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Cold Mountain

3.72 of 5 stars 3.72 · rating details · 95,073 ratings · 3,314 reviews

The hero of Charles Frazier's 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 No...more

Paperback, 449 pages

Published August 31st 2006 by Grove Press (first published January 1st 1994)

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May 03, 2013 Amanda rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: kick-ass

Cold Mountain is quite possibly the most beautiful book that I've ever read. It's not for the faint of heart, however, as it's time consuming and requires a great deal of patience as Frazier takes his time with his descriptions of the landscape and the people as Inman, a soldier broken in spirit by the futility and waste of the Civil War, decides to walk home to Ada and his beloved Cold Mountain. That is not to say that Frazier wastes the reader's time or goes off on unnecessary tangents (althou...more Cold Mountain is quite possibly the most beautiful book that I've ever read. It's not for the faint of heart, however, as it's time consuming and requires a great deal of patience as Frazier takes his time with his descriptions of the landscape and the people as Inman, a soldier broken in spirit by the futility and waste of the Civil War, decides to walk home to Ada and his beloved Cold Mountain. That is not to say that Frazier wastes the reader's time or goes off on unnecessary tangents (although for those who like quick narratives, it may seem that way), but he is in no hurry to rush the novel to its conclusion. To have done so would have stripped the novel of its power as it examines the lives of both Inman and Ada, a Southern belle woefully unprepared to exist in the harsh mountain landscape of Cold Mountain when she finds herself all alone. What may seem like lengthy transcendentalist-like descriptions of nature actually serve to reveal the inner life of each character and enrich the narrative.

Of the two alternating narratives, I found Inman's the most compelling. His is a Dante-like journey through the "Inferno" of the American South (comparisons could also be made to Homer's The Odyssey). While he time and again encounters people wallowing in depravity and sin in a seemingly lawless world, he also encounters along this hellish journey acts of selflessness and kindness that serve as balm to his soul when he's on the cusp of losing all hope. Ironically, those offering the greatest kindnesses are those who are the most excluded from society (slaves and women). Inman is a man who is capable of violence, but only when necessary. After killing indiscriminately in war, he's determined to do no harm unless it's absolutely unavoidable. It may be because of the violence that is still latent within him that Inman struggles so with the world and his place in it.

Of the reviews I've read, most readers disliked the novel's ending. Without giving away any spoilers, I'll only state that I thought the ending was the only possible one offered in a world consumed by war.

Cross posted at This Insignificant Cinder (less)

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Jun 25, 2007 Luthien rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: No one

Considering the widespread acclaim this book and its subsequent film adaptation have received, I'm reluctant to write a negative review. Still, a dissenting opinion at least makes for an interesting read.

This was absolutely the most boring book I have ever read. It took me about a year to finish it, because every time I tried to pick it up, day or night, I was asleep in minutes. Though the descriptions of the picturesque mountainous landscape are often beautiful, I fail to see the point. I can'...more

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Aug 28, 2007 Heidi Lawson rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: those who know their classics

Shelves: quality_literature, historical-fiction

You've probably seen the movie made from this book.

It was a fine movie. It won Oscars.

But it cannot begin to capture the truly spectacular parts of this story because they are not the surface level narratives that make it onto the big screen.

Before you can truly appreciate the quality of this book, you need to be familiar with at least Homer's Odyssey, Dante's Inferno, and parts of the Bible. You need to be on guard for a depth of symbolism and complexity of foreshadowing and allusion that will...more

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Oct 03, 2007 Tyler rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: the-american-vernacular

I really shouldn't like this book as much as I do. A historical romance? Come on.

Frazier's prose is in the tradition of that poetic backwoods style that you might find in some Faulkner or in the films of Terrence Malick and David Gordon Green. Definitely the product of a learned man trying to sound like he's from the sticks, equal parts Old Testament fire-and-brimstone and rootsy colloquialism. His story is ambitious in its attempts to convey feelings of the grandeur of America, smouldering pas...more

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Jul 19, 2012 Lily Bart rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It's Gone With The Wind Meets Easy Rider -- with all the phoniest elements of both books!

