The mountain saying, "The tall woman casts the long shadow," is exceedingly true with the novel, The Tall Woman by Wilma Dykeman. The novel's main character, Lydia McQueen fits the mountain saying. She is not necessarily tall in height, but the people she helps throughout her lifetime make her a "tall" woman because she influences and lends a hand to many people within her own family and within her community. "Tall" women like Lydia McQueen seldom come around; however, when they do they are truly "precious above rubies."

Lydia begins her life with her mother, father, and siblings, the Moore's'. She is "tall" to them by caring for her mother after the outliers attack her. She moves back home even after she is married to cook, clean, and care for her siblings when her mother, Sarah, is in shock and is unable to take care of her household...