The Last of the Mohicans (Bantam Classics)
by James Fenimore Cooper
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| Mohicans- not a journey for the faint of heart. | 1 | 04/29/2008 09:30AM |
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Read in April, 2005
recommended to Julie by:
Dadrecommends it for: anyone interested in Upstate New York history
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 Hawke...more
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Read in January, 1989
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 daughte...more
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Read in January, 1993
recommends it for:
Classicists
I really enjoyed this book, but I can see where most of the criticism can come from, both by "goodread"-ers and Mr. Twain (though I've yet to read his essay regarding James Fennimore Cooper). I read this book in two days, on a twenty seven hour train-bus ride through India and up into Kathmandu, Nepal. I was crammed into a packed train (then bus), and had no escape save for between the pages of this book. Maybe that helped me to become more deeply involved in the characters? I don't kn...more
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recommended to Mister Jones by:
a pompous america lit prof
recommends it for: eunuchs of the world
recommends it for: eunuchs of the world
Ladies and Gentleman: Here are the most boring ass pieces of toilet paper ever assembled and bounded under the auspices of "a book."
I realize Cooper is considered the first important novelist of American Literature. I realize he represents a literary genre that just was coming of age (American Romanticism), and I know of the story how one evening he was reading a book by another writer and stood up and dramatically told his wife, "I can write a better book!"
I swear I...more
I realize Cooper is considered the first important novelist of American Literature. I realize he represents a literary genre that just was coming of age (American Romanticism), and I know of the story how one evening he was reading a book by another writer and stood up and dramatically told his wife, "I can write a better book!"
I swear I...more
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Read in April, 2008
recommends it for:
Umang
After trying and failing to read the overwhelming piece of junk Gravity's Rainbow a couple of months ago, I resolved to make some safe choices and grab books I'd enjoy for a while.
Crap.
Not sure why Last of the Mohicans is a classic. Maybe it was popular along the frontier as a shitter book: When you got done, you tore out a page an wiped your ass. Hell, Heyward probably gives a speech about the "joyful pleasure I do consent from releasing the pain from my bowels and into God's glorious ...more
Crap.
Not sure why Last of the Mohicans is a classic. Maybe it was popular along the frontier as a shitter book: When you got done, you tore out a page an wiped your ass. Hell, Heyward probably gives a speech about the "joyful pleasure I do consent from releasing the pain from my bowels and into God's glorious ...more
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Read in March, 2008
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 si...more
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Read in June, 2008
It took me a full chapter and a half to wrap my mind around the language enough to understand what was going on, but after that it got a bit easier.... a bit. The story is exciting, the romantics a bit tedious (me thinks he doth protest too little :P), and the language bog things down a little. Having finally read the book I was anxious to read the back of the DVD my husband bought a while back to see if the story is the same. To my horror it hints at a love story between Hawkeye and Cora which ...more
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Read in August, 2001
I would consider this my favorite classic novel. It is high romantic adventure, beautiful and deep yet fast-paced. I first read it at 12 and loved the story and characters. When I rreturned to it several years later I realized how much I had missed, and enjoyed it even more the second time around.
This is not a light read. The first chapter seems to turn people off, since it is a historical introduction to the area (upstate New York) and the time (1754) in which the story takes place. Don't let...more
This is not a light read. The first chapter seems to turn people off, since it is a historical introduction to the area (upstate New York) and the time (1754) in which the story takes place. Don't let...more
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Read in January, 2001
recommended to Kathleen by:
the mediarecommends it for: Professors of History, Boring People
It was dry, boring and horrible. I read this book quite a long time ago, some kind of brave venture in middle school. But I do remember that I had to do some kind of book report on it, and I had several disparaging things to say. Of course it's a historical novel, and of course, it was written a long time ago. However, I don't think that those two things are mutually exclusive with the word 'boring'; there are many historic, older books that are fantastic. And this book was horrible. There was a...more
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I gave this book the "ok" rating. I had a very hard time getting "into" the story. I originally got the book for myself or Ben to read since we were studying the French and Indian War. Dave picked it up and devoured it. He really liked it, though he did admit the first 80-100 pages were hard and confusing. That probably was 1/2 due to inadequate knowledge of the war and 1/2 due to Cooper's writing style. I made it to 150 pages and gave up. I couldn't continue, but thro...more
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Read in February, 1996
Crap! This is just utter trash. I am embarassed to admit that I bought this, although in my defense it is a "classic". How that is possible, I do not know.
With all due respect to those that enjoyed this poorly written drivel, I think something is wrong with you.
Twain says it best in his criticism of Cooper. Read the criticism and then try reading this book critically. It might open your eyes to the crap it is. I only wish I had read Twain's essay first, and saved myself the tro...more
With all due respect to those that enjoyed this poorly written drivel, I think something is wrong with you.
