Customer Reviews

Walking Through Shadows

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Bev Marshall's first novel, WALKING THROUGH SHADOWS, is a breathtaking creation. Set in a small town in rural Mississippi just before World War II, the story's obvious center is the murder of a young woman, Sheila Barnes. Sheila is one of the most unforgettable characters I've run across in recent years - just seventeen at the time of her death, married for around a year, Sheila is uneducated but full of unconventional wisdom, which she bestows gently on those around her as their needs dictate. She is a gift in their varied lives - and they all come to realize it in their own time.

Sheila comes to work at the dairy farm run by the Cotton family, and soon becomes the Best Friend of ten-year-old Annette (her caps) - the two girls grow as close as family, and at one point Annette's mother, Rowena, comments that `Annette loves Sheila like a blood sister'. Sheila is seemingly completely without a formal education - she comes from a family of numberless children, loomed over by her brutal father. The beatings - and other abuse - she receives from him on a regular basis are the central reason in her leaving home, to seek work and shelter at the Cottons'. She is also possessed of a physical anomaly - a hump on her back - although she never lets it interfere with her image of herself or the way in which she attempts to live her life. It is at the Cottons' dairy, where she works, that she meets Stoney Barnes - despite her `deformity', he falls in love with her (and she with him), and after a short courtship, they marry. The abuse she suffered at the hands of her father continues sporadically - and Stoney is guilty of inflicting physical pain on her as well. When he reports Sheila missing early one morning, and her body is found in the Cottons' cornfield, the investigation that ensues reveals things about almost everyone involved that each one would have most certainly preferred to be left in the dark. The revelations strain friends and family and community - the outcome is both expected and surprising, and soul shaking.

The story unfolds gracefully through various viewpoints - a technique that Marshall employs extremely well. The author endows each of the characters with a distinctive personality and - even more importantly, I think - a unique, completely believable voice. Rather than simply describe each character to the reader, the author skillfully allows them to illuminate not only themselves but also each other. Their narratives - which vary in length, but grow shorter and switch back and forth more in the second half of the book - overlap in both subjects and time frames, much as if the reader were privy to individual tellings of the same story, walking from room to room, eavesdropping. There is a subtlety in Marshall's method here that is a wonder to behold - things are revealed to the reader as they are revealed to those in the story, allowing the mysterious aspects of Sheila's brutal murder to be opened like a flower. The suspense is palpable and deftly controlled.

There are lessons to be learned here - as well as a story that entertains - about a plethora of subjects: love, honor, family, pain, abuse, friendship, faith, race, healing, and more...including magic. I'm not speaking of the type of magic that is performed on the stage - I'm speaking of the more indefinable magic that lives and breathes in the touch of a friend's hand, in the stories they share that delight and instruct, in the pain that we cause each other and in the healing we can inspire. If this leads you to believe that this is a soporific tale, don't be deceived - this is fine writing of the highest order, and a story that reveals not only the innermost workings of its characters, but of all of us.

WOW! I absolutely loved this book. What beautiful writing! I still can't get Shelia out of my mind or her poor misused body. Read this book if you don't read anything else this year. Such a wonderful coming of age story & a plethora of other subjects. Please more Ms. Marshall. I am looking forward to all of your novels.

Bev Marshall has given us a spellbinding experience of the old south in a this captivating novel. Her colorful prose transports you to the spot where the action is taking place. It gives you an understanding of the culture and times. The rich character descriptions make them totally believable. Bev's style of speaking from the perspective of the different characters even further envelopes you the experience.

This wonderful southern novel details the circumstances surrounding a young woman's brutal murder on the Cotton family's Mississippi dairy farm in the mid-1940's. Events leading up to and following the murder are told and retold in distinctive but believable voices by a number of primary characters,providing insight into the flaws and strengths of each person and reinforcing the fact that people see and remember common experiences very differently. This
poignant coming of age chronicle/gripping murder mystery had me pulling the book out of my tote whenever I had a spare moment during the day, and reading well into the wee hours of the morning. What a find!

Bev Marshall's first novel, Walking Through Shadows, is the novel I'm recommending to all of my friends for a great summer read. The voices of the characters are so distinct that I felt I knew them and came to care about each one.  Marshall has a true ear for voices and the novel is filled with beautiful description and smooth prose.  And what craftsmanship from a first time novelist!  Beware though!  When you begin part II, you won't be able to put it down until you find out who killed Sheila and why. I'm impatiently waiting for her next offering! 

Marshall has the creative ability to paint a picture of the events in smalltown Zebulon, Mississippi that will draw you in. You will not be able to put this book down! You will feel the joys, pains and even anger of the characters created by Marshall. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a page turner! I look forward to future books by the author.

I was very surprised by this novel as I do not care for murder mysteries; and am usually not interested in Southern fiction. This is both of those things, yet also in a separate category too - just plain, good fiction. These characters were so well realized, the story sad and hopeful at the same time. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, although it definitely left me sad at Sheila's cruel, short life ... and through it all, she was so positive and kind. It's not always an easy book to read emotionally, but it's very hard to put down. I finished it in 2 days and it lingered well after that. Highly recommended.

You cannot put this book down!What a wonderful story that stays with you!

This is a most unusual murder story that is well written, with "real-life" characters. You get to know them all intimately and feel their pain at what happened. I had two suspects in my mind throughout the book, but ended up being wrong. Now THAT's a good mystery!

Once I started reading this book, I couldn't put it down. I loved the way the author wrote with the point of view of each character and each one is portrayed vividly. One comes to know and care about the characters (with the exception of Sheila's father). I highly recommend this book.