Louvin Reilly lives on his farm with his daughter Lucy Lee near Cumberland Gap, Tennessee in the late 1880's. Both wait for Lucy's fianc??? John Behan to return from working on the flat boats on the Cumberland River. When John returns Louvin plans to spend all his time showing him how to operate his farm. Louvin has two nephews, Matthew and Mark Johnson. The Johnson boys have been living on their own for about twelve years since their parents died in a fire that destroyed their cabin. Louvin wants to see them marry, leave ...
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Louvin Reilly lives on his farm with his daughter Lucy Lee near Cumberland Gap, Tennessee in the late 1880's. Both wait for Lucy's fianc??? John Behan to return from working on the flat boats on the Cumberland River. When John returns Louvin plans to spend all his time showing him how to operate his farm. Louvin has two nephews, Matthew and Mark Johnson. The Johnson boys have been living on their own for about twelve years since their parents died in a fire that destroyed their cabin. Louvin wants to see them marry, leave the hills and prosper in the city. They have the wherewithal, but Louvin worries they do not seem the least bit interested in grasping the opportunity. In the meantime a number of tragedies occur and other situations arise that involve Louvin and the Johnson boys to varying degrees. These are told in this book as separate short stories. Each story is based upon an old time folk song. Inspiration came most directly from the songs "Molly and Tenbrooks," "The Oxford Tragedy," "The Wexford Girl," "Molly Bawn," "Polly Vaughn," "The Johnson Boys," "Good Old Mountain Dew," "Dooley," "John Henry," "The Wreck on the C. & O.," "Silver Dagger," "Katy Dear" and "Cumberland Gap." The stories include many allusions to other songs as well, such as "Jimmie Brown the Newsboy" and "Groundhog." Names of most of the characters in the stories are names of characters from even more songs, such as Lucy Lee, Cindy, Katy Daly, Angeline Baker, Willie Moore, Jack Davy and Rattler. Any fan of folk and bluegrass music will recognize many more songs and names. These stories are not straight restatements of the songs. The author developed the situations and characters differently, as Calliope and Euterpe directed. The original songs about the horse race and the train wreck were based upon actual events. However, again, the Muses had their own ideas about things for this collection. One of those ideas was to have a core of characters that appear in all the stories. Some just lend a hand to help develop that particular story. Some have stories of their own that develop and resolve themselves across the entire collection. Although the stories are separate, they are interrelated by setting, characters and events.
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ââ?¬Å"Claiborne County Breakdown: Nine Short Stories Inspired by Old Time Folk Songsââ?¬Â? is a great group of short stories that are inspired, not only by Author Patrick Watts, but by various old folk songs that were popular long ago in the South. Each episode in this book is a well-developed story that seems to take its own path and it makes for an interesting collection that will be enjoyed by many.
I thoroughly enjoyed the stories in this collection. The author has taken a song and, by including well-developed characters and very interesting and creative short story ideas, has put together a collaboration that flows well and is fun to read. While the titles of each story are songs that many will be familiar with, there are numerous other references to other songs throughout the stories as well. That, in my opinion, makes it a must-read for true fans of folk music, as they will enjoy not only the stories but trying to pick out the straightforward as well as the hidden moments from various lyrics.
ââ?¬Å"Claiborne County Breakdownââ?¬Â? is well-written, and I feel that the author was very creative with it as he was able to take these separate stories and weave them together through the locations, characters, and incidents that are involved. While most of these songs from long ago are based on actual events, the stories themselves are a product of the authorââ?¬â?¢s creativity and imagination. I commend Mr. Watts on his ability to write so descriptively and to set a scene that readers will feel they are a part of.
If you are a fan of short stories, folk music, or simply creative and descriptive writing then I would say that ââ?¬Å"Claiborne County Breakdownââ?¬Â? is definitely a book for you. I enjoyed it very much and would love to see what Patrick Watts comes up with next. Perhaps there is another type of music and/or group of songs he will try to work his magic around. I hope this is something he will consider. 5 Stars!
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Cââ?¬Å"Claiborne County Breakdown: Nine Short Stories Inspired by Old Time Folk Songsââ?¬Â? is a great group of short stories that are inspired, not only by Author Patrick Watts, but by various old folk songs that were popular long ago in the South. Each episode in this book is a well-developed story that seems to take its own path and it makes for an interesting collection that will be enjoyed by many.
I thoroughly enjoyed the stories in this collection. The author has taken a song and, by including well-developed characters and very interesting and creative short story ideas, has put together a collaboration that flows well and is fun to read. While the titles of each story are songs that many will be familiar with, there are numerous other references to other songs throughout the stories as well. That, in my opinion, makes it a must-read for true fans of folk music, as they will enjoy not only the stories but trying to pick out the straightforward as well as the hidden moments from various lyrics.
ââ?¬Å"Claiborne County Breakdownââ?¬Â? is well-written, and I feel that the author was very creative with it as he was able to take these separate stories and weave them together through the locations, characters, and incidents that are involved. While most of these songs from long ago are based on actual events, the stories themselves are a product of the authorââ?¬â?¢s creativity and imagination. I commend Mr. Watts on his ability to write so descriptively and to set a scene that readers will feel they are a part of.
If you are a fan of short stories, folk music, or simply creative and descriptive writing then I would say that ââ?¬Å"Claiborne County Breakdownââ?¬Â? is definitely a book for you. I enjoyed it very much and would love to see what Patrick Watts comes up with next. Perhaps there is another type of music and/or group of songs he will try to work his magic around. I hope this is something he will consider. 5 Stars!
