Cold Mountain

By: Charles Frazier

   "Tragic, but you can't help but love this story of adventure and love"

         As tragic and sad as Cold Mountain is, one cannot help loving it. Charles Frazier’s Civil War novel is a masterpiece that combines action, adventure, love, and sadness into one young man’s journey home to his true love. It will make you cry.

        The novel opens with Inman, a wounded Confederate soldier in a hospital camp. Inman, observant, quick on his feet, and intelligent, sees things differently than most people do. He is a deep thinker, emotional, and most of all hopeful. His love for Ada is unfailing. After realizing this, Inman leaves the hospital, deserts the war, and begins his journey back to Ada.

        Next, we meet Ada. She’s a Southern belle who has just lost her father and is forced to learn to survive on her own; so far, she’s not doing such a great job. Her home, Black Cove Farm is failing, she’s running out of food, and she’s by herself. Enter Ruby Thewes, a witty farmgirl sent by Ada’s neighbors, the Swanger’s, to help her keep house and bring life back to the farm - her help offered on one condition: “that everybody empties their own night jar.” Ruby is a bit of comic relief in Cold Mountain; she always has an opinion and is never afraid to say it.

        Ruby immediately turns Black Cove upside down. She puts soft, sweet Ada to work fixing fences, plowing, planting, milking, feeding, and anything else Ruby thinks needs to be done. Ruby isn’t as mean as she sounds, though. Ada and Ruby quickly form a unique friendship and, by working together, the girls get Black Cove up and running again in no time.
    Inman, meanwhile, is still on his long and hard journey home. Along the way, he meets some interesting characters. Interesting, however, is a huge understatement. Between the insane preacher who tries to kill a pregnant girl, the goat lady, and the sticky situation with a man named Junior and his wife, Inman definitely has some adventures, to say the least.

        Frazier makes readers feel like they’re right alongside Inman when he’s running away from the Home Guard (a group of people hired to catch deserters of the war.) Frazier makes the reader hear Ruby making a list of all the things that need to be done at Black Cove. Then, suddenly the reader is in Ada’s mind, remembering the times she had with Inman before the war.

        I cannot say enough about this book. If I keep going on, I’ll give away the heart-wrenching, tear-jerking ending. You’ll just have to read it for yourself.

-Stephanie G.