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| Plot Summary of Beulah Hill |
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"
William Hefferman
Simon & Schuster, Feb 2001, 25.00, 301 pp.
ISBN: 0684862263
Jerusalem's Landing has a fascinating history when it comes to blacks and slavery starting before the Civil War began. Blacks remained on the property of their owners, but their children were set free at sixteen for girls and eighteen for boys. These free blacks worked on farms and as house servants. A shortage of white females led to many interracial marriages. The descendants of these unions are considered white or bleached.
By 1933, there remained only two families of purebred blacks and both resided on BEULAH HILL. When one of the town's white bad boys was found dead in the woods near Beaulah Hill, many residents believed that one of the Blacks killed the lad. Constable Samuel Bradley, a bleached white and a lifelong recipient of racism, accompanies his boss Sheriff French Le May as they look for a murderer and struggle to keep a vigilante mob from killing someone in the name of justice.
This work provides an appealing gaze at a small Vermont town during the Great depression and Prohibition. The undercurrent of bigotry is depressing, but an accurate depiction of the period. Though well done, the murder mystery stays in the rear as William Hefferman writes his best work to date, a historical novel that will bring him much acclaim to an already stellar career.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Beulah Hill |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of story
- depressing/sad
How difficult to spot villain?
- Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues
Time/era of story:
- 1930's-1950's
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 30%
Special suspect?
- chronically deranged person
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- Proving innocence of very obvious suspect
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- police/lawman
How much violence does he/she use?
- just the right amount
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- unemployed
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- an average amount
Motive of antagonist
- revenge
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
Small town?
Yes
Small town people:
- dumb rednecks, like Gomer Pyle
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 1
Unusual forms of death
- perforation--swords/knives
Unusual form of death?
Yes
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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