To sum up The Ballad of Laurel Springs would be beautifully lyrical prose and sweeping historical saga. Being from Kentucky I felt like I could understand the surroundings and I love the generations through the years.

I really liked this book. The narrative begins in modern day with a story of a murder. Then each successive chapter delves deeper into the family history, through different decades. I thought that was a clever arrangement. Each generation is tied to the next and lends to understanding of events and circumstances talked about. The songs are highlighted in the text, but I enjoyed the social history aspect more.

I had a hard time staying interested in this one. The writing style was not my favorite. I'll try again in audio.

This book was lyrical in the most literal way because it has actual lyrics in it, by way of folk songs pertaining to the area of Laurel Springs. I love stories set in the Appalachian Mountains and learning about about the people and their customs and ways of life. This story particularly grabbed my attention because it is multi generational and historical at the same time. We start in 2019 and go back to 1891.

I adored the women in this story and the way Janet Beard was able to write through their eyes in a real way. The women in this family are to be admired for their strength and resilience. This book was fascinating and had me in its grip from start to finish. Highly recommend!

I was attracted to this book because it takes place in Tennessee outside of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but it starts before there is a National Park. This book takes us from 1891-2019. Grace is doing a school project about her family history. She learns there are some bad things in her family's history but no one wants to talk about them. This book then takes us way back and we learn the stories of her ancestors. Each story is connected to an old ballad. The stories all take place around Laurel Springs. I have hiked to Laurel Falls so I kept picturing that in my mind. There is murder, rape, adultery, and so much more. It makes you think of the secrets families hold on to and do not tell future generations.

"I don't have to agree with them about everything to like them."

Part of my family hails from Eastern Tennessee. I’ve always loved listening to the hill songs, the melodies and use of banjo/dulcimer/fiddle always haunts me. But I never truly gave notice to what the lyrics were about. Until I read this book.

Each chapter focuses on a different woman in a loosely connected family that all traces back to an act of violence back in the 1890s. Each chapter has its own voice, focus, and background folk song. Pearl’s chapter reminded me of the movie “Songcatcher”.

Given that this was written by someone born and raised in East Tennessee, it was written respectful of the people from that region. Too often Appalachia gets painted as an inbred, racist monolith and that isn’t the case. (See the documentary “Hillbilly” for further delving into that.)

I enjoyed this novel for all the above reasons (and more), but can understand how some readers might not take a shine to it, also given all the reasons above.

Read if you: Want a complicated and moving journey through an Appalachian town (which seems to be a stand in for the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, TN area).

Ooooh....I did enjoy this overall. Some of the events were a little...squicky? However, life is messy, and the entire novel was about rash choices. The transformation of the town area from rural countryside to garish tourist trap is very affecting, especially if you are familiar with Gatlinburg/Pigeon Force.

Librarians/booksellers: Purchase if Appalachian stories are popular.

Many thanks to Gallery Press and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest

The life and legacy of Appalachian women are engagingly shared in this wonderful novel by Janet Beard.
This story begins with a ten year old girl named Grace who has a school assignment to write about her family history and learns that a famous murder ballad was written about one of her relatives.
Each chapter is named after a ballad and weaves the story of a different woman in the family. We as readers, experience the trials and tribulations of the times in which they lived, their innermost thoughts and the struggles they have experienced through the generations.
The community of Laurel Springs, the music and the bonds of family are not only palpable but thought provoking. It is the glue that hold these women together as we walk through each chapter with them.
Highly recommended with thanks to NetGalley, Janet Beard and Gallery Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest book review.

The Ballad of Laurel Springs by Janet Beard follows the legacy of nine members over multiple generations of the same Tennessee family. They are connected by the same folk song and tragic murder of their relative Polly. The book is told in alternating voices from nine strong heroines at a times of uncertainty.

We learn that much embellishment has actually occurred from the tragic death of Polly. However, the strength and resilience of these women can not be denied. They share an uncanny ability to find joy in whatever life throws at them.

The multiple generations of women are are masterfully woven into a story true to their strengths and challenges. Beard has a gift in creating true to life characters that we can find a little piece of ourselves in. The dynamics of their relationships will keep you thinking about these characters long after you close this book.

I was provided a free advance reader copy from Gallery Books in exchange for my honest review on Net Galley.

Ten-year-old Grace is thrilled when she learned that an old mountain folk song about a man who murders his lover, was supposedly based on the murder of her great, great, great aunt. The book then rewinds back to the beginning and slowly, we learn that the women in Grace’s family left her a legacy of bad decisions, all revolving around men, desire and Laurel Springs, Tennessee. I was enthralled from page one.

I really enjoyed the setting and period details, but I had a difficult time connecting with the narrative. I would describe this book as linked short stories, not a novel. In that respect, it was different than what I expected, since it's described as a novel. We get 9 chapters telling 9 different, albeit connected, stories. The stories are well-written and, as I mentioned, the author is great at sensory details that beautifully convey the time and place. I also enjoyed the pacing and tension, which kept me turning the pages. If each chapter had been written in third person, it might have flowed better and I wouldn't have had to keep checking to see who the narrator was. The choice to include all these different first person points of view kept me a little off balance.

I enjoyed this story.. it was well written and interesting. I will definitely be on the lookout for more by this author. Thanks to publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

The story opens up with a 10 year old little girl, Grace, who is writing a school report on her family history. Grace shares that a famous murder ballad was written/sung about her ancestor. The novel is only 9 chapters long, but the format is similar to short stories. The story reveals 9 women who are all connected to this murder ballad.

I loved the writing, and the story. I found myself needing to know what would happen to these characters...and I don't want to give anything away...but let's just say you may be singing a long to the murder ballad and other mountain songs in the story.

This story builds generation by generation and aims to uncover family lore about a stabbing within the family history in eastern Tennessee. Each chapter focuses on another woman in the family and the experiences or challenges that they faced. The book is interesting in that it also touches on folk music and murder ballads - something that I wasn't quite as familiar with.

Janet Beard writes an intriguing book full of stories of Appalachian women from the 19th Century to the 21st Century in her latest book, "The Balland of Laurel Springs". The book centers around the various things that happen to many young women at Laurel Springs. The novel is fiction but time and space take the reader thru the evolution of the area around the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The hardships of earlier times and the change in the lives that surround that area are many However, as the book illustrates in its many characters and their interrelationships life remains difficult for the women of the area. Laurel Springs is one of the common denominators of the main characters as they meet there thru three centuries. Another common denominator in the book it s the music passed on thru generations of those who pioneered and settled the area. An interesting book and one that speaks to women in particular. Ms. Beard is a new writer on the best seller scene and this book shows a maturation of her literary talents. The characters are well developed, interesting, and interlinked. Janet Beard tells a good story. Thanks to #NetGalley#The BalladofLaurelSprings for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Ballad of Laurel Springs by Janet Beard is one of the best books I have read in 2021. In exchange for an honest review I received an ARC of this from #NetGalley.

The story is great. I enjoyed the pacing and the way we were introduced to the succession of women and their trials and tribulations. The tenuous connections as the generations moved along and the one constant of the ballads.

The movement of time through the book was smooth and everything just worked well together.

An interesting setting and topic to read about, but the story didn't flow as well as I had hoped. Still though, most readers will enjoy the characters and how they deal with life in Laurel Springs.

The lessons girls are forced to learn at a young age often lead them into being the strongest of women.