalachia.'" -- Rob Neufeld, Asheville Citizen Times

From the Inside Flap

America’s most notorious family feud began in 1865 with the murder of a Union McCoy soldier by a Confederate relative of “Devil Anse” Hatfield. More than a decade later, Ranel McCoy accused a Hatfield of stealing one of his hogs, triggering years of violence and retribution, including a Romeo-and-Juliet interlude that eventually led to the death of one of McCoy’s daughters. In a drunken brawl, three of McCoy’s sons killed Devil Anse Hatfield’s younger brother. Exacting vigilante revenge, a group of Hatfields tied them up and shot them dead. McCoy posses hijacked part of the Hatfield firing squad across state lines to stand trial, while those still free burned down Ranel McCoy’s cabin and shot two more of his children in a botched attempt to suppress the posses. Legal wrangling ensued until the US Supreme Court ruled that Kentucky could try the captured West Virginian Hatfields. Seven went to prison, and one, mentally disabled, yelled, “The Hatfields made me do it!” as he was hanged in the Bluegrass State’s last public execution. But the feud didn’t end there. Its legend continues to have an enormous impact on the popular imagination and to exact an onerous toll on the region itself.

With a charming voice, a wonderfully dry sense of humor, and an abiding gift for spinning a yarn, best-selling author Lisa Alther makes an impartial, comprehensive, and compelling investigation of what actually happened, masterfully setting the feud in its historical and cultural contexts, digging deep into the many causes and explanations of the fighting, and revealing surprising alliances and entanglements. Here is a fascinating new look at the infamous Hatfield-McCoy feud.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Lyons Press; First Edition edition (May 22, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762779187
• ISBN-13: 978-0762779185
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (103 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #235,975 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lisa Alther is the author of six novels -- KINFLICKS, ORIGINAL SINS, OTHER WOMEN, BEDROCK, FIVE MINUTES IN HEAVEN, and WASHED IN THE BLOOD. She has also written a memoir (KINFOLKS), a novella (BIRDMAN AND THE DANCER), a collection of short stories (STORMY WEATHER AND OTHER STORIES) and a narrative history of the Hatfield-McCoy feud (BLOOD FEUD). These books have been published in seventeen languages and have appeared on bestseller lists worldwide. Alther was born in Kingsport, Tennessee, in 1944. She currently lives in Tennessee, Vermont, and New York City.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 54 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book! May 29, 2012

By lovetoread

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Being from W.V. I have heard many stories of the Hatfield & McCoy feud. The author did a wonderful job. I bought this book in light of the history channel airing their version of the feud. Very interesting to see the variations between fact & fiction. The author did a magnificient job setting the stage of the life & times gone by. Highly advise this read.

54 of 60 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Read this book! May 23, 2012

By Sara B

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I knew little about the infamous Hatfield and McCoys prior to reading Lisa Alther's Blood Feud, but after finishing it late last night a fascination with the topic has been ignited in me. Alther did an amazing job chronicling the facts when available with various possible scenarios to present a compelling tale of murder, betrayal and loss. Without hesitation, I highly recommend this wonderful book.

63 of 71 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great read from a great writer May 11, 2012

By D. Moody

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Lisa Alther has done it again! Following on the heels of her classic non-fiction and historical fiction works on the Melungeons, she traces the lineage of this notorious American mountain feud. As a careful researcher, Alther uses all available primary sources, historic surveys of the clash, personal observation, and visits to important sites and contemporary interviews with individuals who were a part of or related to the original historic characters.

In this balanced recounting of the incidents that occurred over an extended period of time, Alther presents both sides of the story along with verifiable aspects that clarify the story for those unfamiliar with any of the details. She had a knack for 'articulate humor' that is characterized by the best of Southern writers who understand the genres of both fiction and non-fiction.

The dustjacket for this book is a collectible in itself; it has a reverse side with photos of the two progenitors and maps of the related sections of Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia, then it opens up to show a large format family tree from both families. As a lifelong bibliophile, it is clear to me that every person involved in the production of this project has a great appreciation for, not only quality literature, but also, for the impact of the physical nature of a published book; from paper to typeset, to liner papers, cover design and final product. The simplicity of an ebook can't match the euphoria of handling this kind of physical product.

Influenced by her vast experience with fiction writing, Alther makes reading about history both fun and enlightening. Highly recommended.