This is one of those books I've had on my shelf for several years and finally decided to read. I saw the movie version of this when it first came out back in 2003 and remember really enjoying it but for some reason I kept putting off reading the book. Anyway, glad I finally got around to it...excellent novel all around!
It was written with alternating story lines taking place during the last days of the Civil War. The first tells the story of Inman, a disillusioned Confederate soldier who fails to die as expected after being seriously wounded during the battle of Petersburg. Inman decides to desert from the hospital in Richmond and walk back to Cold Mountain in North Carolina and his sweetheart, Ada. The second story line is Ada's, a Southern belle who is totally unprepared when she finds herself all alone on the family farm after her father dies.
Inman's story was very captivating and gripping as he travels through the South trying to make it home. Always on the lookout for the Home Guard, who will kill deserters on sight, he encounters people who were both kind and evil. He narrowly escapes death on several occasions and with the help of some of the people he meets, eventually makes it back to Cold Mountain and Ada who has managed to survive and prosper with the help of Ruby who teaches her how to manage the farm. But Inman arrives in the middle of a crisis for Ada and Ruby which leads to an ending that some readers have disliked but an ending that was probable given the perils of the world being devoured by war.
This novel has been described as an American Odyssey which I feel is very apropos given the great descriptions of Inman's long journey home. It is written with eloquent prose and is one of those novels that is meant to be savored and read slowly to get the full experience. I would highly recommend this one!
It was written with alternating story lines taking place during the last days of the Civil War. The first tells the story of Inman, a disillusioned Confederate soldier who fails to die as expected after being seriously wounded during the battle of Petersburg. Inman decides to desert from the hospital in Richmond and walk back to Cold Mountain in North Carolina and his sweetheart, Ada. The second story line is Ada's, a Southern belle who is totally unprepared when she finds herself all alone on the family farm after her father dies.
Inman's story was very captivating and gripping as he travels through the South trying to make it home. Always on the lookout for the Home Guard, who will kill deserters on sight, he encounters people who were both kind and evil. He narrowly escapes death on several occasions and with the help of some of the people he meets, eventually makes it back to Cold Mountain and Ada who has managed to survive and prosper with the help of Ruby who teaches her how to manage the farm. But Inman arrives in the middle of a crisis for Ada and Ruby which leads to an ending that some readers have disliked but an ending that was probable given the perils of the world being devoured by war.
This novel has been described as an American Odyssey which I feel is very apropos given the great descriptions of Inman's long journey home. It is written with eloquent prose and is one of those novels that is meant to be savored and read slowly to get the full experience. I would highly recommend this one!
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