Comments (27)

What did you think about this title?
1 to 25 of 27 items
Jan 25, 2023
Very Ayan Rand.
Sep 26, 2022kenotartomaso rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
The only thing our bookclub members could agree to about this book was what a horrible human being Serena was! I had never read a book where the main character was so ugly!!
Sep 24, 2022ralexander704 rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
By and far the most unlikable characters I've ever read about. The story was ok with good character development. It was hard to like the book because the characters were awful people.
Aug 20, 2022Einer2 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
A good book on CD for a daily commute. Best is the moral of upsetting nature-in the end it will come back to get you!
Feb 07, 2019posie12 rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
A decidedly different style. Reminds me of Bette Davis in Little Foxes.
Sep 30, 2018Zln rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
. This is well acted. Jennifer Lawrence and others doing believable story telling. I feel perhaps we should have seen more of the Big Black Cat and that it should have been given a bit more to say? I have to query the supplied summary,…
Aug 09, 2016ArapahoeAlicia rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
This book has such a sense of place and time highlighting the logging industry in North Carolina during the Great Depression. Its characters were interesting and always had me guessing as to their motivations and loyalties. It kept me…
Jun 02, 2016sunnyrea56 rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Book was better than the movie. My oh My what a gal.
Jan 02, 2016CMLibrary_gjd rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Wonderful book! Mr Rash is great, he can really put you in the place and time he's aiming for. If you're like me, you hate Serena as soon as you meet her, but just have to keep reading to see what she's capable of which turns out that's a…
Caz1310
Dec 14, 2015
I unexpectedly really really liked this and enjoyed the depth of the characters. Would have liked to understand what made Serena unhinge..didn't think it was fully explained (or I completely missed it). Loved the justice for Rachel. I…
madison382
Jul 04, 2015madison382 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
I have never read a book where a female villain is so vile. Even though I am done reading the book, she still send shivers up my spine. Good job Mr. Rash.
Feb 16, 2015
Slow start but interesting information about the logging industry during the depression in North Carolina. Greed and murder along the way. Revenge and blind following of strong personalities. An eagle trained to kill snakes puts nature…
GerardAC
Jan 16, 2015GerardAC rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Be for warned, this is more a dark thriller than a love story. Set in the woodlands of North Carolina during the Great Depression, Ron Rash gives us the perfect example of two people driven to drastic deeds by their own sociopathic…
Jan 04, 2015sasie rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Wow - this book has one of the most severe and ruthless female characters I have ever met but it was very well written and quite an experience to read.
Jul 21, 2014sconiglio1127 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Loved this book! Worth the read!
May 22, 2014aliciamarie rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Serena was a hard book to get in to but believe me, the ending is worth it! Such a mean, vicious woman. I enjoyed the fact that the female main character was so well written by a male author. It is a chilling, haunting story and I look…
Apr 19, 2014
I couldn't put it down.
Lauraparr
Feb 22, 2014Lauraparr rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
Slightly disappointed with Serena. Lots of unnecessary details and descriptions which make you forget about the plot itself. Shame, it could have been a better read if only not told in such dull manner.
Sep 25, 2013mariednguyen rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
“Serena” sustains its haunting power until it goes one little step too far. When it finally lets Serena give full voice to her ambitions, they do the book an injustice. “The world is ripe, and we’ll pluck it like an apple from a tree,”…
CJA1910
Aug 03, 2013CJA1910 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
A look into the lumbering practices in North Carolina, the clear-cutting of forests and the greed of the lumber barons. Serena, introduced as a new bride, soon becomes a ruthless and evil presence, not to be crossed. An excellent book.
Jul 22, 2013EPalmer2295 rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
While the book is not terribly suspenseful or wildly exciting, it is a raw look at human ambition and lust for wealth and power. Perhaps the best part is looking back on the book once you have completed it and reveling at the changes that…
Jun 29, 2013kelliyfults rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
wow... brutal, well-told story. Ruthlessness, greed and eco-terrorism during the depression, also a few 'gentle souls' for balance... Very original depiction of a sociopath-
patienceandfortitude
Dec 20, 2012patienceandfortitude rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
An enjoyable read about a memorable evil woman character. Even though the book's conflict between good and evil could have seemed over the top, instead it seemed more like a well-written modern myth. I intend to read more of Ron Rash
Aug 08, 2012GmoneyATX rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
While I understand that Mr. Rash intended to write a structured novel, it was too rigid for my taste. The character Serena, is unreal in her cold calculated manner and is an attempt at writing a "strong" female character yet with no…
Aug 06, 2011seattleman rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I first read Ron Rash earlier in 2011 with his New Yorker short: 'The Trustee'. His other stores also take place in depression-era America. An excellent starting point for stories about the desperate and the powerful. Serena has plenty of…