The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757 by James Fenimore Cooper

Oct 19, 2012 Megan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: iah-207, school

“Mislike me not, for my complexion, the sad owed livery of the burnished sun.” When you first open Last of the Mohicans, by James Fenimore Cooper this is one of the first things you read. This quote from Shakespeare seems to state that the book will not show the racist tendencies of the time, but display the different races in equal light. While writing a historical fiction, being a completely anti-racist novel is not possible but Cooper seems to state with his head note that the color of skin...more “Mislike me not, for my complexion, the sad owed livery of the burnished sun.” When you first open Last of the Mohicans, by James Fenimore Cooper this is one of the first things you read. This quote from Shakespeare seems to state that the book will not show the racist tendencies of the time, but display the different races in equal light. While writing a historical fiction, being a completely anti-racist novel is not possible but Cooper seems to state with his head note that the color of skin does not matter. Despite the surface level image of a heroic narrative of Native Americans, Cooper betrays an underline racist agenda, much like the opinions of his own protagonists, which comes through in relationship tension and through the inversion of the native tribes, which played into the racist propaganda of the times increasing tension.

Last of the Mohicans is part of a series which tells the adventures of Hawkeye as the main protagonist. Hawkeye is a white male, who has in a sense, disowned his race and ancestors and lives in the wild with the Mohicans. Yet while Hawkeye seems to see his race in such a bad light to live out in the wild, he takes extreme pride in being a white male. “ “Iroquois, daren’t deny that I am genuine white,” the scout replied, surveying, with secret satisfaction, the faded color of his bony and sinewy hand” (23).* While his best friends are Native Americans, Hawkeye still acts as if he is above them, more evolved, because he is a white man. During racial arguments, Hawkeye always draws attention to his race, demonstrating that it is of such great importance to his personal identity and something of which others must be made aware of. Even though he has left the settled life of a white man he has not ultimately left behind the white man’s philosophy on Native Americans and those who are mixed race. “I am not a prejudiced man…” (23). This is always Hawkeye’s way to start a conversation. It is a method he uses to smooth over the conversation right before be goes into how he is genuine white and above them. No one ever comments on this or corrects Hawkeye of his ways showing that it is not something that he should be ashamed of or in any way wrong. “But neither the Mohicans, nor I, who am a white man without a cross, can explain the cry we heard” (59). I find it interesting that instead of saying we, Hawkeye uses the Mohicans and I. Again, “No Indian myself, but a man without a cross” (126). He makes a point to separate himself from them. He is a white man, not a Native American. Also he points out that not only is he white, but he is without a cross. Here I think it can be implied that it means that he is pure white, his bloodline has not been crossed with any other race. He uses this as a status of power, inserting himself carefully above the Native Americans and those of mixed race. Is this how Cooper then sees the hierarchy of people, that those with a pure white bloodline are above the rest? That they are better than everyone else? I believe in a way this is how Cooper feels, if not why would he write a whole series on Hawkeye, allowing him to spew his propaganda about how whites are above all the rest. It is then interesting to look at how Cooper displays characters that aren’t pure white.

Cora the heroin of the story is actually of mixed race decadency, her father is white, and her mother was from the Caribbean. “You scorn to mingle the blood of the Heywards with one so degraded-lovely and virtuous though she be?” (161). When Heyward goes to Colonel Munro to ask one of his daughters hand in marriage Munro is shocked and calls Heyward racist for picking his daughter with fair skin instead of his eldest darker skinned daughter. Heyward’s embarrassment and shock come through but he realizes in a way that is why he doesn’t desire Cora, because of how he was raised to look down on those of mixed race. Yet Cora is ultimately the center of desire for two Native Americans, Uncas and Magua. Near the end of the book I would have guessed that the novel would end happily with Cora and Uncas remaining together despite the fact that Uncas is a Native American and Cora of mixed decadency. Ultimately, we see the collapse of every character in the love triangle however, love is not lost! Alice and Heyward having both survived the final battle are deeply in love. Their relationship is allowed to flourish and grow as they both take their experiences back to civilization, leaving the wild, savage forest behind. Cooper in allowing the relationship of Alice and Heyward to thrive while that of Uncas and Cora is doomed reveals his thoughts on mixed race relationships. Mixed race relationships or even that between a civilized person and a savage person are doomed to fail. They can’t happen or he may even mean to say that they shouldn’t be allowed to occur. Cooper even goes as far to say that even in heaven the lovers will not be together:

“Say to these kind and gentle females, that a heartbroken and failing man returns them his thanks. Tell him, that the Being we all worship, under different names, will be mindful of their charity; and that the time shall not be distant when we may assemble around his throne without distinction of sex, or rank, or color.” The scout listened to the tremulous voice… “To tell them this,” he said, “would be to tell them that the snows come not in winter, or the sun shines fiercest when the trees are stripped of their leaves.” (360-61)

From Hawkeye’s point of view, even in heaven there is apartheid, which means there is no way that the lovers will ever be happy together in heaven or on earth. This again is where the racism of Cooper’s time comes seeping through the pages of the novel. Mixed race relationships were greatly frowned upon, even considered illegal in that time.

Copper while trying to display the book as anti-racist by making Uncas and Cora, both who aren’t white, his heroes, he underneath the main plot creates this racism that mirrors that of the 1820s. “And I tell you that he who is born a Mingo will die a Mingo” (31). Only a couple of chapters into the book and Cooper already shows his true colors about how he feels about the Native Americans. There is no redemption for them, they cannot move up the totem pole of class structure, they are born low-class Native Americans and will die that way. Cooper actually inverts the native tribes in the book from that in history. During the French and Indian War, the Mohicans was actually paired with the French, not the British, and the Iroquois were paired with the British. In historical context the Mohicans were actually the villains and the Iroquois the heroes but that is not the case in the book. So why did Cooper have this role reversal? While it may seem like an innocent difference it actually has very racial implications. When Cooper’s book was published was the time of Native American removal. During this time, the tribe that the country was trying to move was mainly the Iroquois tribe. Here is where we see the propaganda that Cooper displayed. He makes the Iroquois in the book the villain, which in turn causes people to be less sympathetic of their cause and makes people more likely to support the Native American removal.

