A review by kba76
Cold Mountain, by Charles Frazier
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
A love story, but not at all what I expected. It took time to feel my way into the story, and there’s a substantial part of the book that had me wondering how it could be a love story with the characters apart. However, as the book draws to a close I found myself captivated by the sentiment behind it.
Set in the time of America’s Civil War, our focus is Ada Monroe and her potential husband, Imran. The book opens with Ada and her father moving to their new home. Outsiders who are used to having money, neither is wholly comfortable in their new life. Ada, however, is taken by the gentle overtures made to her by Imran and when he has to leave to fight in the war he does so with a tacit understanding between them that they will have a future.
The book then tells the story of what happens to them during the harsh war years. Ada’s father dies and she is uncertain how to make a life for herself. Under the tutelage of the young drifter Ruby who comes her way, Ada learns about her world and how to forge a life on the Cold Mountain. Meanwhile Imran is injured and deserts, before determining to make his long walk home to claim the hand of the woman he loves. They spend years apart, and there are lots of incidents along the way that help us to see how their characters are developing.
As the book draws to its end, Imran and Ada draw closer. Once they are reunited we see the terrible impact war has had, and yet there was a real sense of hope and optimism as people felt able to seize opportunities and to live the life they wanted rather than what had been dictated to them.
Things did not end as I expected at all. However, there was a subtle poignancy to the closing stages that I found quite stunningly presented. This book had been pressed on me years ago by someone who thought I’d enjoy it…I wish I’d had the chance to let them know that they were absolutely right.
Set in the time of America’s Civil War, our focus is Ada Monroe and her potential husband, Imran. The book opens with Ada and her father moving to their new home. Outsiders who are used to having money, neither is wholly comfortable in their new life. Ada, however, is taken by the gentle overtures made to her by Imran and when he has to leave to fight in the war he does so with a tacit understanding between them that they will have a future.
The book then tells the story of what happens to them during the harsh war years. Ada’s father dies and she is uncertain how to make a life for herself. Under the tutelage of the young drifter Ruby who comes her way, Ada learns about her world and how to forge a life on the Cold Mountain. Meanwhile Imran is injured and deserts, before determining to make his long walk home to claim the hand of the woman he loves. They spend years apart, and there are lots of incidents along the way that help us to see how their characters are developing.
As the book draws to its end, Imran and Ada draw closer. Once they are reunited we see the terrible impact war has had, and yet there was a real sense of hope and optimism as people felt able to seize opportunities and to live the life they wanted rather than what had been dictated to them.
Things did not end as I expected at all. However, there was a subtle poignancy to the closing stages that I found quite stunningly presented. This book had been pressed on me years ago by someone who thought I’d enjoy it…I wish I’d had the chance to let them know that they were absolutely right.