All the old Southern lies are here, chillun. Slavery wasn't so bad. We weren't fighting for slavery. The war was not our fault. Slavery was not our fault. Nothing is ever anyone's fault, except for the damned meddling Yankees who started the war for no reason at all! We are all prisoners of history. We know our darkies . . . and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah!

But at the same time there are plenty of groovy new...more

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Apr 15, 2009 Alison rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ew25best

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Charles Frazier's 1998 National Book Award winning novel, Cold Mountain, is sort of a love story. After barely having time to strike up a romance, North Carolina farmboy Inman is sent off to fight in the Amerian Civil War, leaving high society Charleston-bred Ada at home with a father who soon dies, forcing her to run their large farm and fend for herself in a world previously ignored by her as she focused on her literature, art, and music.

Their stories are told in alternating chapters. In one c...more Charles Frazier's 1998 National Book Award winning novel, Cold Mountain, is sort of a love story. After barely having time to strike up a romance, North Carolina farmboy Inman is sent off to fight in the Amerian Civil War, leaving high society Charleston-bred Ada at home with a father who soon dies, forcing her to run their large farm and fend for herself in a world previously ignored by her as she focused on her literature, art, and music.

Their stories are told in alternating chapters. In one chapter we read of Inman's Homeric trek, wounded in the neck, from a North Carolina hospital back to Cold Mountain where Ada dwells, wondering along the way if she'll even have him, and encountering a wild mix of characters and grim situations. The next chapter and it's back to Ada on the farm as she has enlisted the help of Ruby, a wild young lady, knowledgeable in the art of survival who has agreed to come on board with Ada and her farm at Black Cove.

Cold Mountain in an odd way, reminded me of another novel I read recently called "Blindness." Because, ultimately, Cold Mountain is not about love, romance, family, or hope. Rather it's about war and the chaos, ruin, and abscence of hope that it leaves in its path.

But Inman now guessed it was boredom with the repetition of the daily rounds that had made them take up weapons. The endless arc of the sun, the wheel of seasons. War took a man out of that circle of regular life and made a season of its own, not much dependent on anything else. He had not been immune to its pull. But sooner or later you get awful tired and just plain sick of watching people killing one another for every kind of reason at all, using whatever implementents fall to hand. So that morning he had looked at the berries and the birds and had felt cheered by them, happy that they had waited for him to come to his senses, even though he feared himself deeply at variance with such elements of the harmonious.

So what happens to people when the normal rules of society, of living are suspended? What happens when "thou shalt not kill" and "do unto others...", not to mention the simpler limits of good manners and social etiquette are temporarily thrown out the window? When men become no longer in tune with nature and the friendly order of things, but take it among themselves to make their own rules, buck the system, and the natural peaceful order of living?

Well, lots of bad stuff happens, as it does in Cold Mountain. But despite Inman's lack of hope or vision of anything good yet to come in the prescence of overwhelming pain, death, and despair...there is good to come. Resolve is strengthened, unlikely alliances are forged, and without rigid laws of society, people are able to trust themselves, to act and love more freely. Characters are stripped down of habits of over-analysis and come to depend on their raw skills of physical strength and self-reliance to keep themselves alive--to to keep love, and life alive.

