Sooner or later, history asks, which side were you on?
In his powerful new novel, Charles Frazier returns to the time and place of Cold Mountain, vividly bringing to life the chaos and devastation of the Civil War
Her marriage prospects limited, teenage Varina Howell agrees to wed the much-older widower Jefferson Davis, with whom she expects the secure life of a Mississippi landowner. Davis … whom she expects the secure life of a Mississippi landowner. Davis instead pursues a career in politics and is eventually appointed president of the Confederacy, placing Varina at the white-hot center of one of the darkest moments in American history—culpable regardless of her intentions.
The Confederacy falling, her marriage in tatters, and the country divided, Varina and her children escape Richmond and travel south on their own, now fugitives with “bounties on their heads, an entire nation in pursuit.”
Intimate in its detailed observations of one woman’s tragic life and epic in its scope and power, Varina is a novel of an American war and its aftermath. Ultimately, the book is a portrait of a woman who comes to realize that complicity carries consequences.
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As a southerner it is good to know that even influential “rebels” struggled with the idea of slavery.
Unusual writing style and point of view of two different characters.
Frazier, in his lyrical language, evokes a picture of the South before and after the civil war. I knew nothing of Varina Davis and found the book to be very informative.
So interesting to see this part of history from a woman’s viewpoint.
I have loved Charles Frazier’s other books but I just couldn’t finish this one. The characters were not appealing to me.
This book was very informative about Jefferson Davis and his family. I learned a lot However it was a slow read. Seems like it took forever to read it just dragged.
Quite a realistic view of the energy motivating Jefferson Davis in his leadership of the Confederacy in the US civil war as seen through the eyes of his wife, Varina, a lover of humanity in all its colors.
I only read Varina because I love the author; I really cared little about Jefferson Davis or his wife. But by Page 2, I was captivated as I was thrust back into Civil War and post-war eras, and learning so much while being thoroughly entertained.
This book is on my Top Twenty list, and so is Frazier’s Cold Mountain. He is such an exceptional writer.
It was interesting to read a fictional version of Varina Davis. I’m now curious to read a biography of her life. It held my interest and is well written.
Learned quite a bit about the title character and Jefferson Davis. Didn’t care for the format the author used. Back and forth between time periods. Somewhat confusing to follow those.
I’m a big fan of Charles Frazier, and I find his lack of productivity quite vexing. Since his magnificent debut Cold Mountain in 2003(?), he’s written a mere three novels that I’m aware of. And while none of them have affected me like his first, they’ve been entertaining, incredibly well written, and so smart. He seems to be most comfortable writing about the American Civil War, or more generally his characters tend to exist during the middle of the 19th century, and often have a direct connection to the War of Northern Aggression (just kidding, all you Confederate sympathizers!). This book tells the story of Varina Davis, wife of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, from several different periods of time in her life. She was a pretty amazing woman, and her journey is quite remarkable. Now if Mr. Frazier would just crank out more pieces of work like this, I’d be a happy reader!
VARINA provides a view of the American Civil War from the prospective of the young wife of Jefferson Davis. The reader is taken behind the scenes of the Davis tamily,, the glitz and glamour of the confederate presidency, and the intricate relationships between the southern landowners and slaves.
The story unfolds through the reunion of V and a young boy she brought into het family. Meeting again later in life, they piece together their relationship thorough shared memories.
Although tedious at times, VARINA is a thoughr provoking read that draws you into the lives of these complicated characters.
A great way to learn about the personalities involved in the Civil War. Jefferson Davis’s First Lady is sympathetic character who lived in a bigoted, divisive and turbulent time. Her views and actions towards oppression and slavery are worth sharing.
The author is an accomplished narrator telling an engaging story of the surprising wife and widow of Jefferson Davis. She is not what you expected.
I already wrote a review of this great book. I would add that I admire the narrative style, having a free black write his own memoirs, which form the backbone of the narration. This has the virtue of incorporating not only Varina’s thoughts, but subtly undermines them as well as the narrator accompanied Varina for part of the time and his insights are necessary and eye opening.
A very interesting presentation of a time and place I know very little about, even though I was born in the south and knew who Jefferson Davis was. I couldn’t put it down. It was a side of the south I have never contemplated and will read more books on this era. Well written!
A fictionalized biography of the First Lady of the Confederacy told from an original point of view. The historical details are finely written, as I would expect from this very talented author.
Besides being well-researched and beautifully written, this historical novel offers a much more nuanced sense of the Civil War era than I’ve generally read. It doesn’t downplay the horror of slavery by any means, but also portrays more complexity among white southerners.
What a mess! Was author trying to be mysterious or just inept? I read 25%, found no improvement and quit. . My time is with more.
I had never considered the lives of the characters depicted and I’m glad to know more about them. This is not an easy book because it follows complex characters through difficult, changing times. I read it through Audible and liked it very much that way. I’m not certain whether it would have been as easy to follow different times and places without a literal voice. As always, the author has a wonderful way with words.