Cold Mountain, NC, a rustic and peaceful place, is suddenly disrupted by the harsh reality of the Civil War. Most of its young men bravely answer the call to fight, leaving behind a community in turmoil.

Some of the more hardened individuals who stay behind form the Home Guard. However, this group turns out to be nothing more than a violent mob, bent on meting out their own brand of justice to those they label as outliers and deserters of the war.

The story follows two people in Cold Mountain. Inman, a Confederate soldier, is severely wounded and walks away from the hospital, embarking on a long and perilous journey to reach Ada, the woman he believes can save him from his despair. Ada Monroe, a socialite, was brought to the isolated backcountry of Cold Mountain by her preacher father. When her father dies shortly after the war begins, she finds herself alone and penniless.

Thankfully, Ruby, a homeless young woman who lives by reading natural signs, comes to Ada's rescue. Ruby teaches Ada many valuable life lessons, especially how to survive on her own.

As Inman makes his way back to Ada, he faces countless dangers, including men who want to kill him and wild animals. Ada also endures her own share of hardships, from starvation to a difficult life.

Despite the obstacles, the two gradually draw closer, both physically and mentally. When they finally meet, their lives merge into something truly beautiful.

Cold Mountain is a captivating read, filled with rich historical and geographical details, all wrapped around a beautiful love story. Frazier's writing style is eloquent, lyrical, and utterly mesmerizing. He uses unique phraseology that transports the reader back in time and creates characters that are unforgettable.

Stunning!

This book is truly the perfect example of how timing can make all the difference. When it was first released, I eagerly picked it up to read. However, I don't think I managed to get past the first 25 pages. I gave it another try after seeing the movie with the same disappointing outcome. But then, fast forward to 2016, and something神奇 happened. The book, of course, hadn't changed a bit. But I, as a reader, had transformed completely. And this time, I absolutely LOVED this book!

I'm usually quite generous when it comes to giving 5 star reviews, but I don't add many books to my favorites shelf. This one, however, ended up right there. It's a slow burn kind of book, and you really have to be patient and take your time with it. But let me tell you, the reward is more than worth it. The story is both beautiful and haunting, and I am so incredibly glad that I kept trying and finally found the right time to read this masterpiece.

Nature has always held the top position in my sense of aesthetics.

The sun shining on the foliage, the overcast sky with a gentle breeze blowing continuously, the morning symphony of birds and insects, and many other such sights and sounds have the power to make me fall in love with nature again and again. This book was special to me for the same reason, as it was a long love letter to nature. Set against the backdrop of the American Civil War and inspired by Homer's epic of a man's journey back to his beloved, Cold Mountain is Charles Frazier's long walk along the American landscape of the 1800s, with one arm around the waist of that alluring maiden called nature.

You are on a horse, slowly trotting along the strikingly beautiful American geography before industrialization took root. The civil war is raging, and there is violence everywhere. Villages and small towns are devoid of men, and teenagers and deserters are treated like vermin. But amid this savagery and brutality, nature still retains its appeal. Frazier's writing is so vivid that you can mark each point in the landscape, each bird and tree, and even the richness of the soil in some places. I thoroughly enjoyed the vistas of nature described in this book; or rather, I can say I fell in love with them.

A cold, rainy day. You have walked a long way and are covered in mud from head to toe and soaked to the skin. From the haze of the rain, you discover a roadside inn where there is a shortage of rooms, but they manage to find you a small space. After a long warm bath and a full stomach, you are led to a space above the stables. Here, you have a bed of hay to sleep on, and the warmth of the horses rises from below. You curl up on the hay, and sleep comes like a blessing.

I don't know about you, but I would call this blissful. This is just one of the many scenes the book has created. It's not always such descriptions of nature that form the core of this book, but nature is the framework, and the core is mankind's behavior in this tale. Death's presence in this tale is like a traveler who walks with you throughout your wanderings and then, with a sense of finality, reminds you that the sand in the hourglass has run out!

