Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

The Ridge Walker is an historical Southern fiction novel by Jack Hemphill, set in the 1940s. Mac Davis was on the prowl for Indian legends and lore concerning the settlers in the Blue Ridge Mountains. While he owned an apple orchard and farm, which he inherited from his parents, he had been a war photographer during WWII. He was also an aspiring writer looking to get a publisher interested in his proposal for a Mountain Folk Tales series. He was intrigued when he heard about Stumpy Ridge, a remote and insulated area whose inhabitants were reluctant to speak of the fact that at times the mountain sang. Mac's informant, Dauber Higgins, told him all he knew about Stumpy Ridge, the odd phenomena, and the legends stemming from it. He recommended that Mac continue his quest by visiting the local granny witch, or healer. Mac shuddered at the concept of meeting with a wizened crone, but was quickly assured that the woman was only about 30 years old. She could be seen at the monthly market held in the village, where she sold herbs and potions. Higgins doubted she'd want any part of his plan to share the details of Stumpy Ridge and its mysteries to a public which might change the nature of her remote world, but Mac knew he had to find out more. He just got to the market with little time to spare and hurried over to meet her. She spoke in soft tones and sold him herbal remedies for his insomnia and allergies. After he left, he surreptitiously took some photographs of her as she packed up her jars, boxes and bottles. But she noticed him and approached him where he was sitting in his car. She would let him drive her home as he claimed that it was on his way, but she would not allow her privacy to be invaded.

Jack Hemphill's historical Southern fiction novel, The Ridge Walker, is a lovely and lyrical tale that captivates and enthralls the reader as surely as those mystical mountain voices bewitched all who heard them. While many authors employ the device of using two or more narrators to tell their tales, Hemphill's Mac and Jess are marvelous guides to a most compelling tale set in the North Carolina Appalachians. They may have been born and raised in the same general vicinity, but their life experiences differ so profoundly until that moment when their paths cross and intertwine. The author's writing is so well suited to his subject, especially in those segments where Mac experiences, for the first time, Jess's route for delivering her medicines to her patients and his wanderings among the caves and natural formations that honeycomb Stumpy Ridge. That part of the novel which deals with the couple and Robb being snowbound is exceptionally beautiful and quite unforgettable. I had a glorious time reading The Ridge Walker. It's easily one of the most profound and gorgeous Southern fiction novels I've come across. The Ridge Walker is most highly recommended.