A stunning and timely novel about the chaos and devastation of the American Civil War, as seen through the memories of one woman looking back over it from old age.
Frazier is a superb prose stylist who
elevates the historical fiction genre...his writing can be
breathtakingA splendid historical novel
just right for our timeRiveting...this is
a sharp evocative novelFrazier works on an epic scale, but his
genius is in the details - he has a scholar's command of the physical realities of early America and
a novelist's gift for bringing them to life
Frazier is a writer whose
spare prose paradoxically oozes atmosphere - you can almost smell the verdant pine trees and hear the crack of the twigs underfoot . . .
Beneath the chilling, photogenic story, the writing remains beautiful.Superb...Frazier's historical research generally sits lightly on the story, almost always embedded gracefully in dialogue, a small telling incident or a sharp memory of kindness or brutality. His prose is both of the characters' time and perfectly evocative...
A finely wrought novel that will reward re-reading. Elegiac without being exculpatory, it is an indictment of complicity without ignoring the historic complexity of the great evil at the core of American history. Clear-sighted depiction of culpable leaders in a divided America.
'[A]
fine historical novel ... A strong human story and, in the capable hands of Frazier, the author of
Cold Mountain, is
both emotionally engaging and rich in historical insights.MovingFrazier's
elegant prose and vivid, dreamy conjuring of V's youth and her attempted exodus has an air of romance about it ... Fascinating.
Here's
a woman of the Civil War to outshine Scarlett O'HaraA visceral, powerfully written evocation both of the beaten South at the nadir and of one of its more unusual survivors.
The narrative is sweeping and
Frazier has a beautiful style of writing.Frazier's writing is,
as ever, spectacular in place.
Elegant, elegiac prose
Riveting...this is a sharp, evocative novel
Charles Frazier grew up in the mountains of North Carolina. COLD MOUNTAIN, his highly acclaimed first novel, was an international bestseller, selling over one million copies and winning the National Book Award in 1997. It was the inspiration for the Oscar-winning film directed by Anthony Minghella and starring Nicole Kidman, Jude Law, and Renee Zellweger.
Charles Frazier is author of THIRTEEN MOONS, NIGHTWOODS, and, most recently, VARINA. To find out more, visit his Facebook page on www.facebook.com/CharlesFrazierAuthor or follow him on Twitter @Charles_Frazier