I know that Charles Frazier is most known for his novel, Cold Mountain, but I must admit…I haven’t read it. So, I’m going into his writing with no preconceived notions of any past greatness to compare it to. When we received advanced copies of Varina and I learned that Frazier would be joining us for a signing and reading at The Eudora Welty House, I figured this would be the best time to start my Charles Frazier reading journey.
Set in the Civil War era with a strong, female protagonist, Frazier’s new novel is mostly narrated by Varina Davis, wife of Jefferson Davis. 
Married at 17 to a man nearly 20 years her senior, Varina is thrust into political life during the brutality of the Civil War. She suffers the loss of several children and then decides to rescue a black child named Jimmie to raise as her own.
When we first meet Varina, she is much older and reflecting back on her life with the now-grown James (Jimmie) after years apart. Once Lee has surrendered, she is fleeing with her still surviving children, a young black boy named James, and a black woman through an almost lawless land. They find danger on their journey, and narrowly escape a few captures by Federal soldiers while trying to start a new life for themselves. There are a lot of historical figures whom she encounters along the way. Some may find this a bit much, but it turns out (because I did a little research on my own) that Varina was just that connected in her real life. Ultimately, this is a story, written in Frazier’s beautiful prose, of Varina pulling herself together, and those closest to her, after the devastation of the Civil War.
Frazier has done a fantastic job of depicting the damage done to the landscape and people of the south during this time. He has also given us a story of a strong female historical figure, forced to marry young, and shows her feelings of culpability for her actions and the actions of her husband concerning slavery. He has taken someone who is on the “wrong” side and made one feel empathy and sorrow towards their troubles. He has shown the horrors in both the North and the South during the time following the war in great detail. I know this is a historical novel, but Frazier did his research, and as far as I can tell Varina was exactly the woman he has produced in real life; a very intelligent, kind, hard working woman who was able to face anything head on in her life.
I really enjoyed this read. In fact, it reminded me of a non-fiction book, Trials of the Earth, which I read and loved a couple of years ago, about Mary Mann Hamilton and her life in the Mississippi Delta. If you’re looking for tales of strong Southern women surviving in a harsh landscape, these books are are for you.
Charles Frazier will be at the Eudora Welty House today, Thursday, April 26, at 5:00 to sign and read from Varina, Lemuria’s April 2018 selection for its First Editions Club for Fiction.
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