The Dark and Bloody Ground

Roberta Webb
Turnkey Press (2005)
ISBN 1933538082
Reviewed by Lynn O'Connell for Reader Views (9/06)

Five generations of Kentuckians, their culture and thoughts on the times, are vividly explored in this 381-page work of historical fiction.  The novel opens as Morgan Collier’s mother entreats him to not leave home.  Yet, living in a town in Ohio, Morgan has been fascinated by Kentucky and the tales of its abundance of land and wildlife since he was a small boy.  Finally, in 1840, Morgan and his wife, Liddy, with their children, head to Kentucky. 

The following chapters detail how the family adapts to mountain life in the wilderness and all the daily struggles the family encounters.  Morgan’s daughter, Sarah, marries the son of the family’s neighbor.  Much of the novel focuses on this couple and their four sons and one daughter, Amy.  Amy marries the son of a neighbor, and the couple has seven sons.  Her husband, Levi, establishes a booming moonshine business, which thrives during prohibition and thwarts all revenue agents.  The story follows Levi’s entire family, although focusing on Ben and then his wife and family.  Ultimately, the book provides a detailed history of Kentucky through the mid-twentieth century.

There are two sub-plots of the book that add to the book’s appeal.  First, fourth-generation Ben has a special gift – the eyes of a cat.  His mother had a near miss with a panther while she was pregnant, and Ben inherits the panther’s eyes which also give him the cat’s “nine lives” -- and the ability to survive.  One of Ben’s sons inherits this special gift as well.  Second, Judge Wesley Adams, a friend of Ben’s, spends his life dreading the curse that was placed on him as a young man by Lettie Mullins.  As Wesley was acquitted for killing her son, Lettie screams in the courtroom:  “I curse you, Wesley Adams, and I witch you.  You will live to see any son you have dead at your feet.”  Wesley has three sons…..

Author Roberta Webb is able to draw the reader in with her detailed descriptions of many of the characters – including Amy and Wesley.  It is also noticeable how the plot flows smoothly and all-encompassing, leaving no loose ends.  The title of the book itself comes from the phrase which was used to describe Kentucky originally because it was a battleground for the different Indian tribes.  A native-born Kentuckian, Webb provides detailed descriptions of the timber, mining and moonshine industries in Kentucky.  She also touches on the struggle that has always existed in the state: economic advancement versus protection of resources. 

The novel is a pleasant and relatively quick read for anyone who enjoys generational sagas.  Keep reading, the ending will answer your questions and leave you with a smile on your face.

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