“The pale-faces are the masters of the earth, and the time of the redmen has not yet come again. My day has been too long. In the morning I saw the sons of Unamis happy and strong; and yet, before the night has come, have I lived to see the last warrior of the wise race of the Mohicans” (363-64).

In the end the Native Americans left decide that it is time to move on, it is the white man’s turn to thrive. This is the solution Cooper paints to the Native American removal and shows his support to the cause. They should want to leave. They no longer have a key influence to the making of the world. The Native American tribes should just move on and do what the white man says for they no longer have a place in history.

“Mislike me not for my complexion.” A bold statement that Cooper inserts on the front pages of the book yet tears apart as the reader dives deeper into the novel. The head note can be compared to Hawkeye stating, “I am not a prejudice man…” right before he says something racist. This is Cooper’s way to smooth over the racism that he displays in his novel. With Hawkeye as his main character in this series he can be thought of as having Cooper’s own thoughts on race, interracial relationships, and the Native American removal. Cooper allows the racism of the current time seep through as propaganda in the book and destroying any anti-racist plot that he tried to display in his novel.

This review is actually a paper I am writing for class and in the editing stages :)

UPDATE This was a paper for class and I got the grade back today and received a 3.8, one of the higher grades in the class!
(less)

23 likes · like · see review

Jan 18, 2009 Kirk rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I can still remember the edition of this that---somehow---I had in my room as a child. It was a hardback, dense type, the occasional woodcut, thin pages, tightly bound, and it smelled like it had been mouldering under somebody's bed since Martin Van Buren ass-ended to the presidency. Back then I couldn't for the life of me get past the first chapter. The syntax was so knotty (ie. Latinate) that I might have compared it to autoerotic asphyxiation if I'd known such a thing existed (autoeroticism,...more I can still remember the edition of this that---somehow---I had in my room as a child. It was a hardback, dense type, the occasional woodcut, thin pages, tightly bound, and it smelled like it had been mouldering under somebody's bed since Martin Van Buren ass-ended to the presidency. Back then I couldn't for the life of me get past the first chapter. The syntax was so knotty (ie. Latinate) that I might have compared it to autoerotic asphyxiation if I'd known such a thing existed (autoeroticism, that is--not asphyxiation). In fact, I hope it doesn't expose my secret propensity for lace panties and Angora sweaters to say that at ten I much preferred Little Women. Yes, I loved Cooper's title bc I didn't know what the hell it meant, and I debated the pretension one might be susceptible to if made to tote the name 'Fenimore' through life. Decades later I can say that life for me boils down to a choice: some books you love because they are you writ in picas, and others you teach. This one falls into the later category.

Personal bullshit aside, there's so much here that's so historically important that LaMo as well call it in my neighborhood call it by necessity becomes worthy of reading time. For starters, landscape. The book is capacious, to use one of Cooper's marble-mouthed words. It conveys the scopic magnitude of the New World. The prowess of setting is particularly important when you realize that by the 1820s---a mere fifty years after the country's founding---nature was already a touchstone of nostalgia and Cooper was depicting us as having milked dry the natural resources of this fresh green breast of the new world. Second, the Native Americans. You don't read Cooper for the verysmellytude of ethnicity. Go see Dances with Wolves for that. (Better yet A Man Called Horse). But you do see in the ridiculously wooden me-likum-you-pale-face cigar-store depiction of Chingachgook and Uncas a sincere desire to elevate the NA warrior, Greek epic style, into a symbol of Lost America---again, poignant given that the Trail of Tears was taking place in this same era. Cooper thus helps make the Vanishing Indian a personfication of American guilt, a spokesman for the jeremiad. Finally, chicks, man: in Cora and Alice, you have here the prototypes for the Dark Lady and Light Lady that will play their sista act out in American fiction all the way through Pierre and The Blithedale Romance on up to every bad Sarah Jessica Parker/Rachel McAdams romantic purported comedy not starring Matthew McConaughey. Why divide feminity into innocent blondes and dirty brunettes? To quote the title of my least favorite Pink CD, must be Mizzacegenation, the anxiety that ravenheads have to be born out of those dalliances on the dark side that even British generals are prone to when the colored girls go do-da-do, doo, doo, dootey-dootey-doo, doo, doo, doo, etc. It's a literary obligation in the 19th century bc Cooper and his peers knew, deep down, that nobody short of Edgar or Johnny Winter was truly white enough.

Yes, at some point long about Book II, the formula of kidnap/rescue/ bring-a-tomahawk-to-a-gunfight gets tedious. And you are likely to throw the book across the room at the more silly assertions of Natty Bumppo and Chingy's ability to blend with the animals. The scene in which the latter, the father of the Mohicans' last, dresses up as a beaver (!!!!!!!!) to get the scoop on the alien tribe's war plans has to be the single hardest scene in American literature to teach without regressing to an eight year-old. It absolutely kills the seriousness of the book---at least until the glorious last chapter, when suddenly Cooper's marvelous ability to lament takes over, and you read a threnody for fallen America that ranks up there with the final paragraph of Gatsby.

So, enjoy, but be prepared to chew through the fat of preposterousness to the gristle of import. None of Cooper's other books save The Pioneers can really touch this one in terms of melancholy. And the melancholy of loss is what makes it great.(less)

23 likes · like · see review

Mar 19, 2013 Jason Koivu rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Like the only prostitute in town, it's very popular and good fun at first, but after a time it ain't so pretty, and jesus christ, why won't it just shut the fuck up!

Very popular in its time, The Last of the Mohicans is a historical fiction written in the 1820s and set in the 1750s during the French and Indian War in which a small party of British colonists and their Indian guides journey through the upstate New York wilderness defending themselves from their French and Indian enemies.

James Feni...more Like the only prostitute in town, it's very popular and good fun at first, but after a time it ain't so pretty, and jesus christ, why won't it just shut the fuck up!

Very popular in its time, The Last of the Mohicans is a historical fiction written in the 1820s and set in the 1750s during the French and Indian War in which a small party of British colonists and their Indian guides journey through the upstate New York wilderness defending themselves from their French and Indian enemies.

