Let me pour mounds of praise upon this excellent novel set in the mountains of North Carolina in 1929. This is one of the few books I’ve read recently that I wanted to pick up and read again as soon as I finished. I think this, as well as Rash’s One Foot in Eden, is especially enjoyable and hits a personal note because it is set in an Eastern rural Mountain Community which is where “my people” are from. The story is built around the conflict between those who are in favor and those who are against The Great Smokey Mountain National Park. Which is a place I’ve spent countless hours swimming by waterfalls, hiking by deer and bear cubs, and cruising down steep hills on my bike. The conflict between the logging industry, namely Serena and her husband George, and others building wealth off of the the land’s natural resources verses those that want to preserve the land while removing many unwilling families. Although this is a fictional story the issues of bringing the park to fruition is thought provoking. This preserved, beautiful place came at a price. But what is really at the heart of the story, and that Rash so masterfully unfolds, is the searing relationship between Serena and George. The commonly portrayed dilemmas of greed and power are here but done so with such a delicate interest and attention to detail that you think not only of these beautifully rendered characters but also of the inherent weakness of the human heart
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