Kentucky Folktales: Revealing Stories, Truths, and Outright Lies

by Mary Hamilton

“An entertaining collection . . . It will encourage readers to explore the lore of their own communities, no matter how near to or far from Kentucky.” —Library JournalWinner of the Storytelling World Resource Award and the Anne Izard Storytellers’ Choice AwardFolktales, legends, tall tales, and ghost stories hold a special place in the imaginations of storytellers and listeners. In Kentucky Revealing Stories, Truths, and Outright Lies, Kentucky storyteller Mary Hamilton narrates a range of stories with the creativity only a master storyteller can evoke.Hamilton has perfected the art of entrancing an audience no matter the subject of her tales. Kentucky Folktales includes stories about Daniel Boone’s ability to single-handedly kill a bear, a daughter who saves her father’s land by outsmarting the king, and a girl who uses gingerbread to exact revenge on her evil stepmother, among many others. Hamilton ends each story with personal notes on important details of her storytelling craft, such as where she first heard the story, how it evolved through frequent retellings and reactions from audiences, and where the stories take place. Featuring tales and legends from all over the Bluegrass State, Kentucky Folktales captures the expression of Kentucky’s storytelling tradition.“A well-documented, lively, informative book . . . a major contribution to regional folklore.” —Louisville Courier-Journal

Genres: Fiction, Mythology

284 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

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Reviews

[Meredith Burton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kentucky Folktales is a delightful compilation of stories and commentary from a professional storyteller. The book is divided into several sections, including "Haunts and Frights," "Tall Tales," "More Kentucky Folktales," and "Personal Narratives." Here are a list of my favorite stories:

Stormwalker. This true ghost story is so powerful and beautiful, evoking the frightening imagery of a tornado, the chilling but beautiful intervention of a friend, and the beauty and danger of rural life.
The Gingerbread Boy. This story is a frightening and gritty tale of survival. If you like golem stories, gingerbread, survival tales and suspense, this is a story for you.
Little Ripened Pear. Even more chilling than The Gingerbread Boy, this story reminded me of The Juniper Tree.
The Blue Light. No reassurance of a happy ending here! Very frightening. If you like Bluebeard, you will recognize some familiar motifs.
Some Dog. A hilarious tall tale about the Hamilton family and their extraordinary pet dog.
The Enormous Bear. Very funny with a chain-type of story that lends itself well to being told and retold. The story is catchy and rhythmic and features a very resourceful squirrel.
Bloody Head and Raw Bones. A wonderful story modeled after the Diamonds and Toads type of story.
The Princess who Could Not Cry. This story is very clever and fun. I love that the protagonist is a heroine instead of a hero.
Kate Cracker Nuts. A fun story of two sisters with different personalities who dearly love each other. A fun twist on The Twelve Dancing Princesses motif. This one has a very clever heroine and is a fun commentary on parental mistakes and spunky women.
No Place to Start. A fun family story about school lunches and an interesting historical fact I did not know. I had to think a bit about the ending of this one, but its a funny story.
Jeff Rides all the Rides. Made me laugh out loud! A great story about county fairs and all the entertainment you will encounter at them, even in places you least expect.

The commentary for the folktales is very informative and enlightening. While I am not a professional storyteller, I did take a storytelling class and enjoy attending storytelling festivals. Hamilton's explanations of her work process, the ways she finds the stories and how she tells them is so much fun to learn. Now I would love to see this storyteller in person.
Thoroughly recommended! God bless you all.

[Vickie Woodard · Rating 1 out of 5]

MISLEADING TITLE

I got this book because I wanted folktales.
The author instead tells several nearly identical stories and wastes my time detailing the process she used in choosing how to tell each story.
Then she tells family stories and explains those as well.
Yeah, the title of the book might allow her to talk about her relatives and herself, but it's BORING.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book for a writer or comic or performer as well as someone interested in storytelling or the history of folktales. She writes about her process, and explains how she thinks of what versions she wants to tell, and these explanations are often as interesting as the folktales!

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the commentary sections and insight into the oral history tradition and thoughts on the stories listed. It adds to the book as a way to help bridge the divide between the text and the intended oral retelling nature of the stories.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Come sit a spell on my porch with your sweet tea and I will spin you a yarn! Kentucky country life is fast paced yes, but when it is time to unwind, these folks have stories to tell!

I have met some of the most creative, colorful people of my life in KY. It makes perfect sense that Mary Hamilton would be able to pass down some of her oral stories into published form, to keep the ball rolling. Who doesn't love a good ole folk-tale?



This book has stories about Daniel Boone, farmers, hunters, dogs and more. I can just visualize the story teller captivating the audience with her tales. None as great as hearing first hand, but well done in written form as well.



This is the perfect book for reading aloud to the family on cold fall evenings. The first section does have frightful and creepy tales, so you can skip over those for the young ones.



Story telling in the hills of Appalachia, that is certainly Kentucky to me!

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted a book on Kentucky folklore, and this one delivered! Mary Hamilton is a professional storyteller from Kentucky, and the stories collected here are ones that she has told many times to audiences. As a result, the stories are written in a very conversational way that can be a little off-putting to readers if you're not expecting it at first.

Each story is accompanied by commentary from Hamilton that sheds light on where she first heard the story, changes she made to the original version she draws from, and how she tells the story aloud. I found the commentary to be very interesting and learned a lot about the art of storytelling. However, if you take away the commentary and footnotes, the stories only total about 100 pages; I would have loved to read more stories than the ones provided here, even if commentary wasn't attached to each one.

[Lori · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting that many of the tales were similar to popular fairy tales but didnt really enjoy the commentary on each tale.

[Randal Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had never thought of the work and intricacies that went into story telling. This book is an eye opener into that world. Ms Hamilton is a true professional that I would love to hear perform.