Ghost Riders Audiobook, by Sharyn McCrumb Play Audiobook Sample

Ghost Riders Audiobook

Ghost Riders Audiobook, by Sharyn McCrumb Play Audiobook Sample
Currently Unavailable
This audiobook is no longer available through the publisher and we don't know if or when it will become available again. Please check out similar audiobooks below, and click the "Vote this up!" button to let us know you're interested in this title. This audiobook has 20 votes
Read By: Dick Hill, Susie Breck Publisher: Brilliance Audio Listen Time: at 1.0x Speed 7.67 hours at 1.5x Speed 5.75 hours at 2.0x Speed Series: The Ballad Novels Release Date: September 2004 Format: Unabridged Audiobook ISBN: 9781597103213

Quick Stats About this Audiobook

Total Audiobook Chapters:

36

Longest Chapter Length:

59:55 minutes

Shortest Chapter Length:

03:30 minutes

Average Chapter Length:

19:17 minutes

Audiobooks by this Author:

13

Other Audiobooks Written by Sharyn McCrumb: > View All...

Publisher Description

In 1861 the Civil War reached the mountainous South - where the enemy was your neighbor, the victims were your friends, and the wrong army was whichever one you joined. When Malinda Blalock's husband, Keith, joined the army, she dressed as a boy and went with him. They spent the war close to home in the North Carolina mountains, acting as Union guerilla fighters, raiding the farms of Confederate sympathizers and making as much trouble as they could locally. As hard riding, deadly out-laws, Keith and Malinda avenged Confederate raids on their kin and neighbors. McCrumb also brings to her story the larger-than-life narrative of the historical political figure Zebulon Vance, a self-made man and Confederate governor, who was from the mountains and fought for the interests of Appalachia within the hierarchy of the Confederacy. Linking the forces of historical unrest with the present-day stories of mountain wisefolk Rattler and Nora Bonesteel, McCrumb weaves two overlapping narratives. It is up to Nora Bonesteel and Rattler to calm the Civil War ghosts who are still wandering the mountains, and prevent a clash between the living and the dead.

Download and start listening now!

"This was my first foray into Civil War fiction- inspired by my Civil War scholar of a friend I thought I would give it a try. Also it focused on Western NC, and being able to recognize many of the towns McCrumb described was and added incentive.It is told through three semi-related narratives; that of a group of civil war re-enactors, and the intertwining stories of Zebulon Vance, a Confederate governor and Malinda Blalock and her husband Keith for whom she dressed as a man to follow into war. I loved Malinda Blalock- she is tough and bare bones practical about just about everything. She and Keith were forced into the war as confederate soldiers and finished as Union guerrillas. Malinda as a narrator adds a pragmatic and weary voice that I found very likable. The third story line was Tom Gentry, his story is current day and he has gone into the Appalachian mountains to die. I don't think this story line worked very well... It was very difficult to see its significance or relevance. Other than the Ghost Riders tie-in, on whom I don't think McCrumb spent enough time. I would have liked her to have explored them a bit more. Though subtlety seems to be the real theme of the book with the Ghost Riders being the inescapable shadow that we can't quite see looking at straight on. Overall I enjoyed the story. McCrumb does a great job of presenting what the war looked like to those in Western NC. I was surprised when I got to the end of the book, all of a sudden it was just done... with no real satisfactory resolution of the story lines--I guess that mimics the war whose story it tells."

— Jennifer (4 out of 5 stars)

Ghost Riders Listener Reviews

Overall Performance: 3.5 out of 53.5 out of 53.5 out of 53.5 out of 53.5 out of 5 (3.50)
5 Stars: 5
4 Stars: 8
3 Stars: 2
2 Stars: 2
1 Stars: 3
Narration: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 (0.00)
5 Stars: 0
4 Stars: 0
3 Stars: 0
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 0
Story: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 (0.00)
5 Stars: 0
4 Stars: 0
3 Stars: 0
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 0
Write a Review
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " FIC MCCRUMB "

    — Delafieldlib, 2/13/2014
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " I thoroughly enjoyed this fictional account of the Civil War in the NC mountains. All that talk of Morganton reminded me of friends....well written and fascinating tale of the division that is rarely discussed in secesh country. "

