Serena

Serena by Ron Rash
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sum it up in a sentence (or two): The story of newlyweds Serena and George Pemberton, lumber barons of North Carolina (and beyond, when it's up to them) in the years before the Great Depression.

First thoughts: I haven't read historical fiction like this in a while, and this was a good return to it. I liked the characters right away and the story moved along (and kept me interested).

Second thoughts: Okay, so my initial attraction to Serena herself waned as I got to know her. She's pretty cold and it's hard to tell what her motivations are.

This seems familiar: Serena is House of Cards and the Pembertons are the Underwoods, just set in 1929 North Carolina instead of present day Washington, D.C.

Favorite characters: Joel. The widow. Rachel, sometimes.

Final thoughts: Better than I expected, but I have some questions at the end. [Spoilers, obvs] Does Rachel find Joel? What happened in Colorado to make Serena so evil/crazy/mad? I want to see the movie (starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence) just to visualize the characters and what I'm sure is stunning scenery.


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