Some people have called Inman's encounters boring, and although there were some tedious moments, when viewed as a whole, I appreciated the details. Anyone who's seen the movie knows the ending--haunting, powerful, and actually quiet, subtle, and more tastefully done in the book. I was definetely moved to tears. This story, these charactes, they just resonate....
(less)

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Oct 18, 2007 Ali rated it 5 of 5 stars

Is it long? Yes. Does it sometimes take entire paragraphs or chapters to describe the scope of the landscape? Yes. Is it entirely worth it? Yes. This book is best described as an epic...for those that felt it was too long or boring, have you ever read The Odyssey? The comparison is made for a reason. This is not a book you take to the beach and read on vacation...this is a book you pick up on a rainy day when you call in sick in the middle of the week. This is a book that becomes like a return t...more

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Sep 23, 2010 Mike (the Paladin) rated it 1 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 02, 2008 Kristen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Kristen by: Cindy Bravo

Shelves: high-brow

Just loved this book. I always enjoy books that do a good job of creating atmosphere through descriptive writing. This book is one of the best of that sort. The story itself is enjoyable, but what I liked even more was the detailed description of life in the civil war era. We have the idea from many movies and books that the south in the Civil War was all plantations and cotton, lovely ladies and dashing gentlemen. This south is something that Margaret Mitchell simply did not acknowledge, and it...more

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May 25, 2007 Tim rated it 1 of 5 stars

Wow...did not enjoy this book. The writing was masturbatory and the plotline was stupid. It had all the elements of a greek tragedy (the inevitability and almost cheesily coincidental misunderstandings) an yet it felt supremely unsatisfying. Charles Frazier crapped and this came out.

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Sep 20, 2008 Josh rated it 1 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. In a word - tiresome. Utterly tiresome. This is not the sort of book I would have read through to the end unless I was made to.

Ok, ok, I'll admit that the book wasn't exactly well delivered - forced to study it at A-Level by a equally tiresome tutor - but nevertheless if a book is a good one, no amount of forced education can sour it.

The general gist of the story is a very generic tale of an American Civil War soldier returning home, fed up of war. The motivation? A high-society love interest fo...more

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Aug 21, 2008 Rosamund rated it 2 of 5 stars

What an absolute abomination. The only thing that saves this from the doom of getting just one star is... well, at present I am even unable to think of that. Actually, I did laugh when Ada got attacked by a rooster. The books lacks a real story, is over-long, and whoever gave Mr Frazier a thesaurus should seriously reconsider their actions, because the excessive descriptions cause the reader to lose the will to live. Moreover: why, oh why, is it compared to The Odyssey? I fail to see how anyone...more

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Feb 17, 2008 John rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book far exceeded my expectations. It was grim and beautiful. It's a historical novel that brings you to the time and place with such an easy touch...no awkward passages setting the stage, just outstanding storytelling. The characters are well developed and authentic in their complexity. Also, it rang true with my experience of life, meaning that not everything ended satisfyingly for the characters. I wholeheartedly recommend this book.

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Jan 26, 2012 Mack Foster rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ap-englsih, kick-ass, baltz-library, historical

Cold Mountain was absolutely beautiful. Charles Frazier has written a masterpiece that captures the country of America in all its beauty and its corruption.

Cold Mountain follows a war-ravaged Confederate soldier named W.P. Inman. While recovering from a wound everyone thought was fatal, Inman makes the decision to desert his regiment and travel to Cold Mountain in pursuit of Ada Monroe, the woman he loves. Along the way, he encounters many challenges, especially from the Home Guard, who are task...more Cold Mountain was absolutely beautiful. Charles Frazier has written a masterpiece that captures the country of America in all its beauty and its corruption.

Cold Mountain follows a war-ravaged Confederate soldier named W.P. Inman. While recovering from a wound everyone thought was fatal, Inman makes the decision to desert his regiment and travel to Cold Mountain in pursuit of Ada Monroe, the woman he loves. Along the way, he encounters many challenges, especially from the Home Guard, who are tasked with finding deserters and Federal sympathizers.

Ada Monroe is a city-bred woman, brought up by her father in Charleston and now living in Black Cove. Her father dies, and she is left with a farm in a horrible state of disrepair. A stranger by the name of Ruby comes along and assists Ada in managing the farm.

