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.
Suzie Morris (verified owner) –
I’ve been slowly picking my way through this mesmerizing piece of historical fiction. I’ve not finished it yet, because I keep reviewing what I’m reading and just shaking my head. The time period is the mid-1800s, so distant, yet so close. Not having grown up in the South, I never realized how much of the attitudes from the Civil War days still exist today until I moved to Wilmington, North Carolina. It’s even more prevalent here in the mountains of WNC, not far from where the massacre took place. Vicki Lane’s carefully crafted dialog brings the voices in “And The Crows Took Their Eyes” to life with carefully crafted dialog along with her vivid descriptions of the characters and the terrain. No judgements are made, no one sided view of the times. Just a picture painted of a time gone by with as much detail as could be mustered. I’m drawn into into each piece as if I was sitting right there with the characters; observing, but not seen. I still have a ways to go, but I am savoring every minute. I’ve learned more about the Civil War from what I have read so far and I’m certain I will learn more. Rock on Vicki Lane!
Bernadette Wood –
I have read this book twice, it’s such a great read. Vicki has described her characters and their emotions so thoroughly, I felt their hearts and tasted their fears. If you read nothing else this winter, treat yourself by taking a trip back in time to an era that many have yet to be told about and I guarantee no one can explain these extraordinary people and times as Vicki Lane does in this masterful book.
Carol K BROWN –
This is an excellent book about a difficult time in our nation’s history. We moved to the area 5 years ago and learned about the Shelton Laurel Massacre, but Vicki Lane’s use of 5 narratives gives a variety of perspectives and in-depth detail. Had trouble putting it down!!
Dr. Reva Ballew –
I had read Vicki Lane books before, was a fan of the Elizabeth Goodweather series. I wasn’t sure about her foray in to civil war historical drama. I gave it a try. It was wonderful. I was so mesmerized by the Shelton Laurel Massacre that I did additional research after I finished reading. Interesting, intriguing and great depth. I loved the insight into the union and confederacy and that it wasnt just a black and white issue or should I say blue and gray issue.
Lise Landry Alives (verified owner) –
This is an intriguing read and reflective of what we are experiencing in our nation today. Vicki’s characters are captivating. Her use of local dialect puts the reader in the period. I highly recommend it. Vicki Lane’s Elizabeth Goodweather Mysteries series are also excellent.
Jon Michael Riley –
Review of Vicki Lane’s And the Crows Took Their Lives by Jon Michael Riley
First of all, Vicki Lane is a superb writer and the very one to have written this book, one that involves a story whose “facts” are, like a chimera from the past, almost impossible to nail down. Lane has done a superb job in making sense of all the fables, hearsay, speculation, and legend that surround the Shelton Laurel Massacre of 1863.
Lane is a first-class, kick-ass writer, the one who has found kernels of truth among all the fractured remembrances of this locally known legend. That Vicki Lane lives in Madison County and was able to research every rare bit of local knowledge about the happenings back in the Laurel Valleys, including the so-called raid on the Marshall salt stores, gives this novel so much authentic texture and ambiance. Moreover, her command of the way mountain country folk speak is a joy to read. She brings out the music and truth of their way of speaking.
Her five mains “speaking” characters are marvelous. Some are likable and other not, but all become real to the reader as they speak from the page to tell this historically fascinating saga. Part of the richness of the story stems from the fact that this one small area of Western North Carolina held a sizable population of folks who had no interest in the Southern Secession and really did not want to participate in the Civil War. This is the huge and uncomfortable social rub that infuses the story.
And the Crows Took Their Eyes is a masterpiece of great writing, and weavings of fact and fiction into a compelling story whose textures and truths command every page.