Varina
Varina by Charles Frazier, published by HarperCollins on April 3, 2018, is presented in a large print edition, spanning 512 pages. This novel explores the tumultuous period of the Civil War through the life of Varina Howell, who marries the much-older Jefferson Davis, expecting a stable life as a Mississippi landowner. Instead, she finds herself at the heart of the Confederacy’s political turmoil, grappling with the consequences of her circumstances.
Readers will discover a narrative that delves into Varina’s struggles as her marriage deteriorates and her nation faces division. The story follows her and her children as they flee Richmond, becoming fugitives in a country torn apart by war. With a focus on historical and biographical elements, Varina presents an intimate portrayal of a woman’s tragic journey amid the chaos of war and its aftermath, highlighting the complexities of complicity and consequence.
Official synopsis Publisher
Sooner or later, history asks, which side were you on?
In his powerful new novel, Charles Frazier returns to the time and place of Cold Mountain, vividly bringing to life the chaos and devastation of the Civil War
Her marriage prospects limited, teenage Varina Howell agrees to wed the much-older widower Jefferson Davis, with whom she expects the secure life of a Mississippi landowner. Davis instead pursues a career in politics and is eventually appointed president of the Confederacy, placing Varina at the white-hot center of one of the darkest moments in American history—culpable regardless of her intentions.
The Confederacy falling, her marriage in tatters, and the country divided, Varina and her children escape Richmond and travel south on their own, now fugitives with “bounties on their heads, an entire nation in pursuit.”
Intimate in its detailed observations of one woman’s tragic life and epic in its scope and power, Varina is a novel of an American war and its aftermath. Ultimately, the book is a portrait of a woman who comes to realize that complicity carries consequences.
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