Rating: 
Summary: I want to read the book that all these awestruck folks did..
Review: but I've got to add another drop to the puddle of people who disliked Cold Mountain. It's been a long time since I've been so disappointed by a book that should have been good. A few very prettily turned phrases here and there, but it wasn't much more than a macho romance novel. I can't say enough negative things about the ending (vapid, trite, insipid....the list goes on and on). I get angry every time I think about it (even a month after I read this thing). I heartily agree with the reviewer who described it as the literary equivalent of "Dances With Wolves" - interesting in places, but not worth all the hype.
Rating: 
Summary: The best book I've read in a long time.
Review: This was the best book I've read in a long time. It started out slowly but soon drew me in with its spare yet evocative writing. Cold Mountain is a book I want all of my friends to read and love as much as I did. As their journeys went forward, Ada and Inman became more layered and complex, and they became more interesting to me, just as in real life. I felt the violence, and there was plenty of it, was handled well, in a very matter-of-fact way. The suppressed feelings between Ada and Inman were also written very well. All in all, I found it to be a wonderful read, one I will go back to again and again.
Rating: 
Summary: Overhyped, underwhelming
Review: After reading the reviews here and hearing the hype from many friends, I came to Cold Mountain with high expectations and must say I was disappointed. Yes, I did stay up until 3 a.m. finishing the book but that was as much to get it over with -- and to see how Frazier reached the ending that I'd accidentally read about in a review here (watch the spoilers, folks!) -- as out of any deep concern for the characters or plot. As many have noted, the writing is indeed gorgeous and some of the characters Inman meets on his odyssey are intriguing. Unfortunately, more of the characters, both those met along the way and the main characters themselves, are either one-dimensional, unsympathetic, or unbelievable. Try as I might, I never came to care about Inman, and Ada was an exercise in frustration, her transformation never entirely believable. The love between the two of them was unconvincing and certainly didn't seem like it would stand the test of four years' separation. The plot meandered -- intentionally perhaps -- adding to the over-long feeling of the book, and I often found myself thinking this scene or that could have been excised. Most disappointingly, though, is the ending itself. I saw it coming from a ways away, but that's forgivable if the ending is done right. It wasn't. "Gratuitous" is the first word that comes to mind; "forced" the second. It felt as if Frazier had just run out of ideas... sort of a "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" ending. I was neither moved nor satisfied -- I was disappointed, left with a lingering "I read 300+ pages for this?" in my mind. The writing and occasional interesting scene make for a decent read but I can't for the life of me see how Cold Mountain deserves acclaim as a truly great work of fiction. It's not even in the top five books I've read in the past few months...
Rating: 
Summary: Forrest Gump harlequin romance
Review: I tried to finish this book four times because I have an interest in Civil War literature and the critics raived about the author's effort. Clearly the author has done a tremendous amount of research and indeed he has the ability to write beautiful descriptive passages. In the final analysis I never cared deeply about the characters. I struggled on to the ending and was left with a feeling that this book needs to quickly go off to a box to be donated to my church's annual garage sale and auction. Based on some of the other reviews and comments that give the book "9" or "10" ratings there are indeed many readers out there who thrive on fluff n' stuff. If you are considering purchasing this book I urge you to save your money. If you are anxious to make a journey into great Civil War fiction please pass by Cold Mountain and head over to The Killer Angels or Gods and Generals. I think most of the people that enjoyed this book are stuck in the historical fiction romance novel rut.In the immortal words of that great southern philosopher Forrest Gump..."that's about all I have to say about that!"
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Summary: This story ended just right
Review: This was a wonderful, human story. I have relatives in Virginia, not far from Asheville NC, and reading the book brought their lives closer to me. This book felt much longer than it was. The story just carries you.
Rating:
Summary: It was OK...
Review: I ended up liking this book well enough. (I had my doubts around page 100 or so). The descriptive passages are beautifully written. For me, that is not enough to make a great book.The characters and the storyline were dull. Contrary to the opinions of the book critics, Cold Mountain was just another average read.
Rating: 
Summary: Not the Typical 90's Novel
Review: You don't read COLD MOUNTAIN for dramatic plot twists. The ending is a foregone conclusion (though the exact details are not). Even the most dramatic moment of the book, when the two main characters finally connect, is so dramatically understated that the reader could miss it if not paying attention. But that is not what COLD MOUNTAIN is about. COLD MOUNTAIN is about a meticulously created atmosphere. It's about a style that matches time and place magnificently. The book is written in third person, but the tone is almost first person. You will hear the voice of an era as you read. COLD MOUNTAIN is about delivering the reader to another world for immersion. And the world is a dark, decaying world, reflecting the end of a way of life. Sometimes the journey of Inman is almost surrealistic as he fights through a dying society to salvage his life. This is not the typical 90's novel...END
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful writing does not a masterpiece make
Review: I suppose that, perhaps in the middle of a nasty stretch of bleak winter in solitary confinement, I might be compelled to try reading Cold Mountain again. The description reeks of self-consciousness. I managed to read the first 100 pages, and could stand no more. I *am* from the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, and it is a stunningly beautiful, sometimes hazily mysterious place. I love it, but I'm spoiled by its lush reality. Frazier obscured the view. I found Ruby far more interesting than either the self-absorbed, despairing Inman or the tiresome Ada. So far as an adventure of the wandering seeker is concerned, The Chess Garden is a much more engaging read.
Rating:
Summary: "The Long Walk" is better
Review: Why is this book so over-hyped? I cannot see the point. Frazier writes competently, but I find it hard to be enthused about his subjects. Maybe I'm just tired of reading about low-lifers and their disgusting appetites and vices. Call me old fashioned, but I don't see the need to wallow in the mud, even if it is elegantly described mud. If you want a compelling story of a heroic journey that is impossible to put down, read Slavomir Rawicz's "The Long Journey," available in paperback from Amazon.com for less than $11. This is a true story of the author's escape from a Siberian prison camp and his trek to India. It involves no graphic violence, rutting, or even cursing. Long Walk will restore your belief in the basic decency of your fellow human beings. It is also, in contract to Cold Mountain, impossible to put down.
Rating:
Summary: A very pleasant surprise
Review: I must say that I was very pleasantly surprised by this book. Rarely do I enjoy a title that has received rave reviews from prominent critics. I read strictly for pleasure and entertainment and usually do not enjoy "literary masterpieces" as defined by many of the high brow critics (much like the foreign art films that seem to win all the awards). This book was very entertaining while at the same time being rich in imagery and detail. The storytelling was at times riveting and gave you a real feel for what it must have been like at the time and place of the story. In this respect, it was educational as well as entertaining. It was able to please the influental critics without being arduous and overly challenging. What a balance!
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