Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier

Cold Mountain
by Charles Frazier
Paperback - 448 pages (August 19, 1998)
Vintage Books; ISBN: 0375700757 ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.03 x 5.20 x 8.00

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Reviews
Amazon.com
Charles Frazier's debut novel, Cold Mountain, is the story of a very long walk. In the waning months of the Civil War, a wounded Confederate veteran named Inman gets up from his hospital bed and begins the long journey back to his home in the remote hills of North Carolina. Along the way he meets rogues and outlaws, Good Samaritans and vigilantes, people who help and others who hinder, but through it all Inman's aim is true: his one goal is to return to Cold Mountain and to Ada, the woman he left behind. The object of his affection, meanwhile, has problems of her own. Raised in the rarified air of Charleston society, Ada was brought to the backwoods of Cold Mountain by her father, a preacher who came to the country for his health. Even after her father's death, Ada remains there, partly to wait for Inman, but partly because she senses her destiny lies not in the city but in the North Carolina Blue Ridge.

Cold Mountain is the story of two parallel journeys: Inman's physical trek across the American landscape and Ada's internal odyssey toward an understanding of herself. What makes Frazier's novel so satisfying is the depth of detail surrounding both journeys. Frazier based this story on family history, and in the characters of Inman and Ada he has paid a rich compliment to their historical counterparts. Cold Mountain is, quite simply, a wonderful book. --This text refers to the hardcover edition of this title

Literary Fiction and Classics Editor's Recommended Book
The hero of Charles Frazier's beautifully written and deeply-imagined first novel is Inman, a disillusioned Confederate soldier who has failed to die as expected after being seriously wounded in battle during the last days of the Civil War. Rather than waiting to be redeployed to the front, the soul-sick Inman deserts, and embarks on a dangerous and lonely odyssey through the devastated South, heading home to North Carolina, and seeking only to be reunited with his beloved, Ada, who has herself been struggling to maintain the family farm she inherited. Cold Mountain is an unforgettable addition to the literature of one of the most important and transformational periods in American history. --This text refers to the hardcover edition of this title

A reader from Salt Lake City, Utah , 08/13/98
Cold Mountain's simplicity is its story, a line from a to b.
A must read. Cold Mountain has the ability to change one's opinion on the value of modern narrative literature. From the beginning of the novel, nearly to the end , the concentration of the narrator, unlike the storyline, remains focused. With such a style Frazier is able to maintain a great deal of honesty with his narrative, while obviously traversing southern, civil war culture in a tourlike fashion. Although the novel is not intended to budge the great barge of literary tradition or traverse the landscape of schematic excellence, it was, it seems, constructed truly from precision. In turn it tells one of the most intriguing "civil war era" stories in which one, for a brief time, can hope to participate.

A reader from Grafton, MA , 08/13/98
A wordsmith of the 1st order has created true lyrical prose.
Some suggested study guides: Why is it ok for us to accept Inman as a deserter? Is the "Hemingway" wound really necessary? What ingredients, if taken away, would make this an ordinary book? Is this a satisfying love story? Was the heartbreaking climax necessary? Why did Frazier create the last chapter as a puzzle, forcing us to count places at the table? Why is his detail so appealing? Where will this book fit into the spectrum of American fiction?

pgh2@juno.com from Knoxville, TN , 08/11/98
the most beautifully written book I've ever read
I picked this book up on a Saturday afternoon and did not sleep until I finished it at 12 noon the next day. Charles Frazier describes the Appalachian region in much the same way as I have always viewed it. My ancestors also came from this area and served on both sides of the Civil War, and his story could have been theirs. I longed for such a story to be told, and Mr. Frazier satisfied that longing. I am disturbed to find that the movie rights have been purchased as I do not know of anyone who could say on film what this book says to me. --This text refers to the hardcover edition of this title

kalimari@ix.netcom.com from USA , 08/11/98
I kept waiting to get to the good part!
I was looking forward to reading this book and I was very patient in waiting for the "great story" to begin. Unfortunately, by the time I was done waiting - the book was finished. The characters were dull and the long walk was just that, a long boring walk. The ending was also very anti-climatic. Of couse, at that point, I did not care what happened to any of the characters, I just wanted the book to be over so I could say I finished it. If this is great writing, I should start writing a book soon! --This text refers to the hardcover edition of this title

A reader, 08/06/98
How dissappointed was I by this book!
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.

Ronald Pieket (chron@pacbell.net) from San Rafael, California , 08/05/98
Do not play this tape while driving.
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. --This text refers to the audio cassette edition of this title

A reader from Hermiston, OR , 08/03/98
Timeless people caught in the amber of the Civil War
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. --This text refers to the library binding edition of this title

visnyk@aol.com from Detroit, MI , 07/28/98
Words that sear and ache the mind.
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) --This text refers to the hardcover edition of this title