Cold Mountain

Rating:
Summary: Excellent but Heartbreaking Book
Review: I found Cold Mountain to be a dense, difficult read, but filled with nuggets of gold. I underlined many superb philosophical points & gained a lot from the reading; however, I hated the ending. After spending so much time with these characters, I was heartbroken over how it all turned out for them.

Rating:
Summary: A fine first novel...
Review: Cold Mountain is not the best book I've read but will rest in my top ten until another Munro or Tyler is read. I liked Mr. Frazier's style of writing, the poetic that his passages kept before me...the underlying sorrow, loneliness and redemption of "keeping on." Perpetual rebirth. To take whatever meaningless existence one finds and bring it meaning, whether through the seasonal work of life or the greater work of love it all comes together universal...the telling of the tale rings it true. And this one of a hard life having the earth and your backbone (in both meanings) bring it joy, sorrow or food. To come to a time where all life is void from within, then yes, the book rang true for me. Been there, done that, but with less carnage and open flamed meals. The book, the story, the writing I enjoyed. I'll reread it soon. The secondary tale war and history...very interesting for a non-student of the time. The customs and mores not far removed...feeling an obligation to fight for someone else's lifestyle and the pretext that it is yours too, never changes. The accompanying peripheral horrors and hells in war these remain universal as well. Justice is skewered and run out. Does everyone hope for that journey end, that perfect setting that you hold in your mind? You go forth, you cut back, you're delayed. In the end you want that last minute of fulfillment that comes from opening yourself to life...true or false? Cut and dried? Yes or No? "What he knew he most wanted was to disburden himself of solitude. H e had become too proud of walking singular, of his oneness, his loneness. " Symbolism abounds and plenty of reference for times and places but the simple quality of the seasons passing day by day the slants of sun and light make a wonderful accompaniment to a good tale, a wonderful read and a fine first novel. And a nice change from what the best seller list usually offers-- a fare of author celebrities who publish on name alone.

Rating:
Summary: Cold Mountain is not the best book I¿ve read ...
Review: ...but will rest in my top ten until another Munro or Tyler is read. I liked Mr. Frazier's style of writing, the poetic that his passages kept before me...the underlying sorrow, loneliness and redemption of "keeping on." Perpetual rebirth. To take whatever meaningless existence one finds and bring it meaning, whether through the seasonal work of life or the greater work of love it all comes together universal...the telling of the tale rings it true. And this one of a hard life having the earth and your backbone (in both meanings) bring it joy, sorrow or food. To come to a time where all life is void from within, then yes, the book rang true for me. Been there, done that, but with less carnage and open flamed meals. The book, the story, the writing I enjoyed. I'll reread it soon. The secondary tale war and history...very interesting for a non-student of the time. The customs and mores not far removed...feeling an obligation to fight for someone else's lifestyle and the pretext that it is yours too, never changes. The accompanying peripheral horrors and hells in war these remain universal as well. Justice is skewered and run out. Does everyone hope for that journey end, that perfect setting that you hold in your mind? You go forth, you cut back, you're delayed. In the end you want that last minute of fulfillment that comes from opening yourself to life...true or false? Cut and dried? Yes or No? "What he knew he most wanted was to disburden himself of solitude. H e had become too proud of walking singular, of his oneness, his loneness. " Symbolism abounds and plenty of reference for times and places but the simple quality of the seasons passing day by day the slants of sun and light make a wonderful accompaniment to a good tale, a wonderful read and a fine first novel. And a nice change from what the best seller list usually offers-- a fare of author celebrities who publish on name alone.

Rating:
Summary: tiresome story
Review: Love story not set up to get your attention and hold it thru all the narrations. He was a deserter from Southern Army who had lost his "cause." She was a "belle" from the South whose Preacher Father had died and left her alone. Without the urchin that came to work for her she would have perished. Without the help and comfort from the women he met on his journey thru the mountains, he would have perished. Few words of wisdom come into play in the narration as "simple living had never struck Ada as such a tiresome business." "His thoughts would not wrap around the least puzzle." And the "goat woman" advised him to watch the grease she put on his neck as it would stain his shirt.(he had worn that shirt for months and was his only shirt for the future journey and not believeable that it was worth worrying about a stain." The Grey window had finally said about all it had to say." "it was too eary for a vista." "for he had seen the metal face of the age and had been stunned by it when he thought into the future." If you don't read much, this will be for you. If you are an avid reader of variety, you will not be impressed.

Rating:
Summary: Satisfying
Review: One word describes the experience of reading this novel -- satisfying. As with the Iliad or the Odyssey, this is not about plot, but about experience, detail and description. All of you Koontz, Grisham and King fans beware -- this is a reading experience of a different sort: not one of page-turning suspense, but one of slow-paced beauty. Allow yourself the time to be taken in by the details. You will be generously rewarded.

Rating:
Summary: I loved this book.
Review: A beautifully written, absorbing, story of love and longing set near the end of the Civil War. I wish it had been twice as long.

Rating:
Summary: A Perspective from outside the USA
Review: I'm glad I didn't read some of the reviews before reading this book. To me it certainly wasn't about war! There happened to be a war on. But then isn't there always. To me it was about self-sufficiency, survival, trees, plants and nature and love and relationships. Especially of interest were some of the trees mentioned we are growing as seedlings (hemlock) and we are trying self sufficiency- but not quite to that extent. Grippping, moving and inspirational.

Rating:
Summary: The South lost. Get over it.
Review: I'm pretty sure, last time I checked, that Faulkner did this shtick. And Welty. And Warren. And Tate. And well, a whole bevy of 'em. Let me hasten to add that I am a born Southerner who has spent a lifetime adoring the works of Faulkner et al. I have toured battle fields, to be shown the exact spot my "ancestrals" fell. I have watched "Gone With the Wind" the requisite number of times. But as my Granddad used to say, "Skunks smell worse once they're dead." Reading Cold Mountain--I'll avoid the metaphor of plowing--is like having to sit through eighth-grade botany all over again. I was plum wore out with the endless, mind-numbing strings of details, most of them no more enlightening than the names of plants and trees. Wow, Latin. And wow, they got themselves a bunch of plants down there in North Carolina. I'll bet nature's supposed to be something that regenerates people. Jest like suffering. Jest like violence. Skunks smell worse once they're dead. Then there's this: I don't understand a novel about how novels are bad. It's like some kind of weird, internalized self-hatred. When Ada has to put up her books, 'cause they ain't real, and 'cause they is gettin' in the way of her livin' her life, I said to myself, "Why, Mr. Frazier, therapy don't cost more'en you can afford at this point."

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful book in so many ways......
Review: As a Blue Ridge native of North Carolina, I cannot imagine prose that better describes the culture of western NC in years past. As people, Inman, Ada, Ruby and the rest are classic personalties from the area...they are just perfect characterizations. The emotional lives of the characters evoke empathy, and cause one to shed tears. The real reverence for the natural world (as I experienced it when growing up) is just exactly right. It will be a long time before the mood of this book wears off......

Rating:
Summary: Written like poetry
Review: This is one of the best books I have ever read. I was skeptical because of all the hype; but it is great. I can't even pick up the likes of John Grisham anymore now that I've read some truly great writing. Don't expect a plot, expect an experience. Some people at this site have given Cold Mt. bad reviews. These are probably the same people that force hack authors to the top of the New York Times Bestsellers list (Cold Mt. is an exception). These plot-dependent readers should go pick up a Grisham novel.