Rating: 
Summary: Extremely overrated
Review: I had to read this book for summer reading for AP English IV. I really wanted it to be better than what other people told me, but it was pretty much one of the most boring books I have ever read. It's extremely slow, and really hard to get into. I also had to keep re-reading pages because I was so easily distracted by other things, only because I couldn't get into the story. By the end I didn't feel like I had ever connected to any of the characters. That was the biggest problem with the book for me: I never cared about Ada or Inman, the only character I even remotely liked was Ruby, and I couldn't STAND Stobrod. Frazier doesn't give enough background on his characters to make the reader care if Inman lives or dies, or ever gets back home to Ada. In fact, I felt like Ada and Inman's romance kind of came out of nowhere. As I was reading, it seemed like Inman just really wanted someone to focus on, and Ada just didn't have anyone else. Maybe if Frazier had built up the romance more earlier, I would have cared. But as it was, I didn't.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Literature
Review: It warms my heart that literature this good is being written today. A modern classic. What's amazing to me is that this is a first novel. I can't wait to read Frazier's next book. He brings a new voice to historical novels, weaving introspection and the survival tales of two lovers, he keeps you reading with hope until the very end. Lovely language is just the icing on the cake.
Rating:
Summary: A modern classic
Review: I won't try to top the excellent reviews this book has gotten here and elsewhere. I would, however, like to add my positive vote. A book this descriptive and touching I have not read in a very long time. As for the book's critics....I have a feeling these people curse the sun for rising when they get up in the mourning.
Rating: 
Summary: A stark but enthralling view of life during wartime.
Review: I was not overly fond of either of the main characters in this novel but still found their struggles and experiences rivetting. In the beginning, I was annoyed by Ada's helplessness but I enjoyed accompanying her as she learned how to survive, with the help of Ruby (who quickly became my favorite character). Inman's journey showcased both the ugliness of war and how it leaves nothing and no one untouched. I appreciated the stories of each person he met up with, especially the woman with the goats, and how each person left some impression him. I also enjoyed the attention to the details of the flora and fauna, they become a character of the story all by themselves. Despite the hardships all around they still thrived. This is not a soft view of the Civil War, at times it is downright horrible but I believe it is an honest one. I did not see this as a love story, so much as two people wanting to recapture the feelings of a few brief moments they shared before the ugliness of war changed their lives. In much the same way adults sometimes wish for the freedom of childhood. However, you can't go back and I think that is why the book ended as it did in the last chapter before the epilogue. The epilogue itself was a bit vague and confusing.
Rating:
Summary: A coldly beautiful world...
Review: This book took me a long time. I found parts of it almost unbearable violent and difficult to read, but then there were parts that were achingly beautiful. Inman and Ada, two sould dealing with the brutally new world of post-Civil War America, both go through painful journies of slef-discovery that make them extraordinarily different than they were before the war. Their re-discovery of each other at the end of the novel brings them together as equals, with maturity and balance. The language in this beeok is often gloriously evocative, and some expressions have stayed with me a long time. The title of one chapter, "Verbs, all of them tiring," comes to me when I am involved in the physical work of my own rural life, and I have a feeling of communion with Ada at those times. This is a powerful book, not easy to read, but very valuable.
Rating:
Summary: A challenge to the Mind
Review: I read this book for a school assignment. At first I thought the book was rather dull and dense with descriptions, but as I read further, I grew to like the book more and more. Many of my classmates also felt the same way. I liked the book mainly because it was different from all other Civil War books. It gave a new perspective to things. It told the story from different points of views, views that aren't normally looked at. I found that very unique and interesting. The guy in my class that would never read any of the books our class assigned or at least never finished them enjoyed the book and finished before everyone else. I admit that the details are a little difficult to bear but that just adds to the book. I really enjoyed it and think you will to, just be patient... If a high school student can be patient with it I'm pretty sure others can too.
Rating:
Summary: <yawn>
Review: I chose this book to read for summer reading at my high school last year. One of the only reason's I chose the book was beacuse I liked the teacher who recomended the book, and usually trusted her suggestions. Boy was I wrong. This slow moving story of Inman (a wounded Civil War Soldier) and his unending quest to return to his lover Ada. Slow paced, wordy and at times downright dull, I wouldn't highly recomend this book to anyone...this could possibly be one of the worst books I've read...however, if you like slow-moving, easy to follow books (or are a fan of the civil war) than this book might be of interest to you.
Rating:
Summary: OVER RATED
Review: If a description of the flora and fauna of this mountain region of North Carolina interests you as well as cast of quirky characters in the Civil War South, then this book is for you. But is slow moving, tedious, often off on a tangent. The ending is a tragic farce, a let down and a disappointment. Buy this book only if you have a lot of time on your hands and don't mind a meander in the woods. I did find the language amusing. Frazier apparently read a lot of Civil War letters to render that period's stilted and long-winded style of speech and written communication. I am amazed that critics fell so in love with this work.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect Summer Book
Review: This is an wonderful first Novel. I wouldn't be surprised if it were Homer's first work too. The style and the pace suit the setting. It is written with a kind of direct earnest sincerity and a considerate deferance for the reader that one associates with southern gentility. It is a well mannered book, old fashioned fun. If you like John Grishom you will love this guy. Take it on a odyssey of your own this summer. It is a long book but you will be sorry to reach the end of the journey. Well, now that it is a movie, maybe you will believe me. The book is as always better than the movie, and almost as good as the epic poem. The trouble with the movie was that it did not have time to do justice to the Charicters. Take the lady in the role of Homer's Penelope for example. In the book she begins as a frivilous precious. She is helpless, and useless through and through, (a metiphor for 19th century southern aristocracy), but she blossoms like a steel magnolia. That sort of thing takes time. Hell, you can't develope a half-pint hobit in 2 hours, real people require a book like this. Check it out. Chicks dig guys who can read the deep ones.
Rating:
Summary: I'd say three and three quarters but they wont let me.
Review: I feel it is a great story worthy of reading if someone is intersted. My only problem with it was with the way it was written. By that i mean the style alone. I think that the author often times chose the most awkward way of writing what he wanted to get a point across. Though then again, i sure didnt make a bunch of money off an award-winning book, so what do I know. I just thougt i'd mention that weak point because I'm used to authors that have words that flow like Ray Bradbury, mike connely, and (please forgive me for forgetting the author's name, my mind is weary)the author of The Catcher in the Rye. It's sad that his name escapes me. Overall this novel was a nice and different look on the civil war era. I feel the story of Inman and his personal growth is intriqueing and intuitive.
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