Booksome

Serena by Ron Rash follows the establishment of the fictional Pemberton Timber Empire. I'm not usually one for historical fiction, but I'm glad I read this book. Set in the heart of the Great Depression, Rash's characters are realistic for the period but don't get bogged down by dialect. You also get a lot on the origins of National Park, which is particularly interesting coming from the perspective of loggers. The novel's titular protagonist is the real score in this book, though. Serena is a five-star villian. Her actions are deplorable, but I can't help rooting for her in some dark corner of myself.

It was slow-going at first and it took me longer to get through this one than I would've expected. Not that I would change anything about the book necessarily, but Rash has a tendency to go into extreme details with setting and details that slows the pace. His descriptions really were beautiful, though, so no real complaints.