Lorrie C. reviewed on 8/26/2010

I loved this book. I saw the movie version first. I've found that when a book is based on a movie it's better to see the movie first and then read the book later. Such was the case here. At the first of the book the story followed the book pretty closely. But as the book went on the story was quite different. In the movie the angst of Inman wanting Ada is portrayed as palpable and he talks about her often, even cries over her. But in the book you don't get that sense of his burning desire. Certainly the author makes us realize he wants her and thinks of her and certainly is trying hard to get home to her. But we see that he is busy just trying to survive in his journey home. Ada is not always at the forefront of his mind. Survival is what is foremost in his mind. So comparison between the book and movie aside I loved the detailed descriptions of Inman's journey and Ada's life on her farm. I could picture everything perfectly in my mind. SPOILER ALERT: even the ending was well written and when Ada and Inman are last together I appreciated that the author did not make the ending so sad as to make me cry. The epilogue finished out the story nicely. I will definitely read more from this author. He did his research well and used old phrases and terms not only from the area, but the area during the civil war. The way the mountain people lived, interacted, behaved and thought made me feel I had gone back in time. I am a sucker for period pieces and stories and was glad this book did not disappoint. Well done. You won't be disappointed with this one.

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