Customer Reviews

The Rosewood Casket

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I came across the Rosewood Casket in one of my bookshelves, a first edition I had no memory of buying. Most often drawn to British writers (or Americans who "write British"), I was quickly drawn not only into Sharyn McCrumb's story, but her style and clear indication that she knows English and how to use it to great advantage. She is unpretentious and even her other-worldly concerns are non-intrusive and never offensive. She is a very gifted writer, indeed. I'd regret that I hadn't read her before, but now I get to read EVERYTHING. Now that I've finished the Rosewood Casket, I handed it to my husband, Allan Eckert. We sat across from her last year at the Kentucky Book Fair and I enjoyed her delightful personality very much. Now I can enjoy her wonderful books.

"The more things change, the more they stay the same." The Rosewood Casket demonstrates how true this old saying is. McCrumb cleverly melds historical figure Daniel Boone with novel character Clayt Stargill, making this close to a time travel mystery with history repeating itself. The timeless tensions inherent in relationships - father/son, brother/brother, husband/wife, friend/friend, nature/man - play a pivotal role in this story that revolves around basic questions about who owns the land. The resolution of the central mystery involving the apparition in the woods is chilling.
McCrumb is a skilled, elegant writer - her prose is a pleasure to read.

As I read this novel, the old song "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" ran through my mind. The endless circle is the losing of the land. The prehistoric animals of iceage Appalachia lose the land to the Cherokees, who lose the land to the settlers, and their descendants lose the land to the real estate speculators. When Randall Stargill's four sons gather on the family farm to build their father's coffin, they embody the latest generation to face the quandry of losing the land. This is a story of cultural politics as much as of family dynamics. McCrumb lets you feel the love of the mountains while suffering the pain of losing them.

This was my first novel by Sharyn McCrumb and I loved it.It's not all that suspenseful-so if that's what you're looking for,you might be disappointed.Although the hunt at the end was exciting.This is a truly wonderful book about a family coming together when they find out that their father is on his deathbed.I loved all of the characters and from reading this novel I can tell that the author has good insight into what makes people talk and react the way they do.Her characters were wonderfully developed and I couldn't help but fall in love with themI'm sure we have all met people who have reminded us of some of the Stargills.The description of the mountains and land where the story took place was also done very well.It made me feel like I was there and not too many writers can make me feel that when I'm reading.I felt like I could feel the atmosphere of where everyone lived.I also like the way she tied the present with the past and the undercurrent of mystery added to the novel.Sharyn has got a new fan and I hope all of her other books are as enjoyable as this one was.I noticed our local library has The Ballad Of Frankie Silver so I think I'll go down and pick it up.

I have read four of Sharyn McCrumb's books now, including The Rosewood Casket, and have loved each and every one of them! She has a knack for bringing the reader inside the story and making you feel as though you were there. Her descriptions of the Appalacian mountain area make you feel as though you are there, able to see the breathtaking views described in her books. I also admire the way she tell several different stories all during the book and brings everything and everyone together, rather than confusing the reader, as some authors do. She is truly a master at what she does. I hope she continues her art in the same fashion for many years to come. I look forward to reading the other books she has already published.

I have now read several of Sharyn McCrumb's books. (Hangman's Beautiful Daughter, She Walks These Hills, and Rosewood Casket) All have been excellent reading. I read for entertainment, and all of her books have fit the bill. Her characters are very real and you come to care about them a great deal. Her description of the mountains and the land are just beautiful. She weaves the past and the present together into a very interesting story. Sharyn is a great story teller and I am now going to the library to get other books written by her. You should too!

I have read "She Walks These Hills" and "The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter" and thought both novels were great. But this third one, which involves Nora Bonesteel more in the story line, is definitely the best so far. Nora Bonesteel has become one of my favorite fictional characters (I would love to see a movie based on her)and Sharyn McCrumb my favorite writer. This book sends a chill up your spine at the very beginning - and keeps it there all the way to the conclusion!

If Sharyn McCrumb wrote the book you know it will be great. She is a wonderful author and all of her books are so good. She makes you feel like you are there and that you know the people that you are reading about. From the first to the last page it's got you. Do read this wonderful book.

The father has saved Rosewood so that when he dies his sons will built him a casket. The sons all live in different places and have not seen each other for a while but they all come back to do this for their father.

Excellent book

More a character study than a mystery (the murder is rather incidental to the plot), "The Rosewood Casket" is still a must for fans. McCrumb can get a little preachy at times, however. In "The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter" she pontificated about water pollution; in this book it's the overdevelopment of the wilderness by unscrupulous realtors. I sympathize with the issue, but feel sometimes that all the talk gets in the way of the plot. Also, the seven year old in this particular story is just a little too well-spoken and philisophical for her years. All that said, time spent with McCrumb is time well spent. She continues to be one of the sharpest, most serious "mystery" writers around.

When you first pick up this book you may think that it's just another murder mystery. However are you in for a real treat when you get your first taste of the master McCrumb weaving her tales of the Appalachian people and land into a very intense and somewhat haunting tale of history and emotions. Being myself from western North Carolina I can relate to the setting. But even someone who has never set foot outside the streets of a city can relate to the characters like Dovey Stallard, a woman caught in an entanglement of consequences or Robert Lee in his ever ending quest to make his daddy proud. It also tells how in death everyone may have a secret that needs to be let go and how these secrets can burden our lives while we are living. My take on this book may be a little different than most but I can guarantee that Sharyn McCrumb has found a fan for life.