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Summary: It enveloped me.
Review: Every writer - and I am a writer - comes across that piece of literature they wish they had written. For me, that piece was Cold Mountain. With every new setting, I felt enveloped by the scenery and by the circumstances experienced by the characters. It will be a story I will long remember and experience as I walk beside a stream or touch the leafy undergrowth rubbing past me in a shouded forest. It sits along side Allen Gurganis' "The Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All" in having a direct impact on how I will forever after view life.
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Summary: Cold Fish
Review: I received Cold Mountian as a gift. Boy, am I gland I didn't waste my money on this boring novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Expectations not met
Review: I expected more from this book. With all the accolades it received, I was expecting a great read, one that I couldn't put down. What I got was just an okay book. The book is overly wordy and too detailed. The detail definitely got tedious. The story was nothing great. I wouldn't recommend it.
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Summary: The typical modern literary journey through gloom to misstep
Review: Charles Frazier's Book seemed to me to be contrived and boring. Frazier has included lots of evocative descriptive material, so reviewers can call it "lyric". The Author's repeated detailed descriptions of his protagonist's extreme, often repulsive actions and experiences will lead the reviewer to call it "Fascinating". And the general plot of the main character returning to a woman he met long ago makes it "a romance". I saw it as very similar to the highly regarded pieces of trash called "Full Metal Jacket" and "Platoon" about another war. Like these, "Cold Mountain" was an obvious compilation of all the NEGATIVE anecdotes the author discovered in his civil war research, strung together as a story. There was no display of warmth or common human respect and love between anyone. Everyone did what they did out of selfish motives. Most irritating to me was the fact that, like many of the author's descriptions of farming and country living which showed he really did not understand them, his description of human nature showed he did not understand being human, either. It is a formula book, and he sure got the modern literary fomula correct. I did not enjoy it.
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Summary: A contemporary novel with an historical feel.
Review: Although I am usually a traditionalist when it comes to Literature, I could not help but be drawn into the circuitous storyline of this novel with its Civil War backdrop. Not your typical war novel, the author manages to personalize the war from the viewpoints of two very atypical characters.
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Summary: Yadda yadda yaddda
Review: You might think that a novel about the Civil War would appeal more to men than women, but Cold Mountain is a book that satisfies each. The book describes a wounded soldier named Inman, where he was put among the dying and expected to do so. Deciding he has seen enough of the horrors of battle, Inman walks away from the hospital and begins a long, arduous journey to his home on Cold Mountain in the hills of North Carolina. Interspersed with his travels is the story of his sweetheart, Ad, who waits for him on the deserted farm she inherited from her father. Ada, brought up in Charleston society, is an unlikely farmer, but necessity and the help of Ruby, a poor, uneducated girl who attaches herself to Ada, combine to keep her working the land. Ada sees in Ruby "a willing heart" and "a spark as bright and hard as one struck with steel and flint." Their unlikely friendship and what they learn from each other is one of the strongest themes in the book. Inman's adventures have been compared to The Odyssey in style as well as in their strange variety. The 1860s was one of the darkest periods in American history--a country at war with itself, men snatched from their families to fight for causes they didn't understand, and women left at the mercy of thieving troops. Inman often goes without food or shelter for days, but always manages to behave honorably and gallantly. He saves the lives of two women, buries a child, is left for dead and rescued by a slave, and fights off the Home Guard who are looking for deserters. He hopes that Ada still waits for him, at the same time believing that the war has changed him so much that he is no longer worthy of her love. Ada has changed, too. She has learned to appreciate the land, the seasons, and to understand the precious, ephemeral quality of life. Watching the sun retrace its path over a year, Ada thinks "might make the years seem not such an awful linear progress but instead a looping and a return...It would be an answer to the question, Where am I?" And she misses Inman. They've written, but their letters are cautious. A more compassionate Ada "had to admit that, at least now and again, just saying what your heart felt, straight and simple and unguarded, could be more useful than four thousand lines of John Keats. She had never been able to do it in her whole life, but she thought she would like to learn how." She writes to Inman the plain words of a fiddler's tune, "Come back to me is my request." When he does, they must re-learn about each other. "Certainly neither she nor Inman were the people they had been the last time they were together. And she believed maybe she liked them both better now." Cold Mountain is beautifully written with evocative scenes of nature and the landscape. Each of the main characters in this book finds a way to give life meaning despite the bleak and shifting times, and they find it in different ways: in love for a friend, a suitor, or a father; for the ability to give succor or hope to another human being, in making music, and in bringing forth sustenance from the earth.
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Summary: Cold Mountain is a must read!
