The Red Ribbon Book Review
About the Book
An Appalachian Feud Blows Up in 1912
Step into True Colors — a new series of Historical Stories of Romance and American Crime
In Carroll County, a corn shucking is the social event of the season, until a mischievous kiss leads to one of the biggest tragedies in Virginia history. Ava Burcham isn’t your typical Blue Ridge Mountain girl. She has a bad habit of courtin’ trouble, and her curiosity has opened a rift in the middle of a feud between politicians and would-be outlaws, the Allen family. Ava’s tenacious desire to find a story worth reporting may land her and her best friend, Jeremiah Sutphin, into more trouble than either of them planned.
The end result? The Hillsville Courthouse Massacre of 1912.
My Thoughts
I always enjoy reading novels with settings that are identifiable for the author. It helps expand a story in a more intimate way since you know the author is speaking from first-hand experience and/or knowledge. Such is the case with The Red Ribbon written by Pepper Basham.
I’ve tried reading one of Ms. Basham’s newer books prior to reading The Red Ribbon, yet I could not finish it. Her personal connection to Appalachia is the prominent difference between that book and this one. The Red Ribbon oozes with the local dialect and the poverty that so many lived through, yet set against one of our nation’s unsolved crimes. I appreciated this backdrop for Ava and Jeremiah’s story.
Ava felt herself unworthy of love and a future as Jeremiah’s wife. Jeremiah’s patience was a soothing balm to her insecurities, and once they share a kiss at the local corn shucking, all bets were off. She slowly became unable to resist his charms and oh-so-sweet talking.
I’ve seen in other reviews that there is a list of characters at the beginning of the book. Since I listened to the audio version, I missed out on that bit of helpful information, and it surely would have made some sections easier to follow. The historical note at the end helped add the context that I needed for the courthouse shooting.
Readers that enjoy stories in this Appalachian setting should also consider Chris Fabry and Sarah Loudin Thomas.
My rating for The Red Ribbon is 3.5 stars.
Many thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review.
