Follow Me Down

By: Shelby Foote

Narrated by: Tom Parker

Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

A stark tale of a crime of passion, Follow Me Down tells the story of Luther Eustis, a respectably religious Mississippi farmer, who runs off to a deserted island with a young girl and brutally kills her after a three-week idyll. Why? And what was there about Eustis that attracted the young girl in the first place? The explanation of Eustis' motives is tangled and far from obvious, and each narrator perceives and reveals only parts and facets of the truth. Bit by bit, the story emerges, with stunning dramatic impact.

First published in 1950, Follow Me Down continues to enjoy critical acclaim and wide readership.

©1950 Shelby Foote, Renewed 1978. Published by arrangement with RLR Associates, Ltd. (P)2002 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"This is a solid interpretation by an accomplished reader." (AudioFile)

Worth The Trip

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. An everyday story but told in a very novel way. No suspense but rather a study in character.

What did you like best about this story?

The way it is told through the eyes of the killer, the victim, the wife of the killer and the defense attorney.

What about Tom Parker’s performance did you like?

His easy going manner and his knowledge of when to pause a second for the listener.

If you could rename Follow Me Down, what would you call it?

What Did I Just Do?

Any additional comments?

This was my first Shelby Foote novel. I have read and listened to his Civil War histories and it is interesting to hear his work in a different genre.

Good old Southern story

If you like southern fiction, you probably can't go wrong with this author. Several colorful characters make up the story, and it has a tinge of melancholy throughout. It's definitely not a feel good or picker upper sort of story, but it'd fit the bill for old fashioned southern storytelling.
Narration was very good.

What an incredible novel...with one flaw

I know Shelby Foote only from his remarkable Civil War histories (read them, please!) and so his novel here took me by surprise. It is Faulknerian and recalls Robert Penn Warren and Flannery O'Connor, among other great Southern writers.

A great tale told and retold through the lenses of a dozen or so narrators but never feels repetitive or boring. A tour-de-force of narrative style and voice: each of the prismatic views holds its own truth and its own voice, and that's a remarkable achievement. If I were ever to be given the chance to teach a course in 20th Century American Southern Novels, this would be in my top five to have my students read.

My one criticism of the novel (and please see my critique of John Williams's novel "Stoner") is the lack of depth of the references to African American people in the text. When they are not simply referred to using the n-word (realistically enough and not reflecting on Foote himself), they are ciphers...unknown and unknowable to the complete list of absolutely white narrators. Why couldn't Foote have created at least one white narrator in this novel who doesn't hate and disparage African Americans? It serves no plot reason since nothing hinges upon race in that regard. I find it troubling to read literature of that time and to see white authors simply abdicating the power they have to make a difference by creating honest, open, and fully human non-white characters. Faulkner did it...why can't others?

Quite a Surprise

When I started listening I was prepared to not care for Follow Me Down but it took no time to find it was well written with a great story. The story is told from several points of view, each more entertaining than the one before. I'll listen to this one again one day.

Great as always

Mr. Foote weaves a wonderful tale with his usual Southern graces and flow. A wordsmith’s talent that few others can match.

Prepare to Be Sucked In

There’s a whirlpool – an image used at least once in the book – at the center of this story, and it pulls you under as relentlessly as it does the hapless characters. The superb three-volume narrative history of the Civil War, the only other work by Shelby Foote that I’ve read, hardly prepared me for a fictional story as quickly and deeply engaging as this. Foote always thought of himself primarily as a novelist, and now I know why.

Of course, you’ll be reminded of O’Conner and Faulkner (especially his collection, Knight’s Gambit), but this is its own animal, the only similarity being the lasting impression felt when it’s all over. The writing is vivid, the characters memorably drawn, and their overlapping testimonies illuminating. Where they corroborate each other, the story gains in dimension. Where they diverge – usually over differing intentions and perceptions – tragedy ensues. It is all masterfully done, as is Grover Gardner's performance. He is always a pleasure to listen to.

A simple murder told by 6 different people

This book, written by the racist civil war narrative writer, is pretty simple. A murder occurs and within the first chapter we are told everything about it. But then we get the story from everyone involved plus more (such as the clerk from the case?!). But we really get just their thoughts and feelings, nothing like Rashmon where each character has their own version of events.
This book is more style than content. It is interesting to read what each character thinks and what others don’t know but really the story isn’t effected by any of this. The writing style kinda of reminds me of those old books such as Melville or Faulkner. The narrator does an amazing job with the southern accents which many people do not. If the above interest you then you’ll definitely enjoy this book.

A good look at the past

Shelby Foote's books always have a good story and an honest look at the old south. I enjoy them very much.

Amazing

A wonderful listen. Multi-layered. Fantastiic. Beautiful narration and story. I find myself listening to chapters over and over again. Thank you.

An enjoyable and thoughtful tale.

God-fearing farmer Luther Eustis gets himself into trouble when he runs off with a young woman. Following a few weeks of bliss, he decides to return to his family but knowing his paramour will chase him back home, he kills her.

Like many readers I first became aware of Shelby Foote through his three-volume epic on the American civil War and his participation in Ken Burns’ ground-breaking documentary on that subject. First published in 1950, ‘Follow Me Down’ reveals itself through the point of view of several characters. With each one given an authentic Mississippi voice, Foote’s tale was inspired by a real murder trial in the early 1940s. Although we’re told about the murder early on, the motive for the killing comes to light through the narratives of the murderer and the dead woman. With heavy emphasis on old-time-religion, we see how Luther digs himself into what he believes to be an impossible situation and the consequences of his actions when the police catch up with him. Foote’s use of southern colloquialisms and some witty one-liners, keeps the story from becoming too mired in its subject matter. Audiobook narrator Tom Parker (aka Grover Gardner) gives an excellent performance, using a variety of realistic and entertaining voices that bring the tale to life.

An enjoyable and thoughtful tale, reflecting the coarse reality of a 1940s Mississippi Delta town.