Serena: A Novel

By Ron Rash

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 mountains—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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Oct 6, 2009
• ISBN: 9780061981982

Ron Rash

Ron Rash is the author of the 2009 PEN/Faulkner finalist and New York Times bestseller Serena and Above the Waterfall, in addition to four prizewinning novels, including The Cove, One Foot in Eden, Saints at the River, and The World Made Straight; four collections of poems; and six collections of stories, among them Burning Bright, which won the 2010 Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award, and Chemistry and Other Stories, which was a finalist for the 2007 PEN/Faulkner Award. Twice the recipient of the O. Henry Prize, he teaches at Western Carolina University.

Reviews for Serena

[bravenewbks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I don't know exactly what I was expecting when I read this book -- maybe a North Country or Coal Miner's Daughter brand of feminine heroism in hill country.

But Serena is an antiheroine, as you'll discover pretty shortly after she makes her appearance. She's smart, attractive, devious, and bloodthirsty. If she has a redeeming quality, it's a fierce and intelligent ambition, but then there's a fine line between ambition and cruelty (or maybe the former fuels the latter).

In short, she's a fascinating character, but the real protagonist is her husband, whom she calls by his last name (and hers): Pemberton. He's a big, tough guy, unafraid of hard work and fights to the death, and seems like he and Serena might actually be a perfect (terrifying) pair.

But there's trouble in the gangstas' paradise -- can he really live up to Serena's standards of ruthlessness, or will he disappoint her by showing a sliver of compassion at exactly the wrong moment?

Ron Rash does an excellent job of leaving that question dangling in front of the reader for nearly the whole book. At every turn, I wanted to know how Pemberton was going to react, and that kept me metaphorically on the edge of my seat. Well worth a read if you enjoy complex characters, or are interested in the backgrounded-yet-highlighted tension between loggers and the nascent development of national parks.

[amaliagavea · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The reviews I had read prior to my reading this novel were very polarized. Many loved it, many hated it. The impression it left me lies somewhere in the middle.

Ron Rash's prose is beautiful. It is realistic and earthy, but not raw or unpolished and it helps you visualize the harsh Appalachian landscape, full of lore and superstitions, which is slowly falling prey to the needs of the developing, modern world. The heart of the novel is Serena, a deeply flawed, mysterious heroine that bends eagles and men alike to her will. Pemberton, her husband, has some sins of the past to atone for. The relationship between the married, young couple is the element that attracts the reader's attention, in my opinion. And there lies the fault of the novel.

When the two main characters are absent, Serena simply seizes to exist. Every other character is boring, their conversations are provincial and deeply sexist. Of course, this last remark may be somehow unjust, considering the time and setting of the novel. We have men who feel threatened by a powerful woman. In addition, the animal violence was too much.The mad preacher is infuriatingly annoying, and Rachel is a snooze-fest, her only function lies to additional melodrama. She is weak, she only thinks and never acts, a character I simply didn't care about. As a result, much skimming and skipping pages took place in a novel that is not particularly long.

I could see the end coming from a distance when Pemberton expressed the will to aid Rachel and his illegitimate son so I wasn't that surprised. Was it a just ending? Not particularly, but it was a realistic one. Furthermore, I was disappointed with the fact that we never get to know the reason Serena was such a cruel, ruthless, deranged person. Pemberton was much more developed, Serena sometimes came across as one-dimensional. In that sense, she was more a Medea than a Lady Macbeth, because there is not an ounce of remorse in her. Somehow, in retrospect, I think that the end left some considerable loose ends.

I will definitely read more works by Ron Rush, but my high expectations for Serena were not fulfilled.

[jjaylynny · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Whoa. Shit. Wow. Intense, dark, atmospheric story of life in a lumber camp in North Carolina's Appalachia. A fabulous female character, though totally opaque and therefore both intriguing and terrifying. Can't decide if the opacity makes the book better or worse, but this one will haunt.

[cas_ar_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The main characters in this book are full of shelfishness, and a need to become rich no mater what. It has some historical content of the conditions in the US at this time. All of it ties together in an interesting book.

[bettewhitley · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A page turner. Serena is quite the character.

[micahmom2002 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A historical fiction based in the early 1920's. A man and his wife by land to cut down the timber. She has her eyes set on buying in Brazil and will stop at nothing to achieve her dream. She miscarries late in her pregnancy and decides she wants to kill her husbands illigitamate child and his mother. When she finds her husband has set out to protect them, she becomes ruthless.

[ms_samparker · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It definitely reminded me of Cold Mountain and took a little bit for me to get into, but it was well worth it.