James Fenimore Cooper brought insight into the lives of the Native Americans in a way seldom seen at a time when the people of these many new world tribes were mostly reviled as hostile savages. Back when it was published The Last of the Mohicans must have seemed revolutionary. Were it tweaked into the non-fiction Cooper half seemed to be trying to write, perhaps it would've succeeded, if it's inaccuracies could've been shorn up that is.

But it is a fiction and today its formal prose does not go down easily for the modern reader. Archaic terms and phrasings aside, Cooper wrote like a grammar robot. He adheres to English language strictures like a foreigner dotting his I's and crossing his T's. His rigid style absolutely takes the joy out of what should be an exciting tale. And why use one word when five are available? Wordiness digs this poor book's grave ever deeper.

The other big problem I had was Cooper's narrative style. Not only does he feel the need to explain away everything, he forces the explanation into the mouths of his characters at the most ridiculous of times. Soldiers and scouts constantly chatter away while tracking enemies or hiding from them. By the end it got so unbelievable that I found myself having sarcastic conversations with the characters....

"Do you see that dastardly Huron spying on us there mayhaps two rods ahead in yonder verdant undergrowth?" asked Hawkeye.
"The one in the bushes thirty feet away that can probably hear us talking? Yeah," I replied before pausing to ask, "How is it you've survived this long?"

Note: For many years now I'd heard bad things about this book and I'm not sure I would've read it, but then someone double-dog dared me. I of course scoffed at the mere double! However they then triple-dog dared me, the fiend!...Game on...GAME...ON...

(less)

21 likes · like · see review

Aug 06, 2012 Werner rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of 19th-century literature

Shelves: historical-fiction, classics

Note: I've just edited this review slightly to correct a chronological typo. When I read this book the first time, I was nine, not seven years old --I knew, when I wrote the first draft of this review, that I was in 4th grade the first time, so I don't know what I was thinking when I typed "seven!"

This novel, set in northern New York in 1757 and involving wilderness adventure and combat during the French and Indian War, was my first introduction to Cooper; the dates given here were for the secon...more Note: I've just edited this review slightly to correct a chronological typo. When I read this book the first time, I was nine, not seven years old --I knew, when I wrote the first draft of this review, that I was in 4th grade the first time, so I don't know what I was thinking when I typed "seven!"

This novel, set in northern New York in 1757 and involving wilderness adventure and combat during the French and Indian War, was my first introduction to Cooper; the dates given here were for the second reading, but the first was back when I was nine years old. (Newly transferred to parochial school, I stumbled on it in what passed for a school library: two shelves of donated books.) I didn't mind the style (I was a weird kid), and it actually had a lot to appeal to a boy reader: Indians, gunfights and knife fights on land and water, chases, captures, escapes, and the appeal of some actual history thrown in. It left me with a solid liking for Cooper, and interest in reading more by him (though I've only scratched the surface there).

Like most early 19th-century authors, Cooper's popularity suffers with modern readers because of his diction; and the literary/critical set have been particularly hostile to him, starting with the Realist period with its root-and-branch condemnation of Romanticism and all its works. Mark Twain launched the attack with a hatchet job titled "Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses" (see below), and in the next generation, Charles Neider's verdict was snide and disparaging. The probability that Twain was motivated by professional jealousy as much as anything else, and the fact that Neider was a Washington Irving partisan who saw Cooper as dangerous competition for the highest laurels, don't seem to have discouraged today's critics from taking their assessments as the last word in Cooper criticism; indeed, they pile on the added condemnation that he held incorrect political views, which, for today's critical clerisy, is enough to damn a writer to eternal literary-critical hell. (As a high-school student, I recall watching Clifton Fadiman, the favorite 16mm talking head of English classes of that day, sneering at this book as a "dead classic" --which, having actually read it, confirmed my opinion of Fadiman's critical incompetence. :-) ) Interestingly, that wasn't the view of Cooper's contemporaries; he was not only very popular with readers in the U.S., but was one of the few pre-1865 American writers to have a literary reputation abroad. Balzac was a fan, going so far as to say of him that "had his characterizations been sharper, he would have been the master novelist of us all." He continued to earn high praise even from several serious literary pundits in Twain's day (and that worthy's flip assertion that none of these men had actually read Cooper is a fair sample of Twain's substitution of ridicule and sarcasm for reasonable discussion).

My own assessment of Cooper, and of this work in particular, isn't uncritical. There's no denying that his prose style, even by the standards of his day, is particularly dense, wordy and florid. This is especially notable in much of his dialogue. Even granting that in 1757 upper and middle-class speech tended to be more formal than ours, it's difficult to imagine anyone speaking in as orotund a manner as most of the characters here, especially in some of these contexts. (In fairness to Cooper, though, it's not true that none of his characters have speaking patterns that are distinct and reasonably reflect who they are; and David Gamut, the character with, IMO, the most ridiculously fulsome speech, is to a degree intended as comic relief.) His plotting doesn't hold up as well to a read by a 59-year-old as by a seven-year-old kid; some of the character's decisions are foolhardy, and there are plot points that strike me as improbable (though not the ones that Twain cites). While I don't necessarily mind authorial intrusion in the narrative, he uses it here a bit too much. And this edition could also have benefited from the inclusion of a map.

For all that, though, the positives for me outweighed the negatives. He delivers an adventure yarn that's pretty well-paced, absorbing and suspenseful. The characters are clearly-drawn, distinct, realistic, round, and complex, and evoke real reader reactions. Actual history is incorporated into the narrative in a seamless way. The portrayal of Indians and Indian culture, while not the treatment of them as blandly homogenized, gentle New Agers that modern monolithic "multiculturalism" would prescribe, is basically a realistic one that derived partly from first-hand contacts, and more knowledgeable than most white literary treatments would have been. While he sometimes refers to them as "savages," --and it's fair to note that they are people who, in real life, at times DID torture captives and kill noncombatants-- he doesn't demonize them or make them out to be stupid, unfeeling brutes. Like whites, individuals can be villains, like Magua, but other individuals can be very good; title character Uncas is portrayed as an admirable embodiment of masculine virtues, and the author actually contrasts Indian culture with Anglo-European culture to the disadvantage of the latter in several places.

