The Shepherd of the Hills

 

The Shepherd of the Hills

by Harold Bell Wright
Fiction
348 pages

SUMMARY:

Set in the early 1900s, this novel explores the lives of the mountain people of the Ozark Hills with striking insight into human nature. Through the twists and turns of life, we meet a stranger who settles into the mountains and has a profound effect on its inhabitants. Human nature is laid bare and yet remains unpredictably and occasionally violent, just like the wilderness of the mountains.

MY THOUGHTS ON THIS BOOK: 

Our family is planning a trip to Branson, MO this summer and I stumbled across this book while researching the area. It is a great summer read! Originally published in 1907, it brings the people and place vividly to life revealing their inner turmoil, sacrifices, sufferings and joys amidst a strikingly beautiful and dangerous environment.

Most of the mountain characters speak with a regional dialect that is conveyed through their grammar and the spelling of their dialogue. This varies by character based on their level of education and sophistication. For example, one character says "Ain't nothin' to a flat country nohow. A man jes natually wears hisself plumb out a walkin' on a level 'thout ary down hill t' spell him." The reader needs to sound out words in their head and be okay not understanding everything. Bad grammar and spelling in literature are usually kryptonite to me, but for some reason, it worked in this novel. I didn't feel a significant language barrier and somehow made sense of it. 

 

I did struggle a bit with the inconsistent names (and titles and nicknames) used for characters. But, there is something about the novel that encourages the reader to be okay not understanding everything. There is a certain other worldliness to the life depicted. The novel encourages you to ponder life without any illusions that you will fully fathom it.

The author effectively shows us the inner life of many of these solitary mountain people in a way that invites pondering. I found certain passages devastatingly honest and profoundly insightful about human nature. Each reader will probably be touched by a different character or situation based on their own life experience. I was especially moved by the truths uncovered when the shepherd educates Sammy. Teaching in the backwoods, he revealed true culture and aristocratic values in a way that would be impossible amidst the glittery falsehood of city life. There is a lot to unpack there.

 

Overall, it was a surprisingly easy and gentle read. There were nice chapter breaks and I felt myself pulled into the quiet and slow life of the mountains. And at the same time, the sudden unpredictability of human behavior and nature kept me turning pages. It is a lengthy book, but I read it easily in about a week because I kept picking it up to see what would happen next.

 

The story is endearing and fascinating. These characters and their environment will remain with me for a long time.

RECOMMENDED FOR:

Adult readers seeking a soothing and interesting novel that will lull you into a slower mental pace. This is a great summer read!