Told in the Hills: A Novel

"Told in the Hills" by Marah Ellis Ryan is a late 19th-century novel that examines kinship, allegiance, and difficult love affairs within a wild, untamed setting. The novel centers around characters entangled in conflicting feelings, chiefly the strained connection between two brothers affected by a woman named Annie. The narrative begins by presenting two men, brothers divided by appearance and disposition, whose clash stems from a marriage threatening an implicit understanding involving Anna. As the familial rifts come to light, revelations of lost affection, remorse, and the burdens tied to honor emerge; against this background, the story travels from the opulent residences of New Orleans to remote, secret-filled landscapes, highlighting the intensity of the developing individual stories.