Description
In bitterly divided western North Carolina, Confederate troops execute thirteen men and boys suspected of Unionism. The Shelton Laurel Massacre, as it came to be known, is a microcosm of the horrors of civil war – neighbor against neighbor and violence at one’s own front door. Told by those who lived it—the colonel’s wife, a helpless witness; the jealous second-in-command who gives the fatal order; the canny mountain woman who cares only for her people and her land; the conscript, haunted and seeking redemption; and the mute girl, whose folk magic yields an unexpected result —these voices offer an intimate glimpse into the lives of five people tangled in history’s web, caught up together in love and hate.
Based on an actual event and historical characters, And the Crows Took Their Eyes is a richly imagined portrait of a dark and bitter time—illuminated by sudden gleams of warm humanity and undying strength.
Praise for And the Crows Took Their Eyes
“Lane’s richly detailed vision of the past expertly underpins a dark story of complex divided loyalties in an isolated, war-torn mountain community.”
– Charles Frazier, author of Cold Mountain, Winner of the National Book Award for Fiction
“In And the Crows Took their Eyes Vicki Lane has done nothing less than commit an act of mountain sorcery. Through her the voices of the dead rise up out of the hollows of Madison County, North Carolina telling a story as tragic and urgent as it was 150 years ago.”
– Tony Earley, author of Jim the Boy
“Vicki Lane casts an unforgettable spell in And the Crows Took Their Eyes, a compelling and humane reimagining of a heart-wrenching period in our American history. “
– Jessica Handler, author of The Magnetic Girl
“And the Crows Took Their Eyes is a devastatingly beautiful, complex portrait of a small community torn asunder by the Civil War. What Vicki Lane has rendered in this harrowing and profound portrait of life and death in one little corner of Western North Carolina is a world that would otherwise be lost to us or, at best, consigned to a dusty footnote of history. Lane, through the alchemy of her formidable imagination, has breathed life into unforgettable characters living through a time of upheaval and untold tragedy. I will never hear the words Shelton Laurel again without a host of Lane’s powerful and heartrending images coming to mind. And the Crows Took Their Eyes accomplishes what only the very best historical fiction can ever hope to accomplish, connecting us, not only to our history, but to our humanity as well.”
– Tommy Hays, author of The Pleasure Was Mine
Kara –
I spent yesterday reading this new novel by a favorite author—it simply would not let me go. The characters so clearly imprinted on me that they have stayed with me long after the tears on my face have dried and I finally, regretfully closed the cover. It’s that good
Elizabeth Neely –
I always appreciate a book that makes me want to read IT instead of watching the easily accessible movie these days. This is one of those books, oh so well written and historically informative while capturing your attention with its dramatic narrative. It should be a best seller, no doubt.
Elizabeth Gullum (verified owner) –
Vicki Lane gives life and voice to these characters from a time and place nearly forgotten in history. A story rich in dialects and vivid in its details of history and life in the Appalachians during this sad time in our country’s history. I’ve been a long time fan of her earlier books and this one will remain in my head and heart.
Becky Crabtree (verified owner) –
My mind was numb when I closed this book. I had thought I understood the unfairness of living in Appalachia, the children born without a chance, and the hatefulness that characterized the Civil War. The book expanded my knowledge in all three areas. This story of the past was as real as CNN is today with behind the scenes reporting on a tragic event. The characters haunt my thoughts days later and guide me to be better, to understand more deeply and to call out wrong-doing more loudly. Vicki Lane has shared a disturbing, yet wonderfully woven story.
Karen Larsen –
And the Crows Took Their Eyes is a can’t-put-it-down new book by Vicki Lane. This historical fiction is at once exciting, disturbing, and uplifting. Read it, you won’t be disappointed.
Janet Morrison (verified owner) –
This book is historical fiction at its best. Vicki Lane has taken an obscure event from the American Civil War and given it the exposure it needs. History textbooks too often gloss over the “neighbor against neighbor” aspect of the war. In And the Crows Took Their Eyes, Vicki Lane gives that aspect of the Civil War names, faces, and voices that I will long remember. You must read this book.