The ballad of Laurel Springs / Janet Beard.
"A provocative new novel by the nationally bestselling author of THE ATOMIC CITY GIRLS, about nine generations of one family in Eastern Tennessee whose women, in eerie echoes of the notorious Appalachian murder ballads made famous by singers, over more than a century, have been traumatized by acts of violence"-- Provided by publisher.
Ten-year-old Grace is in search of a subject for her fifth-grade history project when she learns that her four times-great grandfather once stabbed his lover to death. His grisly act was memorialised in a murder ballad, her aunt tells her, so it must be true. Her family's tangled past is part of a dark legacy in which the lives of generations of women are affected by the violence immortalised in folksongs like 'Knoxville Girl' and 'Pretty Polly' reminding them always to know their place-- or risk the wages of sin. -- adapted from jacket
Record details
- ISBN: 9781982151560
- ISBN: 1982151560
- ISBN: 9781982151577
- ISBN: 1982151579
- Physical Description: viii, 273 pages ; 24 cm
- Edition: First Gallery Book edition
- Publisher: New York : Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc., 2021.
- Copyright: ©2021
Content descriptions
| Formatted Contents Note: | Pretty Polly: Grace, 2019 -- The wife of Usher's Well: Pearl (Grace's great-great-great-great-grandmother), 1907-1908 -- The wayfaring stranger: Miriam (Pearl's daughter-in-law), 1925 -- Careless love blues: Frieda (Miriam's "stepdaughter"), 1937 -- Devil's dream: Polly (Frieda's half-sister) 1942-1962 -- Little sparrow: Sarah (Polly's daughter), 1974-1975 -- The Knoxville girl: Carrie (Sarah's daughter), 1985-1993 -- Power in the blood: Lydia (Carrie's "goddaughter"), 2011-2013 -- Pretty Polly (reprise): Polly (Lydia's great-great-great-great-aunt), 1891. |
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Family secrets > Fiction. Murder > Fiction. Women > Violence against > United States > Fiction. Ballads > Fiction. Women. Womyn. Tennessee, East > Fiction. |
| Genre: | Historical fiction. Thrillers (Fiction) |
Available copies
- 51 of 52 copies available at NC Cardinal. (Show)
- 0 of 1 copy available at Onslow County Public Library.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 52 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sneads Ferry Branch Library | FIC BEARD (Text) | 36015001887567 | Adult Fiction | Checked out | 05/07/2025 |
Summary:
"A provocative new novel by the nationally bestselling author of THE ATOMIC CITY GIRLS, about nine generations of one family in Eastern Tennessee whose women, in eerie echoes of the notorious Appalachian murder ballads made famous by singers, over more than a century, have been traumatized by acts of violence"--
Ten-year-old Grace is in search of a subject for her fifth-grade history project when she learns that her four times-great grandfather once stabbed his lover to death. His grisly act was memorialised in a murder ballad, her aunt tells her, so it must be true. Her family's tangled past is part of a dark legacy in which the lives of generations of women are affected by the violence immortalised in folksongs like 'Knoxville Girl' and 'Pretty Polly' reminding them always to know their place-- or risk the wages of sin. -- adapted from jacket
Ten-year-old Grace is in search of a subject for her fifth-grade history project when she learns that her four times-great grandfather once stabbed his lover to death. His grisly act was memorialised in a murder ballad, her aunt tells her, so it must be true. Her family's tangled past is part of a dark legacy in which the lives of generations of women are affected by the violence immortalised in folksongs like 'Knoxville Girl' and 'Pretty Polly' reminding them always to know their place-- or risk the wages of sin. -- adapted from jacket