This book was like reading The Odyssey, only in America. Inman's epic journey back to Cold Mountain is full of trials and obstacles to overcome. The war has taken its toll on Inman, and he usually resorts to violence when confronted with his various situations. He does so with his trademark LeMat's, a pistol with an underbarrel shotgun. Inman's long service in the war has left him lost and void of purpose. He didn't support the war and killed for a purpose he didn't believe in.

Inman's perilous journey home can be seen as an acension of some sort. His neck wound is the symbol of his inner turmoil. As he travels, his wound heals with varying degree, based on his current situation.

When Inman finally reached his destination at the Cherokee village on Cold Mountain with Ada, he had achieved redemption. There, with Ada, he was able to transcend the corruption and evil of war. After four long years of war and fighting, he longed for the soft touch of someone who cares. In a way, Ada, his true love, was his separate peace.

However, when they traveled back to the farm, Inman was forced to leave his peace behind. He was ambushed by a young member of the Home Guard, and was killed. Although I read this part and wanted to throw the book across the room, find Mr. Frazier and proceed to slam his head into a car door, I contemplated Inman's death. How could a man so war-torn and spiritually damaged possible be happy again? How could one live a life of peace when all they know is war and death? I realized that Inman's death was his TRUE ascension. His separate peace was in another life, and a part of him lived on through he and Ada's daughter.(less)

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Jan 14, 2009 Alaine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

I read this book for a book to movie challenge that I'm participating in. I didn't really know what I'd think of the book and was curious to see how closely the movie followed it. I'd read some reviews that weren't overly favourable especially with regards to the love story between Ada and Inman but I was pleasantly surprised.

If you read the book blurb it says that this is the story about a very long walk. As Inman gets out of his hospital bed and begins to walk home to Cold Mountain in the rem...more

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Jun 22, 2008 Zalman rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of historical fiction unfazed by long vivid descriptions of nature

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Unlike some others who found this novel sleep inducing, I found it difficult to put down, and had no problem reading for long stretches and then could hardly wait for the next opportunity to pick it up again. Maybe it's just me (and more than a few others, I gather), but I had few problems with the long, vivid descriptions of nature, which in this story is like a major character, alternately acting as protagonist and antagonist throughout. Similarly, I admired the detailed descriptions of people...more Unlike some others who found this novel sleep inducing, I found it difficult to put down, and had no problem reading for long stretches and then could hardly wait for the next opportunity to pick it up again. Maybe it's just me (and more than a few others, I gather), but I had few problems with the long, vivid descriptions of nature, which in this story is like a major character, alternately acting as protagonist and antagonist throughout. Similarly, I admired the detailed descriptions of people, their situations, and their daily activities, which were directed mainly toward survival. I felt that the attempt to adopt a period voice was mostly successful, and only broke down occasionally.

The book is very much about the will to live. In the case of the two main characters, Inman and Ada, this is sustained by their love for each other, yet at the same time it exists independently from it. While waiting for the war to end and Inman to return, inspired by her contact with Ruby, a woman with a background, personality, and world view completely different from hers, Ada changes the entire structure of her life. She goes from being a detached, intellectual observer - and helpless, adult-aged orphan child - to being a full partner in the ongoing business of survival - and of living - in a place she never would have chosen on her own to inhabit. This change empowers her in way that has nothing to do with Inman, yet also gives her the freedom and clarity to declare herself to him unambiguously. In this context, the fact that the letter containing her declaration never reaches him is irrelevant. That this love is for most of the book unrequited, and sustained essentially in the imaginations of both lovers, lends a compelling urgency to the story of their struggles to survive and be joined.

