Cold Mountain

By Charles FrazierI liked this book a lot. But I don't know that I would have finished it if I didn't have as much free time as I do. It isn't a book that forces you to keep reading because you want to know what happens next. You have to be interested in the time period and the details of what the characters are doing. The book is about Inman, a Confederate soldier who leaves the war and walks home to the Blue Ridge Mountains and to Ada the woman he loves. Ada is a well bred woman who is provided for by her father and hired help. Half of the story follows Inman's journey home and the people that he meets along the way. The other half is about Ada, her father's death, and her survival. She is befriended by Ruby, a homeless but resourceful woman. Together they restore Ada's farm and create a home.

The book is a funny sort of romance in that the characters are motivated by their feelings for each other, but they are apart for most of the book and they never had much of a relationship to begin with. It was very real, with the characters having real problems, and changing because of them. I liked that. I also liked all of the details in the book about what the characters are doing and thinking. I like details. I wasn't too happy with the ending. But I'm not going to tell you why. You have to read it to find out.