VARINA by Charles
Frazier
The person is eminently interesting – the wife of the Confederate
President. The era is interesting – the decades before, during, and after the
American Civil War. The episodes are fascinating
– a Southern white woman raising an enslaved child as her own: the escape of fugitives
in a devastated land: the marriage of a 17 year old to a 40 year old. So why didn’t I like it?
The episodes are just that – episodes that jump from decade
to decade with no cohesion. The story is
not a story – there is no plot. The
tempo and pacing are erratic at best.
BUT… the writing is wonderful. The conclusions are insightful.
The characters are real and well
presented.
YOU might like it. I didn’t.
3 of 5 stars
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