[kren250 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Set in 1920's North Carolina, the book starts with the wealthy timber baron Pemberton arriving back at the lumber camp with his new wife, Serena. Serena is very different from what the locals (poor but resilient mountain folk) are used to: she hunts and rides horse just like a man, knows as much about felling trees as the lumberjacks, and is a very savvy businesswoman. It soon becomes clear that Serena is running the show, with Pemberton taking the back seat. Rachel Harmon is one of the mountain folk caught in Pemberton and Serena's web. The teenage Rachel was seduced--and then abandoned--by Pemberton, and has given birth to his illegitimate son. Now she has to try and care for the boy with no help from Pemberton, since Serena forbids it. More and more people begin to feel Serena's wrath: from the business partner who is perceived as weak to the Sherriff who dares to interfere when things start to get bloody. It very quickly becomes obvious that Serena is not a woman you want to cross. This book is hard to peg in just one genre. It's historical fiction, but it could also be classified as horror. It's a psycological drama, but with an environmental bent. The blending of the different genres makes this an interesting and unique book. I especially liked the descriptions of the woods and mountains, and the struggle to make the Smokies into a National Park. It was a fun little surprise to see Kephart and Albright make small appearances, especially after recently watching Ken Burn's National Park series. Serena herself is not a character you want to tangle with. She's very chilling and reminded me of what Rhoda from The Bad Seed would've been like all grown up. Not a comforting thought!

[bluesgal79 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Serena is Ron Rash's most ambitious novel to date, and wow.

When George Pembleton, lumber baron, brings his new bride Serena, back to his North Carolina home an act of startling brutality takes place before they even leave the train station. The tone is thereby set, and against the backdrop of the burgeoning National Parks movement of the late 1920's clashing with the timber industry's slash-and-dash heyday Rash has fashioned a morality tale par excellence.

Where Pemberton's ruthlessness has been confined to matters of business, Serena's knows no bounds. Her power over Pemberton is complete, and his descent into the depravity into which she makes him complicit is stunning.

Nobody writing today is more adept at breathing life into even the most minor characters in a novel, and again Rash doesn't disappoint. Even the loggers the reader "meets" become fully realized.

Highly, highly recommended by this reader.

[carolynschroeder · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I had never heard of Rash, when I found this book at Border's, just perusing for something new to read. I read the first paragraph at the store and was hooked, went home with "Serena." I love Rash's writing, the folklore of Depression-era 1930's "highlander" North Carolina/Appalachia and the burgeoning environmental movement juxtaposed to the brutal logging/timber industry. The plot was pretty good, but it got SO far-fetched as it went along, it became of farce really. I also agree with some other reviewers in that the main character, Serena, is just "too evil" and bizarre to be believable or even that interesting. All of the murders too, and the one-handed henchman, Galloway, just got so out of control and ridiculous. The ending was a bit too Hollywood and goofy as well. Despite those complaints though, it's a quick read and there are some very, very funny observations among the highlanders as they discuss Serena and the other protagonist, Pemberton (and their cronies). Rash is actually a wonderful comic writer too. I will look for other things he's written, but this one is just "okay" overall. I think you just have to not take it too seriously, which is too bad, because it had the underpinnings of a very spooky book, had it just remained on this side of believable.

[txwildflower_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book has to be at the top of the list for Ron Rash, although all of his books have been great. You wonder if there are really women this devious and malicious and wreck destruction all their life. And some men never see it?

[bookczuk · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If you're wanting warm fuzzies, inspiring female role models*, altruism, or characters you'll hold in your heart, this is not the book for you. But if you want a well written novel about the early days of the depression, logging in North Carolina, development of the US National Park System, and one of the most ruthless women you'll meet in literature, pick Serena up.This book takes place near our cabin, just over the NC state line, which is one of the reasons I like to read Ron Rash -- he sets many of his works in my stomping grounds. I've hiked and camped in these hills, and treasure the beauty of the land. It amazes me whenever I realize how much of this breathtaking landscape was brutalized by the forces of man. In Serena the reader is given a back seat into the logging industry, circa 1929, and a glimpse into the lives of the George and Serena Pemberton, and their partners in a large logging company. George Pemberton had the misfortune to not follow the advice my mother-in-law gave her teenage sons (the bit about having a good time, but "keep your pecker in your pants") and before his marriage to Serena impregnated a local girl. As the Pembertons narrow their focus on their plans for the company ("narrow their focus" being a euphemism for killing off their partners and competition), the Missus shifts her focus to the problem of to her husband's bastard, and the plot thickens. Beautiful, clever, passionate, ruthless -- that's Serena. And this book plays out the suspense of the rape of the land, and the single-minded quest for power of one intense, memorable woman.**unless you want to be the next Lucrezia Borgia orCruella de Vil.

