Cold Mountain

"6/10. Slow start, great in the middle, unhappy ending. It’s also a movie. "

"Takes an accurate look at what real war is like. Characters are memorable and sense of place (Civil War in the South) is outstanding. "

"Just a great book about survival and love"

"This book broke my heart when it ended.....I was tormented by the ending and the fact that I was done reading the book made me so sad.........it is one of those rare and beautiful books that touches you deep in your soul and stays in your thoughts for a lifetime. Inman and Ada were truly a couple that makes romance and love and living life such a true touching and heartbreaking experience. I found myself laughing one minute and yelling out in shock and anger the next minute....the book left me in awe and breathless.....this will be a story that will live long in my mind and heart. Absolutely being placed in my 'Top 10' list....."

"I cannot necessarily say that I enjoyed reading this book. It took me a long, long time to slough through it, almost all of three months. At times, it is painfully boring and slow. It is also mind-numbingly depressing. That being said, though, there were some passages that were beautiful and extremely thought-provoking. There is constant symbolism and foreshadowing that things are not going to end well (a bit heavy-handed at times I might add), yet I found myself still hoping against hope that there might be some redeeming factor or peace found at the end for the characters. This book reminded me of The Grapes of Wrath, which also presents a dismal, never-ending litany of pain, suffering, and tedium. Charles Frazier presents a worldview that humans are innately evil and exist only to mindlessly cause suffering to others. At least that seems to be his opinion of the Civil War. I'm not saying it's not an accurate worldview, but it is hard to read at times. The main female character Ada is not well-developed at all, in fact, I found myself wanting to skip her chapters entirely at times."

"This is the most entertaining novel I've read in the past 20 years."

"Longing for romance? Love books set in the tragedy of war and wanting to see different sides to it? This is the one for you! "

"Way too long with rambling content and very little forward movement. "

"This is one of my favorite books."

"Some of the best writing I have ever read, ever, and since then. I go back and read passages over and over again just to savor the craft of the author. The story was riveting, and frustratingly real to depict the inability of people to communicate with one another. The inner dialogs were as entertaining as the action in the novel."