Is this overly romantic and unrealistic? I don't think so; human relationships are formed all the time, and persist into old age, on less substantial ground. That Inman has been "broken" by his experiences in the war would nowadays make one pessimistic about the odds of this relationship lasting more than a couple of years, but in the context of 1864, Ada's optimism doesn't seem particularly out of place. The truth (fictional as it is) is that they don't really know each other very well. At the same time, based on the brief hours they actually spent in each other's company, and on what they have constructed in their minds since, they know each other well enough. Is this construct any less realistic, compelling, or convincing than what we know happens all the time in real life? What you or I, sophisticated (and perhaps cynical) as we are, would accept as a basis for a long term relationship is again irrelevant to evaluating the quality and verisimilitude of the story as written.

As for the ending, which I'm not giving away, I can only say I rarely judge a book by such a singular criterion. If that's the way Frazier saw it, for whatever reason, I can live with it.(less)

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Sep 03, 2011 Jeana rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I love a tragic ending! That is what brought this long, tedious book up to a four-star rating for me. It reads slow all through the book. It's slow and daunting and laborious, just as Inman's walk home is. For some people who really like to stop and think while they're reading, that's great. But I was wanting to get through this--much like I feel at the end of a road trip and just want to get home. I get the connection here--but whether that makes the slowness of this novel worth it is another t...more I love a tragic ending! That is what brought this long, tedious book up to a four-star rating for me. It reads slow all through the book. It's slow and daunting and laborious, just as Inman's walk home is. For some people who really like to stop and think while they're reading, that's great. But I was wanting to get through this--much like I feel at the end of a road trip and just want to get home. I get the connection here--but whether that makes the slowness of this novel worth it is another thing.

I wasn't convinced that Ada and Inman were in love. Their backstory didn't convince me. I think Inman fell in love with Ada in his walk home and Ada represented being home to him. The most interesting part of Inman's walk was his encounter with the goat lady. I hated when he killed the bear cub. I didn't think he was the hero the book was trying to portray him as. I saw him as a traitor who would do anything just to stay alive (after all, he'd decided to betray the Confederates at the end).

The brightest part of Ada's story is Ruby. Ruby is practical and smart and a good friend. She teaches Ada how to live off the land. The story of her father annoyed me--up until we started following him up to the cave and he was shot. Then it was interesting to watch Ruby's slow forgiveness of her father's neglect. I also enjoyed watching Stobrod's character grow through his appreciation and love for music.

I think I will see this movie. Not that I loved the book, because I didn't. But because I think I'll understand the characters after having spent so much time with them (you know how you learn to know someone intimately after a long journey with them).

I did NOT like the epilogue and I think the story stood better on its own without it. Epilogues should be banned from literature, INHO. And why would Ada have married Reid? Please! It's so out there and absolutely unnecessary. Oh, and I feel I need to add that the language was nice.

Okay, I just finished the movie and that made it so much better to me. So much. It's difficult to watch but it's really beautifully done.(less)

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Apr 19, 2008 Megan rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 22, 2008 Cathy rated it 5 of 5 stars

When I was thinking of what to say about The Namesake, which I liked alot, I started thinking that maybe we need an asterisk for books that are truly special to us, that knock our socks off. I know that one reason why some books do that has to do with a certain time in our lives. Books that did that to me in the past, like the Alexandria Quartet, I haven't looked at again since I was in my 20's. Others I return to again and again. Cold Mountain is one of those. (Along with Bel Canto, The Fountai...more

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Mar 03, 2008 G rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to G by: Joe Hatcher

This is in my estimation one of the masterpieces of American fiction. I am surprised to be saying this, because I read it after I'd seen the film, and my expectations were not particularly high. Cold Mountain is the Odyssey retold in many respects not the least of which is its depiction of the horrors of violent expeditions far from home and the yet worse horrors of violence at home. It is a story of the Civil War as it affected those who were marginal to the state and had least to gain from the...more

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Jan 31, 2008 Christy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Even rustic Cold Mountain, NC feels the cold embrace of the Civil War and most of its young men answer the call to fight. Some of the more hardened stay behind and form the Home Guard, which amounts to nothing more than a group of violent men intent on delivering their own brand of justice to those they call outliers, deserters of the war.