Critics of Romantic school action-adventure fiction tend to deny that it has any serious messages (partly because they don't want to see messages they don't like, or recognize serious thought in a despised source), but they're present here nevertheless, and related to the above. Moral qualities such as courage, honor, loyalty, kindness and self-sacrifice, generosity, and love for family and friends are both praised and presented by favorable example, while the opposite qualities are disparaged. And there's a serious call to the reader to discard prejudiced ways of looking at people of other races/cultures. It's no accident that Uncas, an Indian depicted at a time when many people despised Indians, is the title character and real hero of the book, and that Cora, the strongest female character and Cooper's clear favorite, is also the one with some Negro descent on her mother's side. (In this respect, the racial attitudes here, IMO, show an advance in enlightenment on the part of the maturing Cooper that isn't evident in earlier works like The Spy and The Pioneers, the two other Cooper novels I've read.) There's even a hint that for Cooper, the idea of interracial romance isn't a complete taboo, though the presentation is subtle. True, Hawkeye, who obviously carries some emotional baggage from being disparaged by other whites for his Indian associations, stresses his un-crossed bloodlines with no Indian "taint," and won't consider the idea of intermarriage (though his bond with his Indian friends is subversive of his culturally-conditioned racism). But to automatically assume, as some readers do, that Hawkeye must always speak for Cooper is, I think, a mistake. He is who he is, warts and all, and that includes being opinionated and fallible (it's not likely, for instance, that his disdain for books and literacy was shared by an author who was a professional writer!). Cooper was a strong Christian, and this book has several naturally-integrated references to religious faith and prayer, as well as a couple of short discussions of religious belief. The type of Christian belief Cooper finds congenial comes across as one that's not doctrinally dogmatic and narrow (as opposed to Gamut's Calvinism), and not judgmental in consigning others to hellfire and damnation. (When Hawkeye refuses to translate Colonel Munro's statement, "Tell them, that the Being we all worship, under different names, will be mindful of their charity; and that the time shall not be distant when we may assemble around his throne without distinction of sex, rank, or color," this reader perceived Munro, not Hawkeye, as speaking for the author!)

A major factor in my rating was the ending. (view spoiler) At the same time, the last chapter is one of the most emotionally rich, evocative passages in American letters; on re-reading it, I raised my rating by a star.

Since Twain based most of his attacks on Cooper on The Deerslayer (which I want to read eventually), it seems better to respond to his essay in detail whenever I review that book. But where he makes general or specific criticisms that apply to this book, it's appropriate to mention those here. First, as to Cooper overusing the device of a twig breaking and alerting someone to movement, on this reading I looked particularly for that. It occurs once, in a 423-page book. Second, Twain does NOT establish that it's impossible, in a fog, to backtrack the trail of a spent cannonball that, by his own admission, would skip and roll over damp ground, leaving marks; he establishes that it would be quite difficult --in other words, the sort of thing heroes or heroines in action fiction often do, where less capable characters wouldn't be able to. And third, if it's an iron-clad law of nature that every mark in the bottom of a running stream is more or less instantly totally erased by the current, we're at a loss to account for fossilized impressions of such marks that endured until they turned to rock. In practice, it makes a great deal of difference how deep the mark is, how mallable the bottom is, how fast the current is moving, and how much time elapsed since the mark was made. Cooper isn't the one being unobservant on that point.

Reading this book was a cool trip down memory lane; it was amazing how much detail, and often how much exact wording, I remembered! It's definitely re-whetted my appetite to read more of his work (one of these years!). Of course, there are a lot of physical to-read piles in my office to be hacked through, or at least reduced, first....(less)

12 likes · like · see review

Jul 03, 2007 Ghoulchick rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Man alive, I hated that book. Again, I procrastinated and tried to jam the whole book into one weekend, since I had an oral book review due on Monday for history or social studies or something. God, why can't I even remember the name of the class? My sister will know. It was in high school, junior year, and the teacher - who later became our mayor wtf! - was totally hot. Balding, tan, charismatic, awesome. Every summer, he'd mow his yard. Shirtless. Good god, y'all. And he had a daughter in my g...more

15 likes · like · see review

Dec 29, 2011 Jason Reeser rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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

6 likes · like · see review

Dec 16, 2012 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1001-books-you-must-read-before-you, e-books, gutenberg, fiction-19th-century, american-fiction, hf-19th-century-america, book-and-movie, read-2012, mtbr-challenge-2012

The movie is much better than the book, no doubt about that.

The illustrated version is available for free download at Gutenberg Project

Illustrated by N.C. Wyeth
"Mislike me not for my complexion,
The shadowed livery of the burnished sun."

NEW YORK
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS
1933
Copyright, 1919, by Charles Scribner's Sons

Page 26:

UNCAS SLAYS A DEER
Avoiding the horns of the infuriated animal, Uncas
darted to his side, and passed his knife across the throat

Page 66:

THE BATTLE AT GLENS FALLS
Each of the combat...more

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 01, 2009 John rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have to admit that, having finished this book about a week ago, I still don't know exactly what to make of it. From a pure entertainment perspective, The Last of the Mohicans is essentially the only book I have ever encountered where I feel that the movie adaptation was better. However, this stems from the fact that Cooper was making many powerful statements with this novel, essentially all of which were removed from the film. While the film was mainly just about adventure, the book actually h...more

5 likes · like · see review

Dec 14, 2012 Joseph Pinchback rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I didn't really walk away from this novel with much. For an American Classic, it's kind of a disappointment. The book is really just a straight ahead adventure story. Which is fine, it's just that I'd been led to believe that the book was about more. Honestly, the most entertaining part is the author's attitude toward the Mohicans and Delawares. I honestly think that Cooper believed that he was honoring the Natives with this portrayal, but he is SO RACIST that it just comes across as ridiculous....more

2 likes · like · see review

Aug 05, 2012 Ellie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ebooks, 2012, 1000-bymrbyd-list, reviewed, classics

3.5 Stars

The novel was entertaining and enjoyable but I found it took real patience to get though, especially at the beginning. I found the amount of descriptions of the setting and scenery was over-done, it was extremely infuriating after a while but I managed to stick with it. The second half of the book was a lot better than the first - the pace of the novel speeds up, there's a lot more action. I really enjoyed the novel once I got passed the halfway mark. This novel may be hard-going, but i...more

7 likes · like · see review

Oct 09, 2007 Kate rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: american-classics

Plot: 1. Hack your way through the forest. 2. Get ambushed by Mohicans. 3. Kill a bunch of Mohicans. 4. Hack your way through more forest. 5. There are those damn Mohicans again. 6. Kill a bunch more Mohicans. 7. start over at #1.

