Cold Mountain

Towards the end of the Civil War, Inman leaves the Confederate army and heads home to the mountains of North Carolina. Disillusioned by the bloody chaos of the war, he longs to return to the mountains of his happier youth, and to Ada. Along the way he encounters many dangers, companions, enemies, and hungers. Ada, left behind, faces her own journey.

The bad: Why do I always start with the bad stuff? Probably because I just want to get it out of the way. Anyhow, I would say that the worst thing (to me) was the fact that none of the dialog was in quotations, which made it hard to read. But it did give it a distinct flavor. There is no lack of mild swearing and a detailed description of a woman very explicitly throwing herself at Inman. Also Inman and companions get dead drunk a couple of times. And he isn't afraid to kill to get back to his mountain.

The good: No matter what Inman says about being ruined by the war, he maintains his honor on the road. He is fair to those he meets and helps those who he can.

My view: I first saw the movie Cold Mountain, which then inspired me to read the book. And since I loved the movie, I can be completely objective about the book. Some would call this book boring and vague, and if I was being my normal harsh self, I would have to agree, but I found this book gripping, fascinating and understated. The one complaint I have about it is that (being the hopeless romantic that I am) I liked the romance in the movie better. I didn't feel like the book really highlighted it enough, until the end.