    — Lewis, 2/2/2014
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " This is a wonderful book. It starts in modern times Appalachia where civil war enthusiasts meet to renact a certain battle. However, their presence is stirring up something that they didn't bargain for; hence, the name of the book. The book takes you back into the history of real people who lived during the time of the civil war and shows that a lot of people were not too happy to be considered a confederate or a yank depending on which state line you lived over and forced to fight kin who happened to live over the other state line. "

    — Annette, 2/2/2014
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5

    " Sharyn McCrumb is a wonderful storyteller. She shared several stories from the Civil War wrapped inside a "modern" story. "

    — Shana, 1/10/2014
  • Overall Performance: 2 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 5

    " Really good for the first two-thirds, but then sort of fizzled. "

    — Laurie, 1/4/2014
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " It doesn't get much better than this perfectly written book. A perfect blend of historic fiction mixed with a riveting present day story. "

    — Shirley26505, 1/2/2014
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " If you like Civil War novels based on facts, then this is a must-read! "

    — Cheri, 12/29/2013
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " my favorite from the series! "

    — Mel, 11/10/2013
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " This book urged me to go to the computer and find out more about the Shelton Laural massacre, the battle of Saltville, and women as privates in the war. Excellent read. "

    — Liz, 11/6/2013
  • Overall Performance: 1 out of 51 out of 51 out of 51 out of 51 out of 5

    " Finally struggled to page 100. Then decided to quit wasting my time and put his one aside. It just never clicked for me. Too many jumbled stories going on, and I never cared about any of the characters. "

    — Bob, 10/18/2013
  • Overall Performance: 2 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 5

    " the other 6 books in this series were set in contemporary appalachia, i liked them all. this one had a lot of civil war history, not of interest to me, hence 2 stars. "

    — Rose, 1/12/2013
  • Overall Performance: 1 out of 51 out of 51 out of 51 out of 51 out of 5

    " Did not finish this book as I wasn't very interested in the subject matter (Civil War). "

    — Linda, 4/8/2012
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " If you like McCrumbs tales you will like this book, if you dislike multiple story lines you will hate it. I loved it. Plenty of snipits of the past, a touch of the current world lots of twists to keep you looking forward. "

    — Kenneth, 1/21/2012
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " I love Sharyn McCrumb and the area in which her novels are set...western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. This modern day mystery runs parallel to Civil War events in the area. "

    — Neptunem, 12/30/2011
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5

    " This book was a quick read and i enjoyed it. I'd read a book by the same author earlier in the summer. "

    — Mary, 10/20/2011
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " This is one of my very favorite authors! This is a ballad intertwined with civil war history and present day folks. The setting is Western North Carolina, my most favorite state and the history is authentic. Very enjoyable! "

    — Joy, 8/29/2011
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " disjoint civil war stories loosely tied to present, no momentum "

    — Helen, 2/12/2011
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " Very Enjoyable! I read this while on vacation riding through the southeastern mountains. In the early morning fog I would look at the parkway and almost see the "Riders". "

    — Diane, 11/30/2009
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " Not her best work, but still a good book. "

    — Michelle, 12/18/2008
  • Overall Performance: 1 out of 51 out of 51 out of 51 out of 51 out of 5

    " Wow - 75% finished and there has only been about 0.00003% about the ghost riders so far. I'm giving up. The Zebulon Vance character is a boring blowhard. Matilda and Rattler are awesome but going no where. I have wasted way to much time on this book. "

    — Debbie, 12/10/2008

About Sharyn McCrumb

Sharyn McCrumb is the New York Times bestselling author of The Rosewood Casket, She Walks These Hills, The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter, If I Ever Return, and many more acclaimed novels. Her books have been named Notable Books of the Year by the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times, and she has been honored for Outstanding Contribution to Appalachian Literature. Her awards include Best Appalachian Novel, the Agatha, and the Anthony as well as the Edgar Award and the Nero Award. McCrumb is a graduate of the University of North Carolina, and holds an MA in English from Virginia Tech.

About the Narrators

Dick Hill, named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine, is one of the most awarded narrators in the business, having earned several Audie Awards and thirty-four AudioFile Earphones Awards. In addition to narrating, he has both acted in and written for the theater. 

Susie Breck’s work has garnered awards both as narrator and director. She won an Audie Award, the audiobook industry’s top honor, for her narration of Sharyn McCrumb’s Ghost Riders. She is married to fellow voice talent Dick Hill, an AudioFile Golden Voice.