The year is 1929, and newlyweds George and Serena Pemberton travel from Boston to the North Carolina mountains where they plan to create a timber empire. Although George has already lived in the camp long enough to father an illegitimate child, Serena is new to the mountains—but she soon shows herself to be the equal of any man, overseeing crews, hunting rattle-snakes, even saving her husband’s … husband’s life in the wilderness. Together this lord and lady of the woodlands ruthlessly kill or vanquish all who fall out of favor. Yet when Serena learns that she will never bear a child, she sets out to murder the son George fathered without her. Mother and child begin a struggle for their lives, and when Serena suspects George is protecting his illegitimate family, the Pembertons’ intense, passionate marriage starts to unravel as the story moves toward its shocking reckoning.
Rash’s masterful balance of violence and beauty yields a riveting novel that, at its core, tells of love both honored and betrayed.
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I gave this book two stars instead of one because I enjoyed the setting and the subplot of land acquisition for Smokey Mountain National Park. The main plot was so relentlessly melodramatic that I expected Snidley Whiplash to tie Fair Maiden Rachel to the railroad tracks! The characters were stereotypes of good and evil with a Greek Chorus of …
Wonderfully written as to expected from Ron Rash. A heart breaking view of the human spirit.
Serena goes to any lengths to insinuate herself into George’s world. She will
go to extreme limits to get rid of George’s illegetimate child and girl friend.
A treasure of a book read it
Any thing Ron writes I will read
Ron Rash is gifted. If you look at the reviews on this book at certain sites, you will see that some readers are really disappointed in this book. But the darkness of it is part of what I love about it. The writing is incredible, every word is perfect. The characters are alive and flawed and compelling. One reader mentions that the book lacks …
Very entertaining read. The characters were well written, and the story was very in-depth.
I love all of his books. This one is probably the best one of his that I have read. They made a movie about it. It wasn’t as good as the book.
Ron rash is a great skillful author, have been riveted by every book of his I have read
I went through every emotion, reading Serena.
Ron Rash knows and understands well the area of NC he writes about – and especially the history of the people and the development of the area. This story sticks with me – the characters are original, or at least they are to me. The interaction between them, the motivations that drive them, the damage and turmoil they leave in their wake is …
A story of ruthless, selfish people whose goal is to acquire the almighty dollar.
There’s hardly a person in the mix that can be trusted, and Serena is in love with only one person – herself. She’ll betray anyone in her path to acquire her desires.
I didnt like the characters but I remember it, which i think is a measure of the writing, plot and character development.
The characters were so evil.
Beautifully written.
I love almost anything about the Smoky Mountains and this author is authentic. Background on creation of Smoky Mountain National Park and the hardships of local people. Real villains and surprising ending.
Easy reading but depressing and dark at times.
There were times I hated this book. But it was a good read. It delved into the lumber oligarchs and their feelings of entitlement when America being abused for its rich resources. Underdeveloped was the background of Serena.
It is the slightly off-kilter, dark tone of this book that mesmerizes. Set in the year 1929, in the North Carolina mountains, George Pemberton arrives on a train from Boston with his cultured new wife, Serena. It is a rough-hewn, brass tacks timber camp dedicated to clearing the region of its trees for financial gain that Serena enters and assumes …
Rash is a great writer!