[ecataldi-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Wow, all I can say is... what a stone cold bitch! Serena is like a magestic, powerful panther that will gobble you up first chance she gets! I can hardly imagine how Jennifer Lawrence is going to play such a vile and twisted woman later this year on the big screen, so obviously I'll have to go see the movie version as well.This award winning novel takes place in the North Carolina mountains amidst the Great Depression and follows newlyweds Serena and George Pemberton as they build focus on building and improving their timber empire in the mountains. Serena has decided that nothing or no one will get in their way, she is a resourceful woman and all men lay in awe of her, even her husband. When she discovers that she can bear no children she decides that if she can't have an heir then neither can her husband and she uses her one handed servant to track down and kill the illegitimate son that George sired before they had met.This is a dark and twisting tale that explores just how deep greed and lust can go. Violence ensues.Great book, but not a light read.

[jim53_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Rash's latest is a near miss, one of those novels that has many strengths but can't quite support them all. Logging baron George Pemberton returns to his logging camp in western Norrth Carolina with a new bride, Serena. She is not what everyone expects of a woman in the 1930s. She rides a horse like a man, trains a pet eagle, and supervises teams of loggers in their work. Rash does a wonderful job with imagery: Serena with her eagle, loggers being killed by falling branches, the poverty of Rachel, the girl whom George had impregnated before his trip, and their son, whom Serena will not let him acknowledge. Many scenes are vivdly described.Except for Pemberton's shooting of a weak partner during a hunt, we don't see the first few evil acts that Serena directs; we hear of them afterwards, mentioned or described by a group of loggers, who function as a Greek chorus, commenting on the actions of the Pembertons. Things progress and escalate, as the Pembertons seem to have all the local politicians on their payroll and feel free to knock off anyone who opposes them. One of their main concerns is the impending creation of Smoky Mountain State Park (also an issue in Cataloochee, which I read this year), and they hurry to log and despoil the area before the land can be seized by the state.Serena is a wonderfully detailed portrait of an avaricious woman who will stop at nothing to get what she wants, and essentially controls her husband. The problem is that we get no idea of how she bacame that way. We know that her family was killed by a common illness, and that she had their home burned to the ground, but this isn't enough to show us how a bright, assertive, capable woman became so conscienceless and evil. Giving us more of her development would have made this a truly wonderful book.The style is for the most part descriptive and a pleasure to read. The story moves along quickly. Rash does a nice job with the dialog of the loggers and the locals, and he paints a detailed picture of the locale.

[ibkennedy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent period blend of history and fiction

[ralphlagana · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ron Rash can write. His prose is almost above reproach and Serena is a kick-tushie protagonist. Highly recommended.

[mreed61 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Overlooking the unfortunate simple errors that occurred toward the last 1/4 of this Kindle version, it was well written and powerful. The one thing I hated more than anything was that Pemberton appeared to have gone first by a good 50 years. If that were true, that would be sad, because of the two, he had at least an inkling of regret for things that occurred. Serena did not. She was pure Satan. She should have died long, long before. Ron wrote a fabulous book. I will definitely read more of his prose. (I don't do poetry at the risk of returning to my school days when I was forced to read it.)

[wareagle78 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Haunting story of timber barons in early 20th-century North Carolina. On a trip to Boston George Pemberton is enchanted by and marries young orphan Serena. She is lovely and strong, but soon her strength in consolidating their holdings and their personal life moves into uncomfortable. She earns the respect of the loggers with her timber knowledge, but when she brings an eagle into camp and becomes more solemn and remote, What are the borders between strength and psychopath?As a lover of the North Carolina mountains, I don't think this story will slip from my mind any time soon -- but it was a bit stilted. I cannot wholeheartedly recommend.

[anissaannalise-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Spectacular! I finished this book & needed a couple days to just think about it before saying anything. I'm always thrilled when a book won't leave me alone after the reading is done. I loved this story & can honestly say that Serena was beyond formidable. I can't give away the best bits but honestly, there's something heartbreaking & altogether alluring in Pemberton when he's confronted with the truth of his end & is still determined to prove himself worthy of her. That was fascinating. I can't say Pemberton was blameless but I certainly don't think he deserved all that he got. The Coda at the end was a great bow on the story but I can honestly say that even without it, I would have been completely satisfied with the ending. Great characters & lush writing. I highly recommend this one.

[mumineurope · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Hard hitting Serena and wimpy husband George in N California as it is being logged

[shelnutt · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great read! Great characters: Serena is truly evil and extremely tough, her husband is frighteningly detached, scary henchman, honest & determined sheriff, innocent girl... Interesting setting in & around what is now Great Smoky Mtns.

[writinghaiku · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of my favorite novels about Appalachia and arguably my favorite novel by Ron Rash. Rash is a master storyteller, capable of making us love not only the heroes but also the villains. Serena is, as many have said before, the character you love to hate. The haunting narrative, set during the clear-cutting of North America's old growth forests, combines both historical and mythological themes to create a story that pulls you in and holds you captive to the very end.As a side note, the film based on this novel starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence is a good film in its own right but can be disappointing for those who read the book first. That is to say, it's apples and oranges and the setting and main characters are really the only things the two have in common.

