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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 mountainsâ??but she soon shows herself to be the equal of any man, overseeing crews, hunting rattle-snakes, even saving her 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.… (more)
I developed another Rash. This one took me back to the mountains of North Carolina. However, instead of meeting the good-hearted people of [b:The Cove|11807189|The Cove|Ron Rash|http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1340737438s/11807189.jpg|16760618], I was introduced to some of the most ruthless characters in literature.
Serena and George Pemberton have never met a living creature (human, animal, or plant) they do not wish to dominate (or destroy) for their own gain. With an element of suspense, Rash weaves a tale of ambition gone awry.
Highly recomended for fans of southern literature, those who like strong female characaters, or those who just like a darn good story.
Serena is one of the best books I've ever read. Rash created a clear and fascinating world with the Pembertons and the folks that surround them. I really enjoyed how Rash let the story get told through the eyes of the workers and the way they told us things we wouldn't find out otherwise. The superstition of the mountain people was thick and almost a character itself. The women of the book had their own strength and ethereal strangeness that overshadowed the men. Even Serena, antagonist through and through, made me envious at times.
After the first chapters of character introduction and world building, I was sucked in. A thoroughly enjoyable, exciting and intense read. ( )
I would give it 3.5/5 stars. It was good but it didn't get really good until the very end. It was a little difficult to keep track of all the characters. ( )
Ron Rash is an exquisite writer. The ONLY problem I had with this was the darkness prevailing throughout the book. Whatever light tried to shine on the story was killed. Again, Rash is an excellent writer. This type of story not what I care to read. I prefer his short stories. ( )
A hand, that with a grasp may grip the worlde. --Christopher Marlowe
Dedication
For my bother, Thomas Rash
First words
When Pemberton returned to the North Carolina mountains after three months in Boston settling his father's estate, among those waiting on the train platform was a young woman pregnant with Pemberton's child.
Quotations
Last words
Those among the townspeople who'd known her, including the police chief and the doctor, had no doubts at all as to the veracity of this aspect of the guard's account.
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 mountainsâ??but she soon shows herself to be the equal of any man, overseeing crews, hunting rattle-snakes, even saving her 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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Book description
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. George has already lived in the camp long enough to father an illegitimate child by young Rachel Harmon but Serena is new to the mountains. Upon stepping off the train in Waynesville, George is confronted by Rachel's father, Abe Harmon, who is angry that George has abandoned his daughter. Abe attacks George with bowie knife. Ultimately George wins the battle and kills Abe. George also meets his business partners Wilkie and Buchanan at the train station and introduces them to his new wife, Serena.
Serena will soon show herself to be the equal of any man, overseeing crews, hunting rattlesnakes, even saving her husband's life in the wilderness. Together, the Pembertons ruthlessly kill or vanquish all who fall out of favor. Meanwhile, Rachel Harmon struggles to take care of her son, Jacob. 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.
In the climax, Serena poisons George and leaves him to die in the woods. Desperately, he attempts to drag himself back to the lumber camp, certain that Serena will be waiting and that everything will be as it was before. Hearing the sound of light footsteps, George is certain that Serena has changed her mind and is returning for him. It is implied, though, that he is finished off by a panther.
In an epilogue set in 1975, an elderly Rachel Harmon reads a Life Magazine interview with Serena, who has prospered as a lumber baroness in Brazil, in a Seattle hospital. On his next visit, Rachel shows the interview to her son.
Soon after, Serena and her henchman, Galloway, are murdered in their hacienda by an assailant armed with a knife. A guard comes on the scene as Serena was dying, however, and identifies her fleeing killer as identical to an old photograph of George. The guard's account is discounted by the Brazilian police.
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Serena and George Pemberton have never met a living creature (human, animal, or plant) they do not wish to dominate (or destroy) for their own gain. With an element of suspense, Rash weaves a tale of ambition gone awry.
Highly recomended for fans of southern literature, those who like strong female characaters, or those who just like a darn good story.
4.5 stars. (