While I loved the writing and content of the book, the plot is quite ordinary. There are many common threads that can be drawn from the tale of Odysseus and Penelope, and Frazier weaves them into his story. I read a review on the site where someone called the characters a bunch of idiots who, even after the book ends, have done nothing remarkable. From a practical point of view, this is absolutely true, but pragmatism rarely enters my reading sensibilities when I'm captivated by the writing. I set aside the plot and characters and traveled on horseback through many places that will not fade from my mind anytime soon. The characters kept talking, but I rarely listened to them!

There is the character of a goatwoman in the story. A woman well past middle age, living like a hermit in the mountains in a caravan surrounded by goats. A cabin filled with books and herbs, with only a straw pallet to sleep on. There are only the mountains, ravens, and goats to keep you company. Decades could pass between seeing another human being. I must say that, like Murakami's description of the cabin in the mountains of Kochin in Kafka on the Shore, this particular location made me long for a life of isolation.

I was and still am completely captivated by Frazier's Cold Mountain. It is, without a doubt, one of the most exquisitely beautiful and powerfully moving books I have ever had the pleasure of reading.

Frazier is an outstanding writer. He has an incredible talent for constructing a story that draws the reader in and keeps them hooked from beginning to end. His descriptions of the surroundings are so vivid and detailed that they make those places come alive in the reader's mind. It's as if you can see the snow-capped mountains, the dense forests, and the quiet little towns.

Equally impressive is his ability to create realistic and complex characters. Inman and Ada are two of the most memorable characters I've ever encountered in literature. Their journey towards love is not an easy one, filled with hardships, sacrifices, and heartbreak. The pacing of the book may be slow, but for me, it was part of its charm. The beautiful writing and the engaging story kept me captivated until the very end.

I recently relistened to this, and I dare say that it's even better the second time around! I just have an intense love for audiobooks!!!

From the very first page, I was completely captivated by this book. I felt an irresistible urge to read it, and it was almost impossible for me to put it down. The writing style is quite dense, and at times it can be a little difficult to understand. However, the story more than makes up for this shortcoming. It is so engaging and full of depth that it completely compensates for any initial challenges in comprehension.

I truly love this book! It has managed to draw me in and keep me hooked, both during my first reading and my recent relistening. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good story with rich and detailed writing.

The movie has remained with me for the better part of 20 years. It has left an indelible mark on my memory. The novel, on the other hand, may have an even longer-lasting impact. The commitments that are made and kept in both the movie and the novel truly impress me. These commitments are not only to oneself but also to others. They are the kind of commitments that lead to a better and more fulfilling enjoyment of various aspects of life, such as farming, friendship, family, and romance.

Given that I have lived in South Texas for most of my life and have also spent a couple of years in the Deep South, I have a certain perception of the American South as being a warm place. However, I am also aware that the Upper South experiences four distinct seasons.

This is a completely different story from what someone who has lived in near-desert conditions would tell. Their perspective on the South would likely be shaped by their own unique experiences and the harsh environment in which they have lived.

Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier is a remarkable piece of literature. What more can I say that hasn't already been said? Pretty much nothing. But here's my two cents anyway.

The story follows Inman, a disillusioned Confederate American Civil War soldier. He embarks on a journey home, much like Odysseus in Homer's Odyssey, to reunite with his love, Ada. However, Ada is no Penelope. She is educated and delicate, completely useless in normal life. Inman, after years away from home and with very little contact, finally deserts the army.

This story is a twisted take on Homer's Odyssey, filled with one disturbing situation of desperation after another. Ada struggles to look after herself on her dead father's farm until Ruby arrives. Ruby is the most entertaining part of the story. Everywhere else seems like a dystopian world. She is like the eye of calmness in the midst of a shit storm hurricane, embodying the tough, practical, and killer side that was the other half of Penelope.

The story ends in a warped Dante style. Well, what did you expect? It's an anti-war story.

Tidbits: The Federals were thick on the ground, lying in bloody heaps. Their bodies were disassembled in every style the mind could imagine. A man walking next to Inman looked at the scene and said, "If I had my way, everything north of the Potomac would resemble that right down to the last particular." Inman's only thought upon seeing the enemy was, "Go home." Some of the dead had papers pinned to their clothing to identify them, while the rest were just anonymous.