[tina1969_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This review may contain spoilers.1929 and George Pemberton returns to his timber company with his new wife. Her name is Serena. Serena is an extraordinary woman. She can drink, ride and shoot as good as any man. They have everything they want except for one thing, Serena can't have children. Serena being who she is won't let nothing stop her or get in her way and she will do anything to get waht she wants, even commit murder. Rachel is a sixteen year old girl and she has something that Serena wants and that is a child by Pemberton.Serena starts off as a very likeable person until her true colours start to show. Pemberton is very weak and will do whatever Serena wants because of his obsession with her. Rachel is a strong women but in a different way to Serena. Rachel has to be strong to survive and then she is on the run for her and her son's life.Now this has the makings of a good thriller, but it doesn't quite deliver. There are a lot of parts within the book where nothing much really happens. Saying that it is a compelling book as I felt I had to read it to find out what was going to happen. Serena is a good femme fatal and I wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of her.

[beckylynn_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

It had potential. In my opinion, this book flopped just as bad as the movie. Although, I do have to admit this is one of those few times that I actually enjoyed the movie more than the book. The characters and plot were awesome, but all the unnecessary detail about the wood logging itself lost my interest. The ending however is pretty epic.

[carmarie_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this book in 1 day. It was amazing how in the beginning of the book there's an almost admiration of Serena and her life in a man-orientated profession and world. But in the end. Complete psycho. I also loved the bits of dialogue with the loggers themselves. Showing the readers that they, too, had a story and were not oblivious as the Pembertons might have thought they were. To them, they were almost indespensible animals. I recommend this read. Very complex.

[mamashepp · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is as close to a five as I have read in a long time. Great characters, great writing, interesting and unique story.

[andsoitgoes_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What an interesting book! Don't mess with Serena! Interesting characters and learning about the process of acquiring land for the National Parks was great. Loved the ending.

[rainpebble_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Serena by Ron Rash; (4 1/2*)Ron Rash has beautifully written a wonderfully compelling tale of greed, murder and destruction. Set in a 1920s Smoky Mountain logging camp during the Great Depression, he tells the story of ruthless lumber baron, George Pemberton and his brutally ambitious bride, Serena. The book opens as the newlyweds arrive at the Waynesville, North Carolina train station. They are met by Pemberton's pregnant former lover and her vengeful father. Their encounter ends violently, with Serena providing a glimpse of her violent and cruel nature. Greedy for more land and wealth they will do anything, including murder, to expand their vast lumber empire. Aggressively competing for the land is the U.S. government, eager to preserve it as a national park. As the story unfolds Serena grows even more vicious, encouraging her husband on to violent actions. Rash has brilliantly woven and co-mingled real life historical figures and events with his intriguing fictional characters. His beautiful writing brings this spellbinding story to life. I was truly captivated by the vivid descriptions of the land, the era and the overall feeling of the times. Interesting Appalachian folklore and insights into the local culture enhanced the storyline. The hardships and dangers of a logging camp and its brutal impact on the environment are explicitly described. I found the complex debate over land use to be very thought provoking. (this is still being debated in my corner of the world; the Pacific Northwest of the U.S.) I loved this shocking but engrossing slice of life, a gripping story of timber barons who will stop at nothing to gain more land and wealth. I was mesmerized by both the story and the quality of writing. A most excellent story of greed, corruption, murder and mayhem.

[jeangabrielle · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Although this book isn't exactly what I was expecting, it did not disappoint. The characters are developed very well and their actions are quite predictable once you get to know them. So much so, that it is hard to put the book down when you realize something is about to happen to someone you may or may not like. Unfortunately, there is little in between, the characters are polarizing and good and bad are clear cut. The only character growth is that the bad get badder and the good get righteous. I would have liked a little more historical background on the formation of Smokey Mountains National Park and more detail about the minor characters role in its creation. There isn't much description of the environmental costs of the lumber industry and the promised emphasis on the burgeoning environmental movement is negligible. However the book's title is Serena and there is no doubt that this book is about her and her voracious appetite for power.

[catien_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"Serena" is set in the western mountains of North Carolina during the Depression. George and Serena Pemberton are newlyweds who are obsessed with each other and with the power and money that comes with building their lumber dynasty. Rachel is a poor, motherless, country girl who lives in the mountains and who fell under George's spell and into his bed, before he met and married Serena, and is now pregnant with his child. What follows is a story of greed, destruction, and murder. Excellent writing with lots of interesting facts about the lumber industry. Unfortunately, the book just does not do justice to the huge story and the many colorful characters. I was left wanting more.