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Jul 11, 2018wendybird rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
I am a big Charles Frazier fan -- I've read all his novels, and "Cold Mountain" will forever remain one of my very favorites. With Varina, he returns to the American Civil War for plot, and to his incredible way with language. This time his main character (Varina, or - as she is referred to throughout, simply "V") is someone plucked from true history : the 2nd wife of the 1st President (and only) of the Confederate States, Varina Howell Davis. V. married the successful lieutenant Jefferson Davis (whom she describes early in their courtship as a complex man - seeming neither young, nor old, and 'the kind who would rescue me from a mad dog at any risk). Indeed, Davis was older - 45 to her 18 at marriage. Educated, lovely, lively and well raised, Varina went on to enjoy her time in Washington before the horrors of succession, Sumter, and beyond. My time with the book was worthwhile, and I enjoyed it. However, the tale is not for those who wish a novel to move faster than a paddleboat on the Mississippi, or who want specific, tightly hewn sentences. "Varina" is for those who wish to be caught up - and stay awhile - in the complex, messy, beautiful, haunting world of the American South during and after the Civil War.