Thursday, March 16, 2017

Book Review No. 33 - Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier

Hallo! I hope you are well and taking care of yourself. Yes you, are you taking care of yourself? Most of us forget to check in with ourselves, just to see how we are doing. So take a moment, check in...are you doing OK? I hope so, and if not, why not? Maybe it is time to do a little check list to see why things are really falling into place right now. 
 
Now that you've checked in, here is a little book review for you. Now this book has been out a long time, like 20 years (yikes...I can't believe 1997 was 20 years ago). "Cold Mountain" by Charles Frazier is a romantic, epic story taking place during the American civil war. Set in South Carolina, it follows the lives of two star-crossed lovers Inman and Ada. If you've seen the movie (and really who hasn't at this point), I can say the book (like all books adapted for movies) is so much more.
 
I consume anything to do with this time-period in American history. The political landscape was volatile, sweeping campaigns on both sides of the conflict ravaged not only the earth but tore apart families and friends. "Cold Mountain" is an intimate look at how the war changed the lives of two ordinary people. 
 
I don't want to do into too much details, since this has been out so long I imagine most everyone knows the gist of the story. What I really want to talk about is the language of this book. Frazier is a master story-teller, truly his words paint a picture of the rural South that makes it appear as if he's seen it first hand. He doesn't inundate his work with descriptives, but he provides enough to really capture the feel of the places his characters reside in (both externally and internally).  
 
Fantastic read, I hungrily consumed the pages well past my bedtime. A story for romantics, history buffs and anyone looking for a beautiful read.
 
On a side note, anyone interested in this type of genre should check out "Mercy Street" on PBS, it has a similar feel and is a great hour of television.
Until next time,
Jenny

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