a masterpiece of american literature i will confess that i tried reading this book a couple times unsuccessfully, getting mired in the first 40 pages where frazier establishes his characters and plot. but i am glad that this time i read past this: once inman (main character) begins his journey home, the story becomes one of the most captivating i have ever read.
in writing this novel, frazier does something old fashioned and daring -- he tells a real story, built around two well defined characters without resorting to the post-modern self-consciousness or tricks popular with so many of his peers.
cold mountain is a "modern" version of homer's odyssey, modern in that it is set during the civil war as a soldier journeys home thru a devastated south to reach his loved one. there are a million great things i could say about this book. but you should simply go read it -- and be patient as the story unfolds. there are elements of twain and cormac mccarthy here and yet frazier's style is ultimately his own.
the final pages literally took my breath away and i can say that about only a handful of books i have ever read.
A Journey Worth Taking Simply put, Charles Frazier's debut novel is about 'going home'. Written with a pace and tone that evokes images of gray bleakness and stark countryside, Cold Mountain resonates with hope in the ugliest of arenas--the Civil War. But this is not a war novel. It's a story of human triumph against the fiercest of odds. That being said, Cold Mountain is not a page-turner. It's a book that at times feels as difficult and cumbersome to get through as the journey of the main character. But it's more than worth the effort. Frazier's prose makes you feel the bitter North Carolina winter down to your bones, the fear & anxiety of being hunted, the steadfast desire to be with your lover and the gut-wrenching resolve to fight your way home. A 'must' for any serious reader. Salmon RunModern literature I like to read books that have been made into movies to see how well it was adapted to the screen. Didn't watch the movie but thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. This is modern literature at its finest. BEAUTIFULLY written. I think it should be required reading in high school and/or college to give students a glimpse into life during the U. S. Civil War.UPSCALE TRUE ROMANCE Stepping Off the Edge: Learning & Living Spiritual Practice
One of the most romantic books I have ever read, Cold Mountain is a slow, sweeping epic of a slice of American history. Heartsick and disillusioned, Inman, a Confederate soldier gravely wounded at Petersburg, decides to walk home to the Blue Ridge Mountains. He longs for Ada, the preacher's daughter he left behind. He longs for healing from the war's physical and spiritual ravages. His trip takes him through the turmoil and insanity of the time. While Inman makes the almost impossible journey home, Ada fights for her life. Raised to make polite conversation and sketch, she must find the means for survival within herself. Winner of the National Book Award. National Best Seller.Not really about "the war"; Not really supposed to be. I want to say for the record - I'm not a "love story" reader. However, this is one of the best ways to describe this book. Not just a love between two people, but the love of a place.
I read this book when it was first published and to this day, it has touched me like no other literary work. I read through some of the 1-star reviews with interest as well as the opinions of many other reviewers who found fault after fault - the plot, the historical accuracy and so forth down to the punctuation (no marks to set off dialogue) and whether or not Ada could have prevented her sole remaining cow from going dry while the chickens ran feral and the gardens grew over with weeds, etc. etc. bleh bleh bleh.
In fact, when I came to one review titled, "The South Lost, Get Over It," after laughing out loud, I knew it was time, after all these years, to weigh in.
Essentially, "Cold Mountain" is a classic love story set against the backdrop of the Civil War - not a story written to gain the approval of historians. No, it is not a book about the Civil War. Although in my opinion, Frazier does an excellent job of depicting the reality of the effects of the war on rural communities in the south.
Further, it's the story of a man's long and difficult journey home. It has all the elements of a great adventure driven by the prevailing theme of an undying love and overall, it is one of the most heartbreaking books I've read - not just because of the love story, i.e., the love between Ada and Inman, but if you have ever been far away from a home you love, and felt you might never get back, it is a sinking and sickening feeling that Frazier gets across to the reader with amazing skill.
It's not a book I'd recommend to just anyone. I can see how many would be "bored" or frustrated. I think it's a story to which one may have had to have had certain parallels in their own experiences in order to appreciate. Does that make sense? :p
Janey (Long Live the South!!) Jonze
(Just Kidding....)
