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Loading... Serena: A Novel (P.S.) (original 2008; edition 2009)by Ron Rash (Author)
Work InformationSerena by Ron Rash (2008)
  
No current Talk conversations about this book. 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. (  ) JRobinW | Jan 20, 2023 |  I’m glad I did not read any blurbs or reviews before reading this book. It is definitely a book that needs to be gone into blind. For that exact reason, I cannot really discuss the novel in any detail without giving away too much information. It is a novel that builds gradually a psychological profile of Serena Pemberton without really telling us much about her at all. When the internal workings of a character are very important to the novel, most authors will tell you a lot about what that character is thinking or what has happened to them in the past to bring them to this place. Ron Rash does not do that. He just shows us what Serena says and does and nothing more is needed. It is a chilling story. I wondered in the beginning why Serena was such a flat cardboard character (stilted and cold) when it was obvious that Rash could draw very complete and complex characters by his treatment of others in the novel (Rachel was full-blown, complex and interesting to me from the beginning). Sarena was not only inaccessible, but unredeeming, and that puzzled me until the story reached a point where it became very clear that Rash wanted and needed her to be seen that way. I finished the novel with very mixed feelings. I enjoyed reading the novel, but I did not think it had anything lofty or meaningful to say. I tend to like books in which the characters, good and bad, are people I might expect to find in my own world. I would not ever expect to meet anyone like Serena, nor, for that matter, like Pemberton or Galloway. This extremity keeps this from being a strong book for me, a fun read but not a favorite. I can believe that this would be a huge success for some readers, but it breaks somewhere in the middle for me. Finally, I must say that Rash has a comfortable writing style and knows how to move a story at a pleasing pace. I loved his descriptions and felt immersed in his environment. I would not hesitate to read another of his novels and feel sure that in his hands another story might captivate me completely. (  ) mattorsara | Aug 11, 2022 | Brilliant (  ) Sunandsand | Apr 30, 2022 | Abandoned on page 70 of 371, could not get into the book - too many characters and not pleasant to read jhavens12 | Sep 1, 2021 | After hearing the author, at the SC Book Fair, say how much he enjoyed making western North Carolina a character in the story, and how much he enjoyed creating the most evil woman in Serena, I had high expect ions. He did not disappoint! So fun to read about the towns and mountains I've seen, the NC mountain culture and the era. Can't wait to see his characters in the movie--hope Hollywood does his writing justice! (  ) Nancy_LiPetri | Feb 11, 2021 | no reviews | add a review
Belongs to Publisher SeriesGallimard, Folio (6843) Has the adaptation
The year is 1929, and newlyweds George and Serena Pemberton arrive in North Carolina 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 worker, overseeing crews, hunting rattlesnakes, even saving her husband's life in the wilderness. Together Serena and George ruthlessly kill or vanquish all who fall out of their favor. But when Serena learns that she will never bear a child, she sets out on her own to kill the son George had 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 finale. No library descriptions found. 
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54 — Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage: (3.69)
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Wikipedia in English (3)
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