This is the story of two people in Cold Mountain who meet, are separated by the war, and meet again, both drastically changed by the hardships they’ve endured...more

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Jun 13, 2007 Sammy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: b-the-good

I've refused to see the movie before I read the book. I've wanted to read Cold Mountain for a while after my junior year history teacher recommended it to me saying, "You better read it soon because they're making it into a Hollywood blockbuster." The hint of disgust in her voice was very much apparent.

It seems though that because of her and my mom both telling me how great this book I was, I was a little let down when I finally read it. I mean, it's good, don't get me wrong, but I guess my expe...more I've refused to see the movie before I read the book. I've wanted to read Cold Mountain for a while after my junior year history teacher recommended it to me saying, "You better read it soon because they're making it into a Hollywood blockbuster." The hint of disgust in her voice was very much apparent.

It seems though that because of her and my mom both telling me how great this book I was, I was a little let down when I finally read it. I mean, it's good, don't get me wrong, but I guess my expectations were just to high for it. I'm sure you've been in that same place.

The writing was beautiful and unique. Frazier's way of writing dialogue was very interesting and I had never seen it done that way before. It did bother me slightly at first, but then I got used to it. He's also very descriptive... a character cannot take a single step without a full blown and detailed description is given about the area surrounding the characters foot. At times it's very beautiful and you love to read it... other times you're just like, "Okay, we get it, it's really pretty country."

Ada and Inman are both very interesting to read about, even more so as the story progresses, but the characters they meet and run into are even more indearing and interesting. When one of their stories begins, you are immediately drawn in.

The book also seemed to drag in different places and I found my mind often wandering. But usually it was when I was a little tired or in a non-peaceful setting with a lot of background noise. I think this is one of those books you need to read when you can just sit down somewhere quiet and read... it's very easy to be pulled out of this book, which is unfortunate because it's a novel you really could absorb yourself in.

Anywho, now that I've finished the book, I can probably go see the movie. This actually might be one of those cases when the movie is better in the book... in the sense that nothing needs to be described because it's already all there! Heh. But tell me what you think.(less)

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Apr 19, 2009 Sandy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: am-civil-war

amazing book. rich in language and imagery. Couldn't put it down and to this day, what....10 or more years later?... I remember it vividly. I loved it. The history of the real people in the civil war, of the Cherokee forced from their lands, of the deep penetrating wilderness of the mountains and the characters that struggled to survive there - the woman with the goats - and how, with a tender loving hold on one of her kits, while scratching its ears, she killed it so quickly it was probably nev...more

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Nov 11, 2007 Betty O rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Those who love a good story

Shelves: pnri-book-club

Charles Frazier's first book. He is a consummate storyteller. I loved every bit of this book, which was recomended by a writer friend. I asked what it was about and he said "Well, it takes place during the Civil War" and immediately my eyes began to glaze over. I start thinking about Red Badge of Courage (yuck). But then I read the first page and found myself compelled to buy it at the airport on the way home. It is a tale of love superimposed on the horror of war, the senselessness of war. I es...more

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Jul 30, 2007 Gphatty rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book came 3rd (or 4th) hand through my family. It was already becoming a wide-spread, word-of-mouth sensation, which was a red flag to me. When I discovered it to be a Civil War-era romance, I pretty much decided to ignore it.

