Title: Cold Mountain
Author: Charles Frazier
Publisher: Books On Tape
Narrator: Charles Frazier
Duration:: 13 hours, 12 minutes
Copyright:: 1998
Genres: general fiction, period, romance
Filed in: Audiobook reviews
Review copy provided by Carrollton Public Library.
THE GIST: After recovering from a serious wound, Inman, a soldier of the Confederate Army during the Civil War, decides that he can no longer face the ravages of war. Longing for home, he decides to desert and begins the long, arduous journey home.
Meanwhile, his wife, Ada, is having problems of her own. While Inman is away at war, her father dies, leaving her with no means to support herself. After living a life of relative ease, she now faces a bitter struggle every day just to survive.
When the two finally meet again, they barely recognize each other, both being completely transformed by the hardships they have seen and the struggles they have endured. Now that they are practically strangers to one another, can their love survive?
MY THOUGHTS: Charles Frazier is also the author of "13 Moons.” Just as in that audio book, “Cold Mountain” is rich with beautiful descriptions of the scenery and life of the times. Inman's journey home to a wife who is also struggling has been compared to Odysseus’ journey home following the Trojan War. In my own opinion, Frazier is a beautiful story-teller.
NARRATOR: I really hate it when authors narrate their own audio books, I’ve never yet heard one do a good job. As capable as Charles Frazier is at writing, he is not a good reader. he reads with no passion at all, and I had a difficult time getting through “Cold Mountain”, even though the story is good.
FINAL WORD: “Cold Mountain” is definitely worth reading, but if you’re able, get a copy and read it for yourself rather than listening to the audio book. If, like me, you can't read it for yourself, try to just focus on the story and not the voice.
FILM ADAPTATION: “cold Mountain” was adapted to film in 2003. The movie, bearing the same title as the novel, was directed by Anthony Minghella and starred Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Renee Zellweger, Natalie Portman, and Donald Sutherland. I haven’t seen the film, but wow, what a cast!
CHECK OUT THESE OTHER AUDIOBOOK REVIEWS:
Thirteen Moons by Charles Frazier (Audiobook Review)
The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane (Audiobook Review)
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (Audiobook Review)
If you liked this audiobook review, you can purchase the audiobook here:
Get "Cold Mountain" 1ST Edition [Hardcover] by Charles Frazier from Amazon.com.
Interested in the movie?
Get Cold Mountain : Widescreen Edition : 2 Disc Collectors Edition from Amazon.com.
This audiobook review is based on the unabridged audio book.
Audio book review by Steven Brandt
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At first glance I thought this was a war story, but then after reading this, it sounds like a love story! Which is it?
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine us authors sounding as good narrating our own stuff. I don't care how many voices we can do. I''l leave mine for the pro's. :)
The story takes place during the civil war, but it's not really about the wa. It's more like two people who have changed and are trying to figure out if they still have a life together.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid I never finished this. It seemed to ramble on and on. I confess: I got bored.
ReplyDelete*sigh*