Twain says it best in his criticism of Cooper. Read the criticism and then try reading this book critically. It might open your eyes to the crap it is. I only wish I had read Twain's essay first, and saved myself the tro...more
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Read in September, 2004
One of earliest best sellers in America. A true American Classic that can rival some of the very best English writers such as Defoe. The style of the writing is very quaint and read aloud sounds like the King James Bible. It takes a while to get into the book but once you get an appreciation for the quality of the writing it is hard to not want to finish it. One needs patience to get through it and there are some long winded boring parts that I tended to skip through. Beautiful prose, magnificen...more
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in February, 2008
The Last of the Mohicans is one of the better of the books I have read in a while. It helped me to understand the lifestyle of those fighting in the French and Indian war and the stress invovled in their everyday life. The battle scenes were intense and able enrapture me. Sometimes Cooper would go into a little more depth into items than I would have preferred, mainly in the beginning. Once the story progressed, I enjoyed it much more. If you like battles this is the book for you. It was very in...more
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Read in December, 2007
Geeze, what a vernacular Cooper uses. If your interests were peaked by the film, the book is quite different. Not bad but different.
It took me quite a while to get through this one. Cooper's use of outdated dialect, a few words I needed Webster's help with, and frustratingly small print made this a bit more of a chore than the treat of reading a classic for the first time should be.
I'm glad I finished it, but must admit it was a bit forced. A great story that seemed to go on and on.
It took me quite a while to get through this one. Cooper's use of outdated dialect, a few words I needed Webster's help with, and frustratingly small print made this a bit more of a chore than the treat of reading a classic for the first time should be.
I'm glad I finished it, but must admit it was a bit forced. A great story that seemed to go on and on.
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Read in May, 2008
I'm reading this in installments from www.dailylit.com
(they send you a section of the book each day) figuring that all those people who are too busy to "read" still take time to read their email each day.
Ha! I finished this book yesterday. I couldn't wait for all of the 176 installments, so I hurried it up at the end.
Great adventure story the action parts were fun-it really picked up in the last 10 or so chapters. There were some descriptive bits that were hard to get t
(they send you a section of the book each day) figuring that all those people who are too busy to "read" still take time to read their email each day.
Ha! I finished this book yesterday. I couldn't wait for all of the 176 installments, so I hurried it up at the end.
Great adventure story the action parts were fun-it really picked up in the last 10 or so chapters. There were some descriptive bits that were hard to get t
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Read in November, 1996
Indian bertikai karena imperialis... Indian berperang juga karena kolonialis... Indian terdesak akibat penjajahan. Semuanya hanya ditutup atas nama eksplorasi dunia luar. Perang Eropa yang melelahkan, bergeser mencari tumbal: Lahan Baru. Kekejaman indian yang ditampilkan tidak sepadan dengan gelombang pembantaian yang dilakukan "pendatang". Penduduk asli turun peringkat menjadi tidak berkasta. Akan sedikit berharga kalau bisa bertindak dan berposisi sebagai pesuruh.
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Read in January, 1998
recommends it for:
boys
This is not an easy book to read and I do believe it deserves a lot of the scathing reviews it received by "real" talents like Mark Twain. But you know, even Einstein watched cartoons now and again - not everything has to be realistic. Cooper pre-dated L'Amour but they both serve the same function - writing manly books for people who love outdoorsy adventures. I have a special place in my heart for this book - I read it before I knew it wasn't popular to love it.
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Read in December, 2007
recommends it for:
those interested in popular fiction of the 1800's
It was interesting to imagine the audience for this book. Reading it made you realize what the typical reader from Cooper's era might have expected from a bestseller as far as plot devices, language, characters, etc. This is one book that is not timeless but very much of its time. I can't imagine that someone reading it today would enjoy it. It is dull, difficult, poorly written and racist. He relies on improbable coincidences and ridiculous plot twists.
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The tale of my long subway commute and "books everyone should have read by now" continues. I'm loving this book. I grew up in a small Pennsylvania town playing in the woods near where Susquehannock Indian trails ran and we are a very tiny part Susquehannock so the treks through the woods seemed very familiar to me. Another ripping good yarn from early US Lit. It has a rep of no longer being quite politically correct but I'm not so sure about that.
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Read in August, 2007
Great read though a bit stilted by today's standards. Enough historical inaccuracies to paddle a couple of a huge canoes through, not the least of which is that the Mohicans are still here. Cooper even took his lumps in his day for those transgressions. But the descriptions of the environment and the era make it a worthwhile read especially while on vacation in the Northeast woodlands. The PBS, John Wayne and Daniel Day Lewis movies are great too.
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