The Cove: A Lyrical Historical Romance of a Lonely Woman, a Mysterious Stranger, and Doomed Love in WWI Appalachia (P.S.)

Ron Rash accomplishes a neat trick in THE COVE. Today there is much anti-immigrant sentiment in the U.S. as well as general xenophobia directed at any group considered "the other." In Rash's novel, the reader's sentiment gravitates to the immigrant, in this case a German musician whose misfortune is that he's playing aboard a German ship in U.S. waters when World War I breaks out. He and his fellow Germans are interned in a prison camp in North Carolina, he escapes, and he subsequently interacts with the main characters in the story. These are a brother and sister working a farm near the foreboding body of water mentioned in the title. The brother has returned from the war minus a hand, and the sister possesses a birthmark that leads the superstitious townsfolk to brand her a witch. She hears the escaped German playing his flute one day, later saving him from some savage stings before bringing him back to the humble farmhouse she shares with her sibling. From this point, the author builds suspense in numerous ways, foreshadowing brilliantly the inevitable denouement. The German is unable to speak, but hears properly. The sister falls in love with him, and he proves to be an able-bodied assistant to her brother. A local, flag-waving recruiting officer and xenophobe is thrown into the mix along with the aforementioned townsfolk. The author's prose is often poetic and his mastery of the local dialect is impressive. This alone makes the story an interesting read, even more so when attached to the compelling story and rounded characters.

The Cove is a beautifully atmospheric story set during World War One that involves complex characters and emotions. Laurel lives with her brother, Hank, in an isolated cove in the Appalachian valley. Their parents are recently dead, and Hank has returned from the war, minus one hand. It's a hard life, made even harder because the people think the cove is cursed and that Laurel is a witch. A secretive man appears who is mute, and ends up staying to help Hank with the farm. He's also taken a shine to Laurel. The man's secrets are slowly revealed. We know right away that he has escaped from prison, but there's more to it. Not much happens in The Cove. It's a somewhat simple story of love and secrets. But the way it is written keeps you in the story. The norms of a society at war and the difficulties of digging a well are just couple examples of explorations in The Cove that make the story rich in atmosphere. I do have another complaint, though. I'm confused by the last sentence of the book. Does that change everything? Am I getting that right? I decided to read The Cove because of Rash's other book, Serena, that was weirdly awesome. The Cove just didn't have the same tone, so I can't say I liked it as much, but it was still a very positive reading experience.

The story is set in the backwoods (a gloamy cove) outside of Mars Hill, NC in 1918. A wronged woman (Laurel) meets a wronged man (Walter). Kind of a common theme. In my view this book did not have the power or impact of One Foot in Eden or The World Made Straight. I think it is a good story and I enjoyed the descriptions of the mountain setting, the farm work, the country people (Hank, Laurel, Slidell) and the sensible town folk (Miss Calicut & Professor Mayer). Believe it or not I also enjoyed the description of the digging of a well. Of course there must be conflict and that's where Chauncey Feith comes in and he is the bad guy joined by a couple of other yokels. However, it is 1918 and we are just finishing up an ugly war in Europe against the Kaiser and "the Huns" so it is understandable that some of the mountain folk would be hostile towards Germans. (This war created the disillusionment in Hemingway and his fellow members of the Lost Generation.) Anyway, as the story opens, Walter has escaped from a local prison (held for no real legitimate reason), heads down the French Broad River and is encountered by Laurel in the cove. Hank and Laurel take him in at their place in the cove not knowing his history. Walter plays mute, however, he makes sweet music with his flute (and lays low) and even our less than enlightened characters appreciate his music. I think you can see elements of a love story in place. Next up, Serena and I hope a little more sizzle. Ron Rash is a solid writer. He is well worth a look.

I finished this a couple of weeks before the book club was going to discuss it, and then held off on writing a review until after the book club meeting, and then somehow managed to miss the meeting. I wish I'd been there to talk about this book, because it has so much depth. While I no longer remember the characters' names, I remember the characters and the landscape very well. As I was reading it, I felt transported in time and place to the dark, secluded cove where a German prison camp escapee fell in love with an isolated young woman who had been cast out from society because of a birthmark. There is a strong sense of what it is like being the "other" in this book, and even the land, always in the shadows of tall, hanging cliffs, suffers from being viewed with the suspicion held by the townsfolk of the mysterious and unknowable other. There are some moments of beauty and happiness in the book, but it is mainly a dark and foreboding tale. It is absolutely beautifully written, with language that sometimes made me stop and reread. Doing so did not knock me out of the story, however; the book creates a world that is so well realized it was sometimes difficult to leave it even hours after setting the book down. I will definitely be reading more by Rash!

It was a bit getting into this book in the beginning but once I did it became interested. Although well written I'm going to be a spoiler, this is a sad book from start to finish. I can say the author told a good and realistic story and in fact it probably make a great movie but don't anticipate a fairy tale ending.

