This novel is heart-wrenching tale of one couple's struggle to find normalcy in the war torn country.



Inman was involved in the Civil war as a confederate soldier. He was wounded, marked as hopeless and left until the other wounded soldiers were cleared from the field. He was then set to a field hospital where he also was thought to perish soon.



As the wounds healed he became more mobile and worried about being set back to the frontlines. He gathered his strength, his belongings, and little money and started his journey home.



He was met along the way by a Goatwoman he further help his healing process with some of her herbal remedies. There was also a preacher who wasn't exactly true to the cloth that also tagged along with him for a little while.



Ada, or the woman Inman loved from afar also had her own trials back on Cold Mountain. She was a city girl from Charleston who lived with her ailing father. When he died Ada was left to fend for herself in the large farm house. She had no farming skills and her inheritance were being held due to the war.



Ada was helped to survive by a young black woman and they became friends through working side by side on the land.



Yes Ada and Inman got together in the end.

I liked how the author made you feel that you were there. When he described the gun fights I had to duck from a would be stray bullet. When he wrote of food, I could smell the campfire.



I also liked the fact that his chapter titles could be found in the text of the chapter.

That he waited until the very end to bring Inman and Ada together.

When I finished the book I didn't want to do anything except wish Inman and Ada could luck in their future.

I can't describe just one feeling that I felt when I read this book. This writing covers a large spectrum of emotions for me. Fear, compassion, more understanding towards the Civil War...

Is very compelling.

This book gets my recommendation because of the understanding I recieved from the aspects of the people affected by the Civil War.

I have no reasons not to recommend this book.

I would to see this book become "Required Reading" for anyone wanting to write about life.

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Created Sep 13, 2002 at 12:09pm • Submit your own review...