Very good
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Having studied this as an A-level text I have grown to love it, though when I began reading it I could not understand what all the hype was about, by the end I thought it was a fantastic novel; the beauty of some of the scenarios is absolutely cinematic. I am currently buying my own copy of it as my Lit teacher is demanding my copy back (very late!). A very good book.
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Beautiful story
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A beautiful story of heartbreak and broken times, COLD MOUNTAIN is by far the best Civil War story to come out of the U.S. While I love Gone With the Wind, it can't hold a candle to "Mountain."
What is so galling about the story and the characters are not the the north's treatment of the south during this era, but rather the treatment of Southerners against Southerners. I was reminded more than once of The Color Purple and the same one-on-one treatment. I would highly recommend this chilling tale of survival, along with the novel Bark of the Dogwood---funny and knowing like Pychon or Sedaris, yet set in the modern-day South.
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Cold Mountain: there's no through trail
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Men ask the way to Cold Mountain.
Cold Mountain: there's no through trail. - Han-shan
Cold Mountain is a beautiful story of a soldier who is trying to return home to his pre-Civil war fiance, Ada.
The novel itself is based upon local folklore and stories that author Charles Frazier's ancestors passed down through generations. The soldier's name is Inman and what makes his journey so difficult is that he is wounded and he is traveling though an environment which most likely looked like the videos we see on msnbc of ravaged war struck locations.
Inman's journey home reminded me of those Homer epics that we read in school only this story did not have its genesis in ancient Greece but in America during the Civil War. There is a Cold Mountain and it is located in North Carolina within the Pigsah National Forest. There also was a real Inman who was named William Pinkney and he served in the Confederate army and though Frazier wrote a book of fiction; much is related to Frazier's ancestor (William Pinkney) and what transpired in his own life.
So with the third part of Bartram's Travels in hand, a wounded Inman starts out his journey to return home not knowing what he will find when he gets there. A lot has happened and the war has changed everything. The book and the story of the wanderer named Flower Gatherer by the Cherokee gave Inman happiness with its beautiful images and these same images became indelibly bright when he continued his journey much like Flower Gatherer.
The writing is beautiful and the ending not what is expected or hoped for; but haunting nonetheless.
"When Ada reached the story's conclusion, and the old lovers after long years together in peace and harmony had turned to oak and linden, it was full dark. The night was growing cool, and Ada put the book away."
War changes everything and how we relate to each other and these changes in the landscape, ourselves and others are key themes.
A worthwhile book.
Bentley/2007
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Cold Mountain - AS Level
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i've just finished studying this book for english a.s level
i found it possibly the dullest book ever, the narative structure is so long winded, you can read pages and pages and pages where nothing at all happens
my dislike of the book is probably because we anaylsised every last word, but still on my 4th read of the book, i still dont see what people see in it
if you are studying it though, i recommend the york notes, they are actually useful
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Beautiful
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I bought this book because I had seen and liked the film, but the narrative for the two are completely different. On every page there is something unexpected, it is a story of two peoples journeys. Inman's Journey is a literal one, his journey home from war back to the woman he loves, and Ada's journey, a personal journey to self sufficiancy. Unlike the film, thankfully, the whole purpose of these characters lives is not to be reunited, yet Fraizer makes you root for them none the less.
The books other characters bring plenty to the table, and are all interesting enough to keep you turning the pages, and there is beautiful description of the landscapes that surround the characters throughout. This is a must have, one of the best books I've read!
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