Somebody explain to me how this ever got to be a classic.

24 likes · like · see review

May 29, 2008 Sherrie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics

one of my all time favorite books. this is adventure and excitement set to coopers lyrical descriptions. loved it.

8 likes · like · see review

Oct 06, 2009 Tim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

I first read this book when I was a boy, and decided to re-read it to see how it held up. The answer: very well.

In fact, I'd say that this book is a "must-read" for any American. Despite the fact that it's in no-way an accurate depiction of native American culture, it's a great reminder of what our landscape was like when our country was young. (If you're from California, Two Years Before the Mast performs a similar function.) Written in 1826, it was already 75 years past the events depicted in...more I first read this book when I was a boy, and decided to re-read it to see how it held up. The answer: very well.

In fact, I'd say that this book is a "must-read" for any American. Despite the fact that it's in no-way an accurate depiction of native American culture, it's a great reminder of what our landscape was like when our country was young. (If you're from California, Two Years Before the Mast performs a similar function.) Written in 1826, it was already 75 years past the events depicted in the story, but upstate New York was still in places very wild. Reading this book, I had a keen sense of what America was once like to the Europeans who were working so hard to turn the wilderness into the kind of world with which they were familiar.

Also fascinating is the book's struggle with racism. Hawkeye keeps referring to himself as being "without a cross." I thought he was referring to some kind of non-Christian deism until late in the book, when I realized it was his way of saying he was of "pure" white blood, despite living with and like the Indians. In this way, the book reminded me a bit of Trollope's Can You Forgive Her, a book that still has the sensibilities of its time, but is struggling to transcend them. As Trollope could see that there was a way of thinking about the rights of women that he couldn't quite support, Cooper sees that there is something special in the ways of the native American, even as he condescends to it.

Yes, the characters are cartoons (apart from Hawkeye, who has a strong "through line"), the plot is sentimental, and the view of native American culture is stereotypical, but there's still a lot here. After all, the point of a book like this isn't its realism, but its ability to mirror the mindset of a time, as experienced by the author and his readers. There is enormous value in a chronicle like this precisely because it shows the prejudices and attitudes and knowledge of its day.

The writing is far better than in The Deerslayer, which I also re-read recently, even though the Deerslayer was written 25 years later (though the events in it take place earlier.) In places, the writing is quite lovely. It's a paean to the glories of early America.

This is also a great, though understated, love story, a story of a love that cannot be accepted by white society.

But most of all, this book is a reminder of the tragedy of America's settlement, that in building our "new world", we destroyed the old world we came to. The image of Chingachgook, last of his tribe, is poignant and powerful. Every American should remember, feel sorrow, and responsibility to make something good to replace what we destroyed.

(less)

10 likes · like · see review

May 07, 2012 Cruton rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The beginning middle and all but the very end of this book is a load of tripe. The natives in the book are either the very manifestations of heathenism and savagery or rise to the level of noble savage, the trope used depending on who the native and his tribe has allied themselves with, the French or British.

If the Hunter/Scout is speaking you can be sure he is going on about one of the two things. The first is how awesome he is with a rifle and that if allowed his 'Killdeer', (yes, his rifle ha...more The beginning middle and all but the very end of this book is a load of tripe. The natives in the book are either the very manifestations of heathenism and savagery or rise to the level of noble savage, the trope used depending on who the native and his tribe has allied themselves with, the French or British.

If the Hunter/Scout is speaking you can be sure he is going on about one of the two things. The first is how awesome he is with a rifle and that if allowed his 'Killdeer', (yes, his rifle has its own name) could solve whatever problem it is that the party is experiencing. Or second he is talking about how he isn't a Christian which gives him the ability to live much more like the natives and gives him some of their supernatural powers of tracking, hunting, and general survivalist skills.

The two women in the novel are the flowers of cultured civilization whose, beauty, piety, and culture render them completely unable to defend themselves against anything. The book goes to great lengths to convince the reader of exactly how helpless these two are including at one point how their caretakers had to be sure to get them well indoors at night because the slightest trace of dew would certainly kill them. Needless to say I spent the entirety of the book rooting for them to die and save me from their uselessness.

They were joined in being useless by the pious Psalmist, David. As a side note: is that even a real occupation? Anyway, he is proof of providence and the superiority and righteousness of the Christian God and unspeakably irritating. I wanted this guy to die as well.

Open Hand is very much the young Victorian military officer who is refined to seduce woman and manly to kill the savages.

Plot wise I don't get the here are these absolutely useless people who are going to get killed because they are idiots lets help them time and time again without any gain or remuneration to ourselves motivation. I also totally do not buy the whole bear and then beaver costume where the thing is so life like it fools everyone into believing it is a real bear or beaver. I've seen a man in a bear costume, it just doesn't work like that.

I expected all the savages to die and the good guys to win the day and live happily ever after, and the only part of the book I did enjoy was the unexpectedly tragic ending.

Despite being severely underwhelmed by the book I am told the movie is worth seeing.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Jul 02, 2012 Maria rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: in-2012, mountain-climbing, now-classic, adulthood

This was such a book! I'm not sure if I liked the ending or not— it was a bit of a shock— (view spoiler) but I'm not sure if that's what it should have ended like. I'm tempted to think 'yes.'

My thoughts are really jumbled, so I'll jot them down and perhaps organize them later:

- I didn't always like the way Cooper referred to the Iriquois. For that matter, the Native Americans in general. My first contact with the Iriquois w...more

2 likes · like · see review

Aug 05, 2010 Slayermel rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone who enjoys adventures or books about the American frontier

Shelves: 1001-books, 2009, book-club, classics, fiction, made-into-film, male-authors, series, war, american, 19th-century, bookcrossing

This story was amazing but hard to read, mostly because I found the author tended to be a bit wordy and overly descriptive when it came to the surroundings. I would tune out and think about other things then have to re-read the page I just spaced out over.

