Cold Mountain

March 12, 2008 in Action/Adventure, Historical Fiction, Uncategorized by admin | No comments

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Author: Charles Frazier

Genre: Historical Fiction

Subject: Events surrounding the U.S. Civil War

Rating: ***** (5 Stars)

Summary:

Cold Mountain tells two stories in parallel. One is the story of Inman, a wounded Confederate soldier who deserts and spends some months walking home to Cold Mountain, North Carolina. At the same time, Ada, the girl Inman left behind, is struggling to cope with the death of her father and manage his farm.

On his way home Inman encounters a host of strange experiences and dangers, including marauding Federal troops, Confederate Home Guard searching for deserters, betrayals that are downright weird, and wanderers with their own stories to tell. He goes days at a time without food, sleeping at the mercy of the elements, occasionally finding shelter with civilians who are tired of the war.

Ada is a city girl, educated in art and music, but ignorant of how to run a farm. She and her father, Monroe, moved to Cold Mountain for his health, and until the war shattered the Southern economy, his investments paid enough to have hired help do the work. Monroe’s death left Ada stranded with no help and no skills relevant to her situation. Eventually, Ada meets Ruby, a local girl who has the skills Ada needs, and who is willing to teach her. Together, they eke out a living as they wait for the war to end and for Inman to return.

My Thoughts:

Cold Mountain is a profoundly moving story, and a hard book to review. It seems to be a commentary on the tragedy, waste, and human behavioral extremes that are part of war, as experienced by the ordinary people who are caught up in it. Frazier juxtaposes the naive bravado of people who view war as something holy and heroic with the physical and emotional wounds of those who have to fight, or who send loved ones off to fight.

The story is full of depth and richness, because Frazier puts a lot of effort into describing people and telling their stories. I found it hard to summarize, because the book tells many stories along the way. I wish I could describe some of the plot twists that give the story its tragic beauty, but doing so would spoil the surprise for anyone who hasn’t read it. If you only read one novel this year, I recommend Cold Mountain.

Other:

Cold Mountain has been made into a movie starring Jude Law and Nicole Kidman. I have not seen the movie, but you can find reviews here: Cold Mountain (Two-Disc Collector’s Edition) I’ve also heard good things about the soundtrack, which you can preview here: Cold Mountain