But curiosity -- and the persistence of my relatives -- got the better of me. And you should ignore any preconceptions that you may have made of this novel. It's a wonderful travelogue; an ode to nature; a wry observance (and condemnation) on the folly of civilization,...more

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Aug 19, 2007 Felonious rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anybody

Shelves: favorites

Another book I put off reading. A love story during the time of the civil war, just didn't sound all that appealing to me. However, after reading it I have nothing but praise for Charles Frazier. The story is about a wounded and disheartened soldier (Inman), with love and determination he sets off on a journey to get back to the woman he loves (Ada). In his absence Ada has to struggle to survive and learn to become strong and independent. Charles Frazier is one of the most picturesque writers th...more

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May 02, 2008 Erin rated it 5 of 5 stars

The best experience I ever had reading a book. I recommend reading it in the winter, but whatever. The winter I read it was the coldest & saddest winter I have ever experienced. The book, taking place in the late 1800's, reminded me that some things cannot ever change with the times: Struggle. Heartbreak. Love. Adversity. Fear. Uncertainty. The human inclination to survive. To name a few. That said, though, this was not a depressing book. Somehow, it gave me an unexpected and strange kind of...more

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Oct 11, 2007 Deborah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Cold Mountain by Charles Frasier is easily one of my favorite books. It is set in the mountains of NC during the civil war. Firstly, allow me to say that I rarely read period novels from this era because they tend to romanticize war with a heavy dose of gone with the wind thrown in.

This book is more of a human journey. One man's many discoveries into the gritty and unpredictable human psyche.

The movie wasn't so bad but it didn't cover the many encounters he had as he struggled to get back hom...more

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May 22, 2008 Christie VanLaningham rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historicity

I am a SUCKER for these kinds of novels. An arresting historical backdrop... crusty and compelling characters at the brink of a cultural chasm... doomed love. It all lined up in Cold Mountain. But the unexpected surprise of this book was its artful craftsmanship and the musical nature of language. It is such a lyrical and haunting book - which is stunningly beautiful in scope without losing a shred of authenticity. I listened to the audiobook, read by the author, and highly recommend it. Don't l...more

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Jul 20, 2008 Molly rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Ingrid

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Too Slow and Too Detailed	22	71	May 07, 2013 11:53pm
Monroe's sermon in Cold Mountain	1	9	May 02, 2013 07:39am
couldn't do it	112	549	Mar 15, 2013 10:11am
Around the World ...: Discussion for Cold Mountain	14	68	Mar 02, 2013 07:04pm
US Civil War fiction: Like Cold Mountain?	8	16	Feb 26, 2013 02:44pm
THE JAMES MASON C...: How do you as author find inspiration in films?	1	6	Oct 23, 2012 03:40am

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About Charles Frazier

Frazier is the author of two novels: Thirteen Moons (2006), and Cold Mountain (1997), which received the American Academy of Arts and Letters Sue Kaufman Award for First Fiction and the National Book Award.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

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Books by Charles Frazier

Cold Mountain: The Journey from Book to Film

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Quotes from Cold Mountain

“She fit her head under his chin, and he could feel her weight settle into him. He held her tight and words spilled out of him without prior composition. And this time he made no effort to clamp them off. He told her about the first time he had looked on the back of her neck as she sat in the church pew. Of the feeling that had never let go of him since. He talked to her of the great waste of years between then and now. A long time gone. And it was pointless, he said, to think how those years could have been put to better use, for he could hardly have put them to worse. There was no recovering them now. You could grieve endlessly for the loss of time and the damage done therein. For the dead, and for your own lost self. But what the wisdom of the ages says is that we do well not to grieve on and on. And those old ones knew a thing or two and had some truth to tell, Inman said, for you can grieve your heart out and in the end you are still where you are. All your grief hasn't changed a thing. What you have lost will not be returned to you. It will always be lost. You're left with only your scars to mark the void. All you can choose to do is go on or not. But if you go on, it's knowing you carry your scars with you. Nevertheless, over all those wasted years, he had held in his mind the wish to kiss her on the back of her neck, and now he had done it. There was a redemption of some kind, he believed, in such complete fulfillment of a desire so long deferred.” — 228 people liked it

“I'm ruined beyond repair, is what I fear...And if so, in time we'd both be wretched and bitter."
"I know people can be mended. Not all, and some more immediately than others. But some can be. I don't see why not you."
"Why not me?” — 96 people liked it

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Cold Mountain

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