The story itself was full of action and very interesting characters. The author also included a lot of history, which I really enjoyed. I found the native cultures fascinating especially Uncas and his father who where Mohicans and how they inte...more

5 likes · like · see review

Apr 10, 2008 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone interested in Upstate New York history

Recommended to Julie by: Dad

Shelves: historical-fiction, pre-20th-century-fiction

While not the first, this is certainly the most well-known of the five Leatherstocking Tales written by James Fenimore Cooper. Having seen the movie, I thought I would give the book a try. In addition, living in the Finger Lakes area made this book that much more interesting, because I could easily visualize the landscape behind Cooper's story. I really, really liked the characters. Prior to reading the book I had no idea that Hawkeye and Natty Bumppo were the same person... and it's still a li...more

4 likes · like · see review

Mar 26, 2008 Eli rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I went into Last of the Mohicans knowing that it was by no means an accurate depiction of either the Native cultures or history that occupied so much of the tale. I approached the novel as an entire fabrication, and if anyone else elects to read this book, I strongly urge the same attitude. As to the story itself, I'm torn. Hiding in these pages is a truly great adventure, but the greatness - and sometimes the story itself - is obfuscated by the author's heavy-handed use of language. I sincerely...more

5 likes · like · see review

Dec 06, 2007 Silvana rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone

Shelves: classics, used-to-own

For those who dislike lengthy narrative, detailed description on nature, terrain, wild life and people, they will not find this book entertaining. But those who love good adventure story with not too many shitty romance in it, well, this book might just be the one.

The year was 1757. The British and the French were fighting for land on the north eastern side of the current US soil, bordering with Canada. However, they're not the only ones in feud. The Indian tribe of Huron (Maqua/Iroqois) was al...more For those who dislike lengthy narrative, detailed description on nature, terrain, wild life and people, they will not find this book entertaining. But those who love good adventure story with not too many shitty romance in it, well, this book might just be the one.

The year was 1757. The British and the French were fighting for land on the north eastern side of the current US soil, bordering with Canada. However, they're not the only ones in feud. The Indian tribe of Huron (Maqua/Iroqois) was also in conflict with the Delaware (Lenape). There was already relationship established between the white folks and the red skins, though no full occupation/colonization yet. In the book, the Hurons sided with the French, while the Delaware stayed neutral, if not tend to side with the British. Please note that for unknown reason, Cooper was not being very accurate on this detail.

Anyway, to cut things short, in this time of turbulence, Cora and Alice Munro, the daughters of Colonel Munro, the commander of William Henry Fort, decided to visit their father in his dwelling. They were accompanied by the chivalric Major Heyward and an Indian runner named Magua. Later, they found out that Magua worked with the French and planned to kidnap Cora and Alice because he wanted to seek revenge with Col. Munro due to a past grudge.

Rescue came, in the forms of three men, one is an Indian-wannabe, a skillful scout/rifleman named Hawk-eye and Chingachgook and his son, Uncas, both are the last of the Mohican tribe. The three of them are surely attractive for the readers, especially the Mohicans, who are intriguing enough, yet valiant and noble.

Cora and Alice managed to reunite with their fathers, but it's only for a while. The William Henry Fort was under a siege by the French and finally defeated and the residents were forced to leave. During their flight, a dreadful tragedy occurred, resulted in the second kidnapping of Cora and Alice. This time they were taken to the Huron settlement. Our heroes then started a long journey through the wild (again) to track the women, which finally led to an ultimate face-off between the Hurons and the Delawares.

Critics said that Cooper is the American version of Sir Walter Scott (the author Ivanhoe, Rob Roy and Waverley). Yeah well, maybe. The parlance, the heroine character (Cora reminds me of Rebecca from Ivanhoe, who is not the stereotypical nineteenth-century heroine), the tendency to relate with actual events and historical figures...

Going back to the characters, the most out-spoken one, i.e. Hawk-eye, embodied a soon-to-be-emerged pioneer mentality (it was almost the dawn of "Westward Movement"). He was an individualist, a skeptic, a pragmatist, who loved Chingachgook and Uncas dearly, as well as feared by his enemies, who named him La Longue Carabine (means 'long rifle').

All in all, this is an awesome book about a magnificent race who nearly fades away. A savage civilization or a civilized savagery? Nay, we're all savages in our way.(less)

4 likes · like · see review

Dec 26, 2008 Peter rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Last of the Mohicans
J. Fenimore Cooper
Purnell and sons Ltd
Printed by Dean & Sons

This is an old book, but nevertheless and fantastic story. It is set in the Americas, where the French and British are in dispute over various territories. The local red-Indian tribes have moved from their traditional hunting grounds, either because they have to, or to follow their new masters.

We start out with a simple journey; two young women are to be escorted home through difficult territory by a young Ma...more

1 like · like · see review

May 18, 2013 JP rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Such a timely work, I enjoyed twice as much -- it stands on it's own as a classic, and moreso to me as historic fiction. An enjoyable read. I read it in between two books about writing and it served as a good case study of character, plot, etc. Just after finishing it, I read Rita Mae Brown's "Starting from Scratch," in which she references it with regard to Cooper's showing such depth in the relationship between men (the Scout and the Sagamore and Uncas), while leaving the women (Cora and Alice...more

like · see review

Mar 29, 2013 Massiviar rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Cooper riesce a trasportarti nella natura incontaminata di un'America del periodo delle colonizzazioni.
Descrive in maniera magistrale le usanze indiane, i loro rituali e i loro rapporti reciproci tra tribù diverse.
Gli indiani hanno risentito molto dell'occupazione dei bianchi, e questo ha provocato delle spaccature e rancori reciproci tra tribù che si sono schierate chi dalla parte dei francesi e chi da quella degli inglesi.
E' un romanzo che parla di storia, di lotte, battaglie, amicizia e amore...more

like · see review

Mar 23, 2013 Scott Son Of Carpe Diem rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans is a Cunning, Adventure filled story.
Have you ever wondered how far you would go to protect someone? To protect someone you may have to go to places unexpected. You may become involved in some situations that are very unnatural, or possibly take risks that not many others take. Cooper narrates the story of a small group of comprised of a British commander, 2 Mohican Indians, and Hawkeye the main leader.
The group is sent to a fort farther into British territory...more

like · see review

Mar 12, 2013 Kārlis Žaka rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recenzija

