A stunningly effective novel that is stark, fierce, dramatic and gripping from its unforgettable opening paragraph. -- Janet Maslin * * New York Times, Top Ten Books of 2008 * *
It's too hypnotic to break away from. Innocent people are in peril, and calamity seems as unstoppable . . . The final chapter is as flawless and captivating as anything I've read this year. * * Washington Post * *
In an age when literary fiction is so intent on subtlety that it often winds up virtually inert, a novel with this much uncomplicated gusto and narrative drive is a rare thing; in the case of Serena, it's also a welcome one. * * Salon * *
A searing tragedy of Shakespearean proportions - or, in simpler terms, a damn good book that will keep you awake far too late and, well after you've finished it, haunt your dreams. -- Julia Glass, author of THREE JUNES
Rash's evocative rendering of the blighted landscape and the tough characters who inhabit it recalls both John Steinbeck and Cormac McCarthy, while the malignant character of Serena, who projects a stark unflinching certainty about her actions, propels his finely paced story. * * New Yorker * *
A story that's sprawling, engrossing and - from time to time - nightmarish. The tension builds so well that occasionally you just want whatever monstrosity is approaching to be over. * * San Francisco Chronicle * *
Rash is a storyteller of the highest rank and Serena confirms this from the opening sentence to the final page. An epic achievement. -- Jeffrey Lent, author of IN THE FALL
A gorgeous, brutal novel. -- Richard Price, author of LUSH LIFE
A brilliant story of passion and revenge. Terrific. * * The Times * *
This gripping tale of warped psychology is underpinned by thrilling descriptions of the landscape of the Appalachians. * * Conde Nast Traveller * *
The novel serves up plenty of satisfaction for those readers who seek, above all else, a good story. But the dimensions of Serena widen as Ron Rash puts before us an American parable of greed and overweening pride, a Jocobean drama in nearly modern dress. -- Jay Parini * * Guardian * *
Rash much lauded in America, was little known here until Serena, a brilliant examination of rapacious capitalism, uncompromising ambition and deranged passion . . . By its demonic end, the book has assumed the bloodiness of a Jacobean tragedy, with a body count to match. * * Uncut * *
If Serena becomes famous as the basis for a coming Jennifer Lawrence-Bradley Cooper movie, never forget that it began as a fierce, breathtaking book, one of the greatest American novels in recent memory * * New York Times * *
