Serena by Ron Rash
By Beverly Jackson • Jun 15th, 2009 • Category: Book Review 2009 •
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When the story opens, both the reader and the community of Waynesville, North Carolina are introduced to Serena. George Pemberton went to Boston to take care of family business and returns to his timber company in Waynesville, with his captivating but certainly not blushing bride. Also waiting on the train platform are a pregnant 16 year-old girl and her father. When the father approaches George, it is Serena who speaks out that we will settle this incident here and now and hands her husband, his hunting knife which just happens to be a wedding present from Serena. As expected, the father is killed; Serena informs the girl that – nothing is due her and her unborn child. And the reader knows that more is to come and one wonders when Serena will get her due.
While Ron Rash weaves an intriguing gothic tale of the adventures of George and Serena – as they begin their timber empire, becoming greedier as the wealth and power appear unlimited. The reader will be quickly turning pages to see the outcome of their schemes. But, do not turn the pages too quickly as the story of the history of western North Carolina in the early depression years is just as engaging as Serena antics. There is one group of investors who are looking to strip the land of its resources both above and below the ground and another group which wish to preserve the land as a national park. Both of these are outsiders – and the locals are the ones to lose which ever side wins. This is still a current theme preserving our environment versus providing jobs for local people. The author does a good job of having the locals have their say and interspersed in the story is local folklore and dialect.
I recommend this book to readers of southern literature, gothic literature and environmentalists and this fast-paced story should be put on summer reading lists.
Reviewed by Beverly
APOOO BookClub
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Beverly Jackson is is a recent transplant to the Charlotte, North Carolina area. She is an avid reader, and there are very few times you will catch her without a book. Several years ago, she changed her dining room into a library with wall to ceiling bookshelves. She loves sharing her enthusiasm for reading with others and writing book reviews is a way she shares her thoughts. For the last twenty years, she has worked in the technology field for an international consulting firm, but is easing her way into retirement. Her biggest accomplishment is raising two daughters to be productive citizens of society, and they have blessed her with five wonderful grandchildren. Some of her other interest are traveling, watching sports and practicing yoga. And her latest toy is her Kindle which allows her to carry around her library in her purse.
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