Džeimsa Fenimora Kūpera romāns “Pēdējais mohikānis” tika publicēta 1826.gadā un tā ir viena no populārākajām šī autora grāmatām. Šajā darbā ir stāstīts par pēdējās Ziemeļamerikas indiāņu cilts likteni – Mohikāņiem un to cīņu starp citām indiāņu ciltīm. Šīs grāmatas notikumu vietā valda tikai indiāņiem saprotami likumi un paražas. Starp indiāņiem arī parādās baltie cilvēki, kas mēģina atņemt indiāņiem savu zemi un starp tiem valda dažādas nesaskaņas dēļ kurām tiek izlietas daudz asinis....more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 27, 2013 Russell rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Written in 1826, Cooper's popular novel is set during the French and Indian War, 1757. I read it as historical fiction. The setting, some of the key character, and locations are rooted in history, but the rest is due to the imagination of Cooper. His prose is wordy and dense, it's also moving, paints grand panoramas, captures the scene and characters, and moves with wild abandon when needs be. It is a classic Romance novel, the ending (view spoiler)...more Written in 1826, Cooper's popular novel is set during the French and Indian War, 1757. I read it as historical fiction. The setting, some of the key character, and locations are rooted in history, but the rest is due to the imagination of Cooper. His prose is wordy and dense, it's also moving, paints grand panoramas, captures the scene and characters, and moves with wild abandon when needs be. It is a classic Romance novel, the ending (view spoiler)

Cooper's Christianity shines through passages, informs Cooper's style, sometimes overtly, as with David, other times much more subtle, such as Cora and Alice's actions. Both of them expressed Christian virtues, just differently than the other. Magua's life was spared at least twice due to the dictates of the Christian characters' conscience. And speaking of Magua, what a villain! I haven't booed with as much gusto for many literary villains as I did for the subtle, and powerful, Magua.

This book packs a lot in there, themes of morality, courage, family love, honor, kindness, loyalty. I couldn't help but liking the scout and his two Indian companions. Cooper's treatment of the native people painted them well rounded, I thought. Savage, primitive, but holding on to their mores and their honor with steadfastness. A brave, stoic people, if bloody heathens.

The language, that once I got used to it, hardly was a hindrance. In fact, I found that it imparted an unique charm.

One thing that initially confused me was Hawkeye's references to him being a man without a cross. At first I thought it had something to do with religion, but it didn't track. Fortunately, Cooper supplied enough in this book to understand his meaning.
Hawkeye : "A man like yourself; and one whose blood is as little tainted by the cross of a bear, or an Indian, as your own."
And "... as one without a cross of blood, though it is not always easy to deal with an Indian as you would with a fellow Christian."
From the text, I surmise Cooper means that Hawkeye was of pure English descent, and he highlighted the fact to show how odd it was that the scout would live with those not of his race, without attributing the desire to a bloodline.

I'm giving it 4 stars. Well told, I got invested in the characters, the action was gripping, the scenery laid out and described, if not quite terse the language was lyrical, the ending was an unforgettable classic example of Romantic writing.
(less)

like · see review

Jan 28, 2013 Vanessa Sanchez rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The book "The Last of the Mohicans" by James Fenimore Cooper was such a good book, i really liked it a lot. It is in 1757, a war between England and France for the possession of the continent. Two daughters of the commander Munro of the French, Alice and Cora Duncan are being hel as captives taken to Fort William Henry. Led by a Huron warrior, Magua. Magua proposed to Cora and she refused, due to her refusal, he attacks the captives. During the attack three woodsmen, Hawkeye and the Mohicans, Ch...more

like · see review

Jan 24, 2013 Andrew Gross rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

James Cooper's The Last of the Mohicans is a compelling novel about the French and Indian War from the prospective of a Native American. I didn't mind the style, and it actually had a lot to appeal to a boy reader: Indians, gunfights and knife fights on land and water, chases, captures, escapes, and the appeal of some actual history thrown in. It left me with a solid liking for Cooper. The characters were not very well displayed, aside from the main character, due to the lack of deep description...more

like · see review

Nov 17, 2012 Yi Kao rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The setting took place in the 1750s, which the French and Indians war is still going on.And the story talks about a dying tribe called the Mohicans which there's only three people left in the tribe.Which is Chingachgook ,Hawkeye, Magua. While the French army is attacking Fort William Henry, Munro’s daughters Alice and Cora were set out from Fort Edward to visit their father.Then when they are traveling through a dangerous forest, they met an Indian called Magua and then met Hawkeye and Chingachg...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jul 10, 2012 Ann rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Not bad but in all probability is one of those "classics" that have to be read with a grain of salt. As in the supposed accuracy of the history presented is well, less than accurate. Not to mention the female characters act as stereotypical 18th century women were expected to act - a lot of overwrought emotion and not a great deal of depth. This is true of the Native American heroes as well - cookie-cutter stereotypes, in many ways.
With that being said, a lot of the natural imagery and descript...more

like · see review

Jul 09, 2012 Sakura87 rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: autori-nordamericani, classici, ottocento, storico

In molti hanno visto L'ultimo dei Mohicani, bel film del 1992 diretto da Michael Mann e con la splendida interpretazione di Daniel Day-Lewis. Chi non saprebbe riconoscerne il martellante tema principale del soundtrack?
Non tutti sanno, però, che questa produzione cinematografica si ispira a un romanzo storico dell'Ottocento, e che l'autore, James Fenimore Cooper, ha ambientato nelle foreste nordamericane una serie di romanzi aventi per protagonista Natty-Bumppo, esploratore di razza bianca cresci...more In molti hanno visto L'ultimo dei Mohicani, bel film del 1992 diretto da Michael Mann e con la splendida interpretazione di Daniel Day-Lewis. Chi non saprebbe riconoscerne il martellante tema principale del soundtrack?
Non tutti sanno, però, che questa produzione cinematografica si ispira a un romanzo storico dell'Ottocento, e che l'autore, James Fenimore Cooper, ha ambientato nelle foreste nordamericane una serie di romanzi aventi per protagonista Natty-Bumppo, esploratore di razza bianca cresciuto insieme agli indiani e ispirato a David Shipman, cacciatore e veterano della Rivoluzione americana realmente esistito. Cooper non ha superato la prova del tempo: considerato dai suoi contemporanei la risposta americana al britannico Walter Scott, oggi il lettore medio non lo conosce e, se pure lo ha sentito nominare, sa citare soltanto L'ultimo dei Mohicani dei suoi trentatré romanzi.
Romanzo e film condividono la trama di base, ma si discostano notevolmente per quanto riguarda la caratterizzazione dei personaggi, le dinamiche tra loro, e molte delle peripezie che essi si trovano ad affrontare.

