Cold Mountain

Rating:
Summary: You'll Forget Everything But the Pretentious Prose
Review: Absurd, pretentious passages about eating nuts by tonguing "the meats" into one's mouth or cooking bear are the only things about this unintentionally funny abomination that you will remember five minutes after you finish it. Surely, no one who actually lives on earth will be able to relate to the strong silent hero who fights his way home after the war. The characters are simply empty vehicles through which our fearless author unleashes his purple prose on the unassuming reader. To reveal the tragic end of the story might bother some who would like to read the book. But if you cannot anticipate that pat and predictable ending hundreds of pages before it happens, you simply were not paying attention.

The most offensive thing of all is that this book beat out Don Delillo's Underworld for the National Book Award. It may be presumptious of me to call Delillo's book the most audacious and entertaining literary novel in years, but it is certainly one of the few books of that type that actually spent significant time on the best seller list.

To not reward that book and instead to honor this tripe is a slap to Delillo and all readers who still hope to read great literature. Cold Mountain is yet another grim symbol of the Oprah-zation of our culture.

Rating:
Summary: Read twice; will read again.
Review: This was a book I found difficult to get into; therefore I sort of skipped a few chapters, but became so engrossed in the story that when I finished, I started from the beginning and read each line through to the end. I think it is a magnificent story and beautifuly written. Not for everyone, but for me, I will eagerly await Mr. Frazier's next work.

Rating:
Summary: A journey too long
Review: If you like Hemmingway, you will like this book. I read it based upon recommendations from friends. I feel the book could have gone on for an eternity - and gone nowhere. The only redeeming quality is the development of Ada. She would make any woman proud. I skipped to the end because I could not take any more wandering, and was sadly disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Very good book
Review: Since I live near the area, I found it interesting and tried to imigine where he was. It is well worth reading. Not as good as a lot of books but worth buying.

Rating:
Summary: The ending makes this a great book..
Review: At first I found Cold Mountain to be somewhat plodding, but I slowed myself down; I made myself settle into it and began to look forward to it. Still, I didn't love the book until the end. The ending is perfect. I don't want to give anything away, but what happens fits in the most heartbreaking, inevitable way...Frazier makes a terrific statement about war and humanity...yet still leaves room for hope. I advise people who expect Hollywood endings to think hard about what really happened here. Very moving.

Rating:
Summary: Grim, somewhat slow at the start, but very thought prevoking
Review: This is not a pleasant book to stomach at times, and if you are looking for light, cheerful reading, it is not the right choice. However, I think it should be required reading for anyone who thinks that the times of the Civil War were glamorous and full of adventure. The weary state of a divided America after years of fighting is so eloquently portrayed here, through both men and woman's eyes, I feel as if I just poked my head back in time 150 years and saw everything with my own two eyes - no camera lense, no carefully edited news bite or secondary source to get in the way. Well done, Frazier.

Rating:
Summary: Don't bother
Review: This is one of the most boring and laborious books I have ever read - please do not waste your time and more importantly money. As the male character heads across America to reach home after deserting the Army I have no idea whether he got there as I couldn't finish the book, do yourself a favour and read something else

Rating:
Summary: A Long Journey with an Abrupt, Cloudy Stoppage of Creativity
Review: This book was very interesting, as we traveled along with Inman, cheering him on through his trevails. I was amazed, to say the least, by Ada's rapid metamorphosis from a cerebral yet helpless being, to a woman who relished her newfound physicality and interconnectedness with nature. The change was a little hard to believe, without having a sense of a long period of time passing, and the painfulness of the change. Nonetheless, it was heartening to read a book, especially a "period piece" of sorts, wherein the female characters are strong, self-sufficient, and not dependent on men to take care of them, nor feeling incomplete without them. The men in the book, with the exception of Inman and perhaps the blind man, had little to offer by way of morality, self-sufficiency, or spiritual strength. Yet the end was a cruel disappointment. I believe that the author spent 5 years on the book, and figured one day that enough was enough, he was going to finish the darn thing , finishing off Inman in the same fell swoop of his pen. Gawd, what a disappointment, and what a murky ending! I felt as painfully dull as the ache in Inman's neck, as I reread the epilogue numerous times, trying to figure out what in the world had just happened! I think what happened is that Mr. Frazier needed to send the finished product to the editors, but never really finished the book. I wish I hadn't read the book, as the destination wasn't worth the trip.

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Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book!
Review: I first heard about this book on NPR and knew I had to read it(Or have it read to me!)

The book is an interesting look at the horror of war told by two people who must cope with it--but in different ways! Inman and Ada must make separate journeys to the same goal, both encounter obstacles and find allies and adverseries along the way.

The only thing that kept this book from geting 5 stars was the ending seemed a bit odd.

Rating:
Summary: One of my favorite books
Review: This book is not for everyone - but what book is? I am not sure what profile of reader will be sure to enjoy Cold Mountain, but I loved it. In reading this novel Ada, Inman and Ruby became a part of my life. I wasn't ready to say good-bye to them when the narrative ended and I felt sad and lonely when it did. Though the story told in C.M. is thoroughly engaging, the best part of the book is the way the story is told. It is beautifully and carefully written. I will surely read this book many more times and I anxiously await the publication of any other stories Mr. Frasier cares to tell.