Tidbits: He rose from where he lay on the ground. Although perplexed as to how she came to be there, he longed to hold her and went to do so. But three times as he reached out his arms, she fogged through them, vague and flickery and grey. The fourth time, however, she stood firm and substantial, and he held her tight. He said, "I've been coming for you on a hard road. I'm never letting you go. Never."

I find myself extremely short on time these days, so unfortunately, this review will have to be concise and to the point.

This is truly a remarkable story. What more can I possibly say? Well, let me try.

This is a powerfully engaging book. I have always been a huge enthusiast of historical fiction. However, the crucial aspect for me is that it must exude authenticity. In fact, perhaps I should state that I am an absolute lover of authenticity. It has to feel achingly real. This book is beautifully written and filled with sentiment.

I wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone who has a passion for historical fiction, particularly those interested in the civil war era. I will most likely impose this book on anyone within my reach. I have already placed it right at the very top of my husband's stack of books waiting to be read.

I truly believe that this book has the potential to captivate and charm a wide range of readers.

Big.

Big prose, big characters, big story.

Sometimes, small and simple stories can be just what we need. They can offer a sense of relief, especially when we are overwhelmed by big problems. They are like a gentle breeze on a hot summer's day, soothing and refreshing.

However, there are also times when readers long for something more. They need to get lost in an epic, a story that is slow and strong, that unfolds over time and draws them in with its power and beauty.

These are the stories that are worth the time invested. They are the ones that stay with us long after we have turned the last page, the ones that make us think, feel, and dream.

So, whether you prefer small and simple stories or big and epic ones, there is always a story out there waiting for you to discover.

Open a book, and let the adventure begin.

DNF, also known as Dungeon & Fighter, is a popular online role-playing game.

It has a large and dedicated player base around the world. The game offers a unique and exciting gameplay experience with its diverse range of characters, each having their own distinct skills and abilities.

Players can explore various dungeons, battle against powerful monsters, and complete quests to progress and level up their characters.

The game's graphics and sound effects are also quite impressive, adding to the overall immersive experience.

DNF also features a vibrant community where players can interact with each other, trade items, and form guilds to take on more challenging content together.

Whether you are a casual gamer or a hardcore enthusiast, DNF has something to offer for everyone.

My RL book/movie club selected this particular work as our June choice. I recall reading it when it was initially published. Even though I don't remember every single detail, I do vividly remember that it was a bit of a struggle to get through. The writing was truly beautiful, with wonderful turns of phrase. However, at that time, I kept thinking "come on already!"

I made a sincere effort to reread it. I felt that I owed at least that much to my group. But after spending a week finding every possible thing in the world to do just to avoid sitting down and reading this, I finally gave in and set it aside. You might think that I don't have the right to rate and review a book that I didn't finish this time around. But the truth is, I did finish it! Just a long time ago.

I will watch the movie before our group meets, something that I never previously had the desire to do. I'm going to call it good. In fact, I like all the members of the cast. So, perhaps the movie will be a revelation. Here's hoping that it will offer a new perspective on this work and make me appreciate it in a different way. Maybe it will bring to life the aspects that I found a bit of a slog when reading the book. We'll just have to wait and see.

Sometimes I find myself starting to read a book after watching a movie that I really liked, and I wonder to myself, “Why am I doing this?” All too often, if I have a fondness for either the book or the movie, experiencing the other medium turns out to be, at best, a letdown. However, this is not the case here.

The movie, when compared to the rich and vivid atmosphere of the book, pales in comparison by far. There isn't a whole lot in terms of a complex plot, but what there is, is a tremendously immersive and poetic recreation of life behind the lines during the American Civil War.

The romance that lies at the heart of the story is not the overbearing “true love will see us through” kind that we see in the movie. Here, it is more subdued, more realistic, and in some strange way, all the more poignant because of its understated nature. I would describe the ending as heartbreaking, except that it is entirely too beautiful for that simple description.

It is a story that lingers in the mind, a book that invites you to step into a different world and experience the emotions and the lives of the characters in a way that the movie simply cannot match.