Siamo nel 1757, in nordamerica, durante la guerra dei Sette anni: francesi e inglesi si contendono il predominio coloniale di quei territori che sottrarranno, con note conseguenze a dir poco drammatiche, alla compagine delle tribù autoctone. Entrambi gli schieramenti si avvalgono dell'alleanza con questa o quella tribù, sfruttandone le ataviche rivalità; il colonnello Munro, che tiene Fort William Henry (situato nella zona dove molto più tardi sorgerà New York), attende disperatamente rinforzi da Fort Edward, presso cui ritiene di dover mandare le due figlie perché si trovino maggiormente al sicuro. Cora e Alice, accompagnate dal maggiore Duncan Heyward e dal maestro di canto David Gamut, vengono affidate alla guida di un urone, Magua, che ha tradito la propria tribù e si è offerto di mostrare una scorciatoia lungo cui accompagnare le fanciulle con la loro scorta. Quel che il colonnello Munro non sa è che Magua, segretamente alleato con Montblanc -comandante delle truppe francesi- intende consegnarle ai nemici. Fortunatamente il piccolo gruppo si smarrisce, e Duncan s'imbatte nell'esploratore Occhio di Falco, di razza bianca, che si accompagna ai due Mohicani (altrimenti conosciuti come Delaware) Chingachgook e Uncas, i quali, essendo antagonisti degli Uroni, intervengono per salvare gli inglesi dall'imboscata. Lo stratagemma adottato non va a buon fine, e il gruppetto si ritrova assediato nelle cavità rocciose sotterranee di un'isoletta. Magua, tornato con un contingente di Uroni, si mostra un avversario pericoloso, e i due Delaware, insieme a Occhio di Falco, sono costretti a fuggire per cercare aiuto, mentre gli inglesi cadono nelle mani degli indiani.
Il romanzo procede con le vicissitudini del maggiore Duncan e dei suoi nuovi alleati, prima assediati dai francesi a Fort William Henry a causa del rifiuto del generale Webb di inviare le truppe richieste per salvare la postazione, poi impegnati nel difficile inseguimento degli Uroni che hanno rapito le due ragazze: Magua, infatti, è intenzionato a prendere Cora in moglie come atto di spregio nei confronti di Munro, e porta con sé anche la giovane Alice per piegare la maggiore delle due sorelle alla propria volontà.
La ricostruzione delle dinamiche delle tribù indiane è intrigante, anche se la sovrabbondanza di termini e nomi (poiché ciascun clan usa un nome diverso per indicare i nomi delle tribù, gli appellativi dei guerrieri, e anche i luoghi) richiede un enorme sforzo di attenzione e di memoria. Quanto ai personaggi, sia Occhio di Falco che il maggiore Duncan sono molto ben costruiti e affascinanti; non si può dire lo stesso di Cora e Alice, entrambe macchiette appena abbozzate e incarnazioni degli stereotipi femminili vittoriani: la prima è scura di occhi e di carnagione, con un aspetto altero che riflette il suo carattere coraggioso; la seconda è bionda e dall'incarnato niveo, e nel romanzo non compie nessun'altra azione se non tremare e piangere. I nativi americani, invece, risultano statuari e impenetrabili fino alla fine: l'unico di loro a lasciare un ricordo di sé è Magua, pervicace nei suoi propositi ostili e bieco dal principio fino alla fine. Nonostante il chiaro ruolo da antagonista di Magua, il romanzo manca di un'impronta ideologica: Cooper non si sbilancia né a condannare fortemente l'impatto coloniale inglese sui territori nordamericani, né ad affermare la supremazia della razza bianca su quella nativo-americana; ne è un chiaro esempio il fatto che l'inglese Duncan consideri il mohicano Uncas suo pari e talvolta superiore in intelligenza, pratica, forza, e persino le due donne (che secondo gli stereotipi della letteratura vittoriana dovrebbero temere e ripugnare l'aspetto degli indigeni) ne sono affascinate e ne riconoscono la statuaria bellezza.
E' difficile, infine, valutare lo stile di Cooper, perché definire oscena l'edizione Garzanti in mio possesso sarebbe un eufemismo: oltre agli innumerevoli refusi, la punteggiatura segue regole tutte sue (abbondantissime le virgole tra soggetto e verbo) e rende insopportabile la lettura. Immagino che si tratti di una traduzione d'anteguerra, mai rinnovata, che sottrae a un romanzo non certo memorabile quanto di buono può offrirne la lettura.
Decisamente meglio il film. (less)

like · see review

topics	posts	views	last activity
Impressions of Cooper's "style" after Chapter 1	19	28	Mar 02, 2013 05:42am
Shades or glades?	1	11	Dec 04, 2012 05:04am
Ancient & Med...: MAY 2012: The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper	102	64	May 24, 2012 12:40pm
Mohicans- not a journey for the faint of heart.	12	104	Feb 27, 2012 08:05am

title link	preview: The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757
avg rating	preview: The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757 Goodreads rating: 3.59 (36069 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2161846.The_Last_of_the_Mohicans?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1246052667l/2161846.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2161846.The_Last_of_the_Mohicans?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757 by James Fenimore Cooper[/url]

The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757 (The Leatherstocking Tales #2)

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (508)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About James Fenimore Cooper

Books by James Fenimore Cooper

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About The Last of the M...

Quotes from The Last of the Mohicans