Just finished Ron Rash's The Cove and loved it! Mr. Rash tells a simple but timeless story of inhumanity caused by fear. Though the story takes place during the First World War and in a rural location, the theme is timeless and "place less' in it's comment on how we,as humans, far too often, let fear of differences, and our own egos, lead us into actions that under other circumstances would never be considered, or condoned. Though the place is rural Appalachia, and the time is 1914, it could be anyplace and anytime. I especially think this theme applies to our society in the present, when as a society, we still let fear of others different then ourselves lead out thoughts and actions. It is also haunting in it's theme of the search for simple acceptance and love that we all share. I would highly recommend this well written and thoughtful novel to anyone wanting a "good read"!

While not as gripping a tale as "Serena," "The Cove" takes the reader into a small town in the rural South with well-drawn characters and situations. The setting is an integral part of the story and is as much a character as the characters themselves. The mood of the novel is dark -- like the cove itself -- and there is some foreshadowing of the actions that occur. The ravages of World War I are an important part of the novel and how the characters learn to cope with it. The novel is a look at prejudice, hatred, secrets, and the redemptive power of love.

This novel is beautifully written, with a wonderful natural setting in the Appalachians. In some ways the novel reminded me of the later Where the Crawdads Sing, but unlike the female protagonist of that novel, The Cove’s Laurel was sweet, docile, domestic, though she too was exiled from the community. Because Laurel lived in a haunted valley under a hulking cliff and had a birthmark, the townsfolk thought she was a witch. She was very lonely; even though her brother lived with her, sometimes she felt she did not exist at all. Rash has done good research on both the place and the period--from the flora (the dying chestnut trees), the details of domestic life, and the medicinal herbs to the World War I paranoia about the Germans (“the Huns”) and the historical event of a luxurious German ship that had been taken over by Americans in the New York Harbor. The romance-plot, involving Walter, the mute flute-playing stranger Laurel finds in the woods, enticed me and had a good surprise twist. The ending was not romance-formula HEA, but had elements of happiness and redemption for Laurel as well as promise of a good future for Walter. I was entranced by the book.

I bought this book after I read a review by Eileen Battersby in the Irish Times which described it as a fine, dignified almost stately novel which speaks from another time and does so with rare conviction. This was praise enough for me but I felt a bit of a let-down reading the first few pages. Where was this going? Then just like the protagonist’s lives were being sucked into the Cove, I was sucked into the book. I could not leave it down and it was responsible for a few very late nights for me. It is lyrical, political, human, empathic; it’s descriptions of the landscape are almost overpowering; it is tragic in the extreme although redemptive in its own right. It is about a small town but with huge themes. This is not a spoiler but watch for what happens to Chauncey Feith! Revel too in the sounds and smells of the natural world which pervade this amazing book. Read it!

Ron Rash is a wonderful writer. This book is full of atmosphere, with well drawn characters and an exciting plot. Set in the Appalachians during World War one, the story revolves around a young girl and her brother and the arrival of a mysterious stranger with a secret. If you enjoyed Rash's earlier novel "Serena', you will certainly like this. I just hope Hollywood doesn't decide to turn it into a movie. 'Serena' was a great book but a terrible movie, because they altered the plot and even the ending! "The Cove' is beautifully written! I'm looking forward to Ron Rash's next novel!

Après "Serena" et sa tragédie antique ou shakespearienne ici nous avons sous la plume de Ron Rash une sorte de conte gothique dans le décor magnifique d'un vallon quasi mythique des montagnes de la Caroline du Nord. J'adore la prose lyrique de l'auteur, tout y est: une rivière chantante au fond d'une combe où la lumière n'entre quasiment pas, une falaise menaçante, et entre les deux, juste la place devant une nappe en vichy pour un homme, le joueur de flute, et une femme défigurée par une tache de vin, donc sorcière aux yeux de certains membres de la communauté. Laurel Shelton, le nom de cette femme est une allusion au massacre de Shelton Laurel qui a eu lieu en janvier 1863 où des confédérés ont massacré des villageois pas loin de la ville de Mars Hill où a lieu l'action de ce roman. Cet incident est évoqué dans "Cold Mountain" de Charles Frazier et dans un autre roman de Ron Rash "The World Made Straight". Dans "The Cove" la guerre qui est en arrière-plan, mais qui joue un rôle primordial, n'est pas entre le Nord et le Sud mais mondiale car nous sommes en 1918.

I gave this a 4 star rating only because of the rather rushed ending otherwise it would have been a 5 star. I really thought the portrayal of the dank Cove was brilliant, the dead chestnuts and the foil of the blindingly sunlit ledge drew you into the world of the main characters. The superstition and small town stupidity a perfect angle to build round the existence and behaviour of the brother and sister and their attitude to the mysterious stranger. I thought with the introduction of the more modern day character at the very start of the book, he would have been used as a good device to finish the story, to give a bit more detail to the strangers future life. But it was a very good read with a depth and width of story to satisfy on more than one level, highly recommend this book.

The Cove, une révélation Livre envoutant, les personnages a la fois mystérieux et simples, atmosphere pesante, la nature est décrite comme un pesronnage cruel et bienveillant, on sent la tragédie qui guette inexorablement.