Review: In the novel Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier tells the story of a Confederate soldier who has run away from the army. The book tells of the adventures of the soldier, Inman, as he struggles to make it home to Ada, his long lost darling. As Inman makes his way home he is constantly fleeing from the Home Guard and other dangers such as bears, raiders, and witches. Inman keeps his sweetheart, Ada Monroe, in his thoughts constantly and the thought of her keeps him going throughout the war. During battle Inman takes a bullet and is sent to the hospital. When he is well he escapes from the hospital and begins his long trek home. While Inman is on his way home Ada has to deal with her father's death and struggles to make a living and stay alive during the hard war years. This novel is romantic, yet still very exciting for the adventurer in all of us. The book is a compelling story that keeps you on the edge of your seat at all times. The author writes this book to show the point of view of the common man in the Civil War. He shows how the common soldier struggles with the war. The author believes that the Civil War was a bad time and shows this in the book. The author's beliefs do agree with other's opinions. The author believes the Civil War was a tragic time as others do. The selection has an incredible impact on its field. It shows a totally different point of view than any other book. The book will have a lasting affect and will continue to be an example of the common soldier's struggle. The author's sources of data are from his studies of the South. In the book the author depicts the regional dialect and terrain very well due to the fact that he lives in South Carolina. The author asks questions about the intentions of his leaders and answers them with suprising accuracy. He asks questions about slavery and insults the people that fight for it. The language of the story provides realism beyond other books. The language is very suitable for the time period. The language used is slurred and rough, appropriate for the Civil War period. For example, when the author writes "Them horses won't hold up much longer." The author also describes the forests and characters in full detail. The language shows the rough beauty of the wilderness and gives characters vivid realism. For example, when the author writes "The bullet entered at the shoulder and erupted from the stomach in a bright outpouring that resembled violent vomiting." The selection is also considerably easier to read. The language used draws the reader into the story and readers tend to read and stay interested longer, which makes reading go much faster. The language flows easier as it is read and is pieced together very well. Throughout the story the author, Charles Frazier, uses style which brings the level of reading to unexplored heights. As the reader reads the book the reader feels the same emotions the character feels. For example when the author writes "It was so quiet you could hear the hammer cock," the reader's mind is filled with anticipation of the trigger pull and the blast of the gun. When Inman is mad, the reader fells the same emotion and sometimes even tightens their grip on the book. Also as the reader reads they feel as though they are actually in the story, because of the intriguing style. The readers find themselves trying desperately to solve the readers' problems to get them out of a dangerous situation. When Inman is shot by the Home Guard, the reader feels the pain as the bullet rips through their flesh and then begins to sweat and panic while lying on the ground wondering if they will live or die. This book also reveals new aspects of the war. The novel shows the war from the view of the common man; it shows his struggles and how he deals with the war. The book brings the war into a new prospective, which no other book has ever shown. Charles Frazier shows the horrible experience of the war in a new light. The author also argues his points very well. The author explains his reasoning for his point of view well. The authors' points came across very well and convince the reader. Any intelligent reader with a little knowledge of the Civil War can also read the book. Although it does help to have considerable knowledge of the Civil War, the book makes much more sense. The author's point of view does not agree with my point of view. The author believes the Civil War was fought because of slavery and it was not. The author also portrays the Confederate soldiers as fighting for slavery and they were fighting for their rights and not necessarily slavery. The best parts of the book are the action parts but seems to be boring when it tells of Ada's farming work. The book also does help me understand the South more and show me the struggle of the soldiers, which brings new meaning to the Civil War. This novel tells the intriguing story of the Civil War from the common soldier's view. The story is an exhilarating blend of romance and adventure, which will never be duplicated. The interwoven tales of the struggle of Ada and the strife of Inman are incredibly interesting and hard to put down. This is an incredible first book for Charles Frazier and is one of the best books out there. Cold Mountain is an unforgettable account of one of America's most troubling and historic times.
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Summary: approaching wonderful
Review: I just set this book down and am still basking in in the vivid desciptions of Inman and Ada's world. The violence was a bit much, but I really feel that this was a woman's book. This was a wonderful book to sit down with, read a chapter, and immerse yourself into another time. Although some readers despised the minutia of detail, I loved it. Some of the story lines did lead you down a trail that would have been better left unexplored, but all in all a wonderful voyage
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Summary: Hate the Ending
Review: After spending ALL that time on this book, I expected more from the ending. It wrote like a love story (a mans version of a love story). I simply believe that a female author would not let you go through all that torture, only to be let down dramatically. Don't bother to read, maybe the book of tape might suit someone better, then you can sleep through most of it.
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Summary: The most exquisite storytelling I have ever read.
Review: Imagine a story conceived by Faulkner, charactered by Steinbeck, and put to words by Updike. I have read many fine novels, but none finer. This book is a masterpiece. Thank you, Mr. Frazier.
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