About this title: Penned by an award-winning writer, this Gothic tale of greed, corruption, and revenge is set against the backdrop of the 1930s wilderness and America's burgeoning environmental movement.
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Description: Very Good. Great condition for a used book! Minimal wear. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Ecco
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780061470851ISBN:0061470856
Description: Good. Used item may show library stamps, stickers and marks. Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Ecco
Date Published: 2008-10-01
ISBN-13:9780061470851ISBN:0061470856
Description: New. Gift Condition, Priority Shipping recommended for prompt delivery by USPS when offered, Delivery Confirmation on all domestic items where available. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Ecco
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780061470851ISBN:0061470856
Description: New in new dust jacket. Very close to perfect with some edge wear to dust jacket. Glued binding. Cloth over boards. With dust jacket. 371 p. Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Ecco
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9780061470844ISBN:0061470848
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Description: New. 0061470856 Brand NEW Hardcover with beautiful Dust Jacket, FIRST EDITION / FIRST PRINTING, full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1, gift quality, ~ We would ship within 24 Hours, reply to customer emails ASAP, accept returns and offer 100% satisfaction guarantee! read more
Description: Fine. 0061470856 Brand NEW Hardcover with beautiful Dust Jacket, FIRST EDITION / FIRST PRINTING, full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1, slightest shelf wear possible, ~ We would ship within 24 Hours, reply to customer emails ASAP, accept returns and offer 100% satisfaction guarantee! read more
"I can sum this book up in two words. Boring and preposterous. First of all, you got this newly married couple, Pemberton and Serena running a logging camp in 1930s North Carolina. While Serena wows every man she comes across and gets her way in all things, Pemberton runs around and kills anyone that gets in his or his wife's way. In between their bouts of evilness, they going hunting, they have sex, they attend a meeting, go hunting again, and then have more sex. (There is more hunting than sex tho, leading me to declare this a bit of a redneck book.) Meanwhile, there is a big issue between the loggers and the environmentalists that want to build a national park. That bored me to death. Also, do we really need to know about every single tree, shrub, and even the indentity of the moss they walk on? Way too descriptive. The loggers religious banter and discussions seemed irrelevant to the story as well tho they do make some funny quips here and there.
Among all that I considered boring, there is a lead up to a potential confrontation between Serena and Rachel, a woman that has born Pemberton's baby. When Serena miscarries her child, she decides to go after Rachel and her child with murder as her main intent. Will Rachel get away from Serena with baby Jacob in tow? What role will Pemberton play in all this ruckus?
Now to explain the other word I chose: Preposterous. What I found a bit preposterous is Pemberton's tussle with a bear. Um.. Come on. Testosterone overload!
I do have a few nice things to say. I liked the look at the life of a logger and the dangers they faced. There was many a life or a limb lost among the men, offering both education and insight as to the different dangerous situations these guys faced on a day to day basis. I also like the ending. It seemed a nice way to tie up an otherwise very drab tale. The issue with Serena and Rachel tho interesting, was too minor in the story."
"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!"
"A dense, beautifully written suspense tale about greed gone wild in Depression-era Appalacia. Also a story about the love (make that erotic obsession) of a clueless (yet totally rapacious) Yankee timber baron for his fascinating, sexy, mysterious, relentless wife, Serena, who also happens to be the novel's heroine (make that anti-heroine). I love his descriptions of the exquisite Smoky Mountains terrain these people are in the business of denuding, along with the juxtaposed scenes depicting the lives of their workers, who in a rich, true-to-life vernacular provide ongoing commentary about their shenanigans (to put it mildly). The language makes this a literary tour de force; murder, manipulation, intrigue, and a final shocking conclusion make it a rip-roaring thriller that I couldn't put down. A highly satisfying read."
"This book kept my interest from the first page. Serena was an evil person. Loved reading about the early logging in North Carolina mountains. I could not put the book down once I started it. Highly recommend for pleasure reading and for book clubs."
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