Serena is another excellent story by Ron Rash. It details through historical fiction the forces working against each other in the Depression era mountain forests of North Carolina, later to become the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Showing clearly that today's fight between big business, their lobbyists and the advocates for our environment and our planet has been going on for over a century. Ron Rash includes much history in this tale, filling in the missing details with fictional, but realistic characters. The story telling is rich and compelling, and makes it difficult to put the book down, especially in the second half when the true character of the players emerges and the plot vectors toward a certain, yet unknown outcome. Empathy is evoked for many of the characters, both major and "minor". The devastating nature of the timber barons and their logging "machine" was deadly for both the environment and for the people consumed in the process. We are lucky to have recovered so much of their devastated land to preserve and enjoy today.
This was a really good book! I was fully involved the whole time while reading it. I really liked that Ron Rash used multiple points of views while telling the story. I was wondering how it was going to end the whole time. This is a very good read that I would recommend!
