C
Cold Mountain is two things, a very detailed tale of the American civil war outside of its battles, and over indulgent. This is one of those “it’s about the journey, not the destination” type books, probably the most out of any that I’ve read. And boy does it take its sweet time detailing every note of the journey. Nothing is left for imagination with such vivid imagery and care put into the accuracy of the location and era this book takes place in. It’s by far the most compelling part of the book. Even the language used is meant to be of the time.
Cold Mountain feels like two separate stories for the vast majority of its length. One about the odyssey of Inman, a Confederate deserter’s travel from the hospital back to his home; and the other about Ada, a young woman who has to learn to survive after her preacher father passes away and leaves her on her own in rural Appalachia. Brief flashbacks from before the war tie the two together early on in their journeys, but there are long stretches of time where they are deep in their own struggles. Inman’s story covers the general politics and attitude of the average Confederate as he moves from town to town, while Ada’s shows the daily toil of survival in the 19th century. I was surprised to be more invested in the latter, but it’s easy to see why in hindsight. For all of the tales Inman heard and experienced about the horrors and futility of war, and the normalized dehumanizing evil that slavery cast on the way of life in the south, he doesn’t seem phased by any of it. Ada on the other hand, actually grows as a person and learns not only to survive, but how to step out of her father’s shadow.
I did not love this book, but I felt like it was worth my time. It was educational in a way. I had to look up quite a few terms, and in doing so, went down Wikipedia rabbit holes. Even when the plot felt like it was dragging its feet, I was still wrapped up in the immediate happenings of complete strangers as they passed by Inman, or the never ending work needed just to get through the winter on Ada’s farm.
Cold Mountain is two things, a very detailed tale of the American civil war outside of its battles, and over indulgent. This is one of those “it’s about the journey, not the destination” type books, probably the most out of any that I’ve read. And boy does it take its sweet time detailing every note of the journey. Nothing is left for imagination with such vivid imagery and care put into the accuracy of the location and era this book takes place in. It’s by far the most compelling part of the book. Even the language used is meant to be of the time.
Cold Mountain feels like two separate stories for the vast majority of its length. One about the odyssey of Inman, a Confederate deserter’s travel from the hospital back to his home; and the other about Ada, a young woman who has to learn to survive after her preacher father passes away and leaves her on her own in rural Appalachia. Brief flashbacks from before the war tie the two together early on in their journeys, but there are long stretches of time where they are deep in their own struggles. Inman’s story covers the general politics and attitude of the average Confederate as he moves from town to town, while Ada’s shows the daily toil of survival in the 19th century. I was surprised to be more invested in the latter, but it’s easy to see why in hindsight. For all of the tales Inman heard and experienced about the horrors and futility of war, and the normalized dehumanizing evil that slavery cast on the way of life in the south, he doesn’t seem phased by any of it. Ada on the other hand, actually grows as a person and learns not only to survive, but how to step out of her father’s shadow.
I did not love this book, but I felt like it was worth my time. It was educational in a way. I had to look up quite a few terms, and in doing so, went down Wikipedia rabbit holes. Even when the plot felt like it was dragging its feet, I was still wrapped up in the immediate happenings of complete strangers as they passed by Inman, or the never ending work needed just to get through the winter on Ada’s farm.