Rating: 
Summary: Shucks 'n Nubbins
Review: Pretentious, ponderous, pompous, pedantic -- phooey; and that's just the first chapter. This was the most over-hyped novel to come down the pike in a long, long time. I read it in hardcover and my sole consolation was the fact that the book was a gift. (I still feel a little guilty about having asked my family for just books that one Christmas. Naturally they looked at the Best Sellers list that December. Well, McDonalds sells billions 'n billions of hamburgers yearly but that doesn't make those yicky things good or healthy.)I was reading along one Sunday morning when I noticed that Frazier insisted upon introducing these annoying literary "hiccups" into a paragraph or three. You know what I'm talking about -- hills rising "tack and tack," "a cold black pock," and "a bleak and knobby night." (It Was a Dark and Stormy Night!) I don't keep an OED at my side. Well, I started dog-earing my pages each time I read one of these stupid words and you should see how "fat" my copy of CM is! The damned "hiccups" became an horrific distraction. I began to feel that Frazier was pulling our legs. Was this a satire? Was he just having fun with us? Gradually I felt that Frazier had unearthed an 1860s-ish thesaurus and made a barroom bet with some Carolina pal that he could fob off at least 1,000+ of these words/terms upon the reading public and we'd gobble 'em up like pigs at a trough. (God, was he right! There's no accounting for taste and Mencken was right -- no one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public.) And here's the kicker. A dear friend read the book and lived every tear-jerking minute of the journey and DIDN'T GET THE ENDING! She got so caught up in the "action" she missed the action. (No wonder she was confused by the epilogue.) What a waste of my time. "Numquam Iterem, Carolus." (Never again, Charlie.) Can't wait for the movie. (Can you say "Heavens Gate?)
Rating: 
Summary: Editor please
Review: Frazier's first novel shows an amazing amount of writing talent, yet it is raw talent. This book needed an editor and some re-writing more than it needed or deserved the National book award. Frazier needed to re-think the ending and maintain a consistancy of the quality of writing. Paragraphs in this book reach masterpiece quality, others fall way below that. I believe the National book award was given because of some of the awesome writing within instead of for the work as a whole. I am looking forward to seeing Frazier's writing talent on display in his next novel, but please edit and re-write, polish before publish.
Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable, educational
Review: If you are interested in bits of history, the gritty determination that destination can give man, and the endless work of living, then you will like this book. The book interweaves the lives of a man and a woman struggling to overcome extreme obsticles in the wake of civil war. The book was thought provoking and discussion worthy. And, I felt, deserving of its award.
Rating: 
Summary: National Book Award Winner? Why?!?
Review: Disclosure: I really really wanted to like this book. I'm always on the lookout for a modern classic, and this book was receiving rave reviews everywhere. So, I finally bought my own copy when it was released as a paperback and eagerly began to read. I ploddingly read through the first several pages, put it down and read a different book instead. I repeated this process several times before I knuckled down with the firm intention to get through this book. I know that there are some books that you just have to struggle through the first 100 pages til you get to the good stuff. I just never found it in this book, sigh. What I did find was: 1) lots and lots of detailed descriptions .... of things I'm not remotely interested in; and 2) too-numerous-to-count characters ... whom I cared little about. Despite the overwhelming number of words used to describe everything, I found the book to lack original dialogue, characters or themes. What a disappointment. I did, however, enjoy the epilogue - finally finding out what "family" emerged from the war rubble. Or, maybe I was just really really glad to be done with Frazier's debut novel...
Rating: 
Summary: Civil War.
Review: Wonderful, sad journey amidst the Civil War - and a wonderful cast of characters as the main character works his way home through the mountains and former Cherokee country.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful well-written civil-war tale
Review: This is a wonderful story about a man and a woman caught in the midst of the civil war. The man is a confederate veteran, who, after being wounded, deserts and decides to walk home. The woman is a former socialite is left to fend for herself a small rural North Carolina homestead when her father dies. The story focuses on the immense effort required by each to live, and in the case of the veteran, to return home. It also tells the romantic tale of the love between the two. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It moved at a relatively fast pace, and told a warm, tender and at some point quite painful story of the pain of war and the strength of love. I was not sure what to expect when I first ordered it, but the premise seemed interesting. My interest paid off in a heartwarming story, and some of the most literate writing produced in recent years.
Rating:
Summary: A bittersweet gem from a talented first-time novelist.
Review: Wounded and disillusioned, confederate soldier Inman abandons the Civil War and begins the long walk back toward his home on Cold Mountain and Ada, the woman he loves. Both Ada and Inman are on a journey of sorts. First-time novelist Charles Frazier alternates the narrative points of view between the two sweethearts, illustrating the deep love each has for the other, as well as for their mountain home in North Carolina. Inman meets an odd assortment of criminals, gypsies, vigilante home guards, and Good Samaritans along his route, as well as cold, hunger and exhaustion. Ada, who has until now enjoyed the fruits of a privileged upbringing, is left alone on her farm after her father's death. Her journey involves learning to grow up and run the farm. Throughout their ordeals, the love these two have for each other, along with a love of their homeland, becomes their sole reason for staying alive. Frazier has a subtle, understated writing style that let's you put the pieces together for yourself. He based this story on the lives of his ancestors. I eagerly await more from this talented writer.
Rating:
Summary: Loved it
Review: I liked this book, though it was a little slow and perhaps my mood at the time I read it, was in sync with the pace of the book. - It is not a war story, though it has some war tales within it. - It is not a romance, though it plays with romance. - It is simply a story full of tales and thoughts of two people as they each try to survive and prepare to become worthy of each other. The way the two protagonists (Ada & Inman) each have thier own perspectives and think about one another throughout the book (even though they hadn't promised even to see each other after the war) was compelling. I still retain many of the images formed while reading the story (4 months ago). That's a true testimony. Buy this for warming up to on a cold winter night, when you're not stressed and harried or need to slow down. It does pay off.
Rating:
Summary: Depressing book
Review: Interesting style of writing but the story is too episodic and formulaic. The chapters alternate back and forth between Inman and Ada, which isn't the worst thing in the world but it does get wearyingly predictable. This happens to him. That happens to her. This happens to him. That happens to her. And so on. The ending is depressing and need not have been. I disagree with comments about this was the only ending possible. I don't want to give it away for those who haven't read it, but the ending brings it down at least one star.
Rating:
Summary: A great American novel
Review: This book is probably best described with a list of adjectives: readable, compelling, memorable, lyrical, engaging, engrossing. This re-telling of the Odyssey is pure Americana, not soon forgotten.
| 
