Rating: 
Summary: How dissappointed was I by this book!
Review: Okay, I may very well be completely alone in my opinion of this book, but I was vastly let down.Although Charles Frazier manages to collect an interesting tale out of the lives of his ancestors (The only reason this book got more than a star) he tells the stories with such a clinical lack of emotion or depth, that I found myself not giving a damn. After all, he doesn't care about his characters, why should I? Not to mention Frazier's blatant use of little literary tricks (like no quotation marks) for no apparent reason other than it looks cool. I can't believe this is the book (And soon to be movie) that has swept the nation. Try reading Graham Swift if you want real books about the demise of a nation during the 19th century.
Rating: 
Summary: Do not play this tape while driving.
Review: This audio cassette edition of Cold Mountain is a perfect example of why publishers should hire trained actors to read. Having written a book does not make one best qualified to read it. The tired, monotonous drone of the author's voice, together with the overly flowery, bombastic writing style, will put you to sleep in minutes. I own several Random House books on audio cassette. The books by John Irving, Jane Smiley, John Berendt, and others, are all well written and beautifully read. But this publication, full of childish metaphors, verbal discriptions of B-movie special effects, and single trait characters, is one I could have done without.
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Summary: Timeless people caught in the amber of the Civil War
Review: Was I ever ready for this book! Two years ago I had visited western North Carolina, a place where I decided I could settle. Then I read this book while camped in the wilds of the John Day river country in NE Oregon. The details of the countryside were therefore important to me, as were the descriptions of survival in a society as been crippled as was the South at the end of the War. Mostly though, I loved the people. How easy it is to discount those who seem simple and uneducated; yet Frazier created his characters with a humanity and depth of feeling that puts me to shame. After reading Cold Mountain I've decided too much civilization is a poor thing for a man to bear.
Rating:
Summary: Words that sear and ache the mind.
Review: With words that sear and ache the mind, COLD MOUNTAIN shatters your notion of war's heros and glory. Many passages consume you. A must read for anyone intersted in Americana. (gdm)
Rating: 
Summary: A Descriptive of Life
Review: This novel is one that certainly not everyone will enjoy. But, for those who appreciate detail, for those of you who understand a character's feelings by what he or she sees in his or her environment - those of you will be spellbound by Charles Frazier's narrations. Cold Mountain, to me, was a summary of many short stories; each chapter told another event, another change in the characters' lives. Through the seasons passing in this traveling epilogue, we could see the development of the characters, each changing with each event. There were certainly several "chapters" I would preferred not to have read, but mainly because of the wish to stay in the more "beautiful" (or should I say "Utopian") strands that I wished to follow. But, without these vile chapters, the story would just not have been complete. Unfortunately, this is a novel of real life, with issues that were depicted in the Civil War in the worst of conditions. ! (But "real life" - couldn't many of these narratives happen in our current time, just in a different setting?) Yes, I was hoping for a different ending, but I fear, that it too was in following with the story line - and had to be as it was. I loved Frazier's descriptions and narratives, I hated the harsh reality in the characters' lives. Cold Mountain is an excellent combination of the two. It made me realize to look into my life with the same poetry. On a side note - I would love to know, what of Inman'life is true (based on the Frazier family's passed down stories) and what was fictional, as Mr. Frazier apolized in his acknowledgments for the "liberties" he took.
Rating:
Summary: Modern Day Classic
Review: Word choice is natural sounding for Frazier and the descriptions are memorable. I found myself telling parts of the story to family members. The main characters' names, Inman and Ada, sound like Adam and Eve. And just as the first couple exhibit universal qualities of people today,Inman and Ada do as they look for purpose to set life against existence. Inman searches within himself as he grovels to get home. Ada becomes more than a pretty songbird. And the characters have parralell charcters or foils. I think the character structure is supreme. What's he writing next? I think he's a literary craftsman.
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Summary: Memorable. I will carry this story with me forever.
Review: Thank you Charles Frazier. Cold Mountain is possibly the most impressive book I have read in many years. I almost don't want to start another book right away because I want to savor Cold Mountain just a bit longer. Every detail was perfect. The research so well done. Inman, Ada and Ruby jumped from the pages and into my heart. A wonderful reading experience.
Rating:
Summary: Great American Novel?
Review: I liked this book a lot. I thought it was beautifully written and very moving, and the ending was certainly heartbreaking. I didn't, however, think that this book is the greatest thing to hit the shelves since The Bible -- an opinion in which I differ from many people. It seems to me that many are aching to put Cold Mountain as the Great American Novel. I just didn't find it as groundbreaking or momentous as others seem to have -- it was a superbly written war story, perhaps even one of the best Civil War novels I've read -- but the Great American Novel? It wasn't THAT good.
Rating:
Summary: A type of book one would read in 11th grade Enlgish class
Review: This story which focuses on the lives of Applachia peoples in western North Carolina during the Civil War, encompasses a truly live story of past, hard times. The descriptions of the natural landscape, the clothes people wear, and the types of food they eat, paint a picture of the culture into modern-day settings. The prose will remind the reader of an "American classic" as Frazier sometimes goes into lengthy allegorical descriptions of what his characters are feeling. A good description of Inman, the protagonist, fills the reader of the loss a Confederate solidier experienced: he looks at violent death as necessary, and forgets why the South is fighting at all. Ada, his sweetheart, is drawn as a higher-class Southerner who must now learn to live in the Appalachia wild once her father dies. You'll also meet other characters who intertwine Inman's journey back to his home by Cold Mountain. This book reads differently than most contemporary novels. Frazie! r is a writer behind his time, whose focus on description rather than action reminds the reader of Dickens, Twain, or other "high school" authors. While Cold Mountain isn't for anyone, it does grab the reader by jumping into the character's feelings and thoughts, and providing a realistic account of Appalachia during the South's downfall during the Civil War.
Rating:
Summary: my real rating was 3 1/2 stars - i couldn't decide.
Review: if you don't like detail on top of detail on top of detail, then don't read this book. However, if you want a behind-the-scenes look at some of the oddities of the civil war, as well as the trials and tribulations many of our forefathers took in finding their way home, then this is what your looking for. I also thoroughly enjoyed the many different characters Frazier brings to life - Stobrod especially. good book Charles!
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