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Matthew's Reviews > Cold Mountain
Cold Mountain
by
by
This is quite possibly the longest it has taken me to finish a book of this length. Maybe not ever, but at least since I got back into reading a lot about 10 years ago. I think an ongoing reading slump had over the past year had a lot to do with it. But I also think the way the book is written was part of it, too. Whatever the reason . . . I am thankful it is over and that I don’t have to carry it around anymore!
So, your first thought is probably that it must be a bad book if it took that long to read. I can say that I do not think it is a bad book at all. It has many colorful characters and interesting anecdotes. If you really like historical fiction – and specifically Civil War era historical fiction – I believe you will enjoy this book.
However, I am only giving it 3 stars because, for me, I never wanted to read more than a few pages at a time, and I was never all that excited to pick it back up. Could be a side-effect of the aforementioned slump, but I really think I would have had a similar response if I was not slumping. I am not sure I can easily put into words exactly what it is about the way it is written that made me less than motivated to get into it. It was just so heavy and wordy – maybe it is like when you eat something that is very rich so you can only eat a little at a time and need a break between mouthfuls. I get the impression that many others that read this had an experience similar to mine.
Should you read it? It is hard for me to recommend a book that I was not very motivated to read – even with the result being that I did like it okay. Just be prepared to get mired in it for a while if you end up with an experience like mine. But, hopefully in the end, you do find something about it to enjoy.
So, your first thought is probably that it must be a bad book if it took that long to read. I can say that I do not think it is a bad book at all. It has many colorful characters and interesting anecdotes. If you really like historical fiction – and specifically Civil War era historical fiction – I believe you will enjoy this book.
However, I am only giving it 3 stars because, for me, I never wanted to read more than a few pages at a time, and I was never all that excited to pick it back up. Could be a side-effect of the aforementioned slump, but I really think I would have had a similar response if I was not slumping. I am not sure I can easily put into words exactly what it is about the way it is written that made me less than motivated to get into it. It was just so heavy and wordy – maybe it is like when you eat something that is very rich so you can only eat a little at a time and need a break between mouthfuls. I get the impression that many others that read this had an experience similar to mine.
Should you read it? It is hard for me to recommend a book that I was not very motivated to read – even with the result being that I did like it okay. Just be prepared to get mired in it for a while if you end up with an experience like mine. But, hopefully in the end, you do find something about it to enjoy.
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Reading Progress
December 12, 2018
– Shelved
December 12, 2018
– Shelved as:
to-read
December 12, 2018
– Shelved as:
own
January 1, 2021
–
Started Reading
January 1, 2021
– Shelved as:
2021
January 1, 2021
– Shelved as:
book-a-book-club
January 1, 2021
– Shelved as:
historical-fiction
March 28, 2021
–
62.64%
""Marrying a woman for her beauty makes no more sense than eating a bird for its singing""
page
223
June 6, 2021
–
78.93%
""Even my best intentions come to naught, and hope itself is but an obstacle.""
page
281
June 29, 2021
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-25 of 25 (25 new)
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Great book, I thought the movie did a great job of capturing the mood and the environment, I hope it is a winner for you as well.
Wow, Matthew, I'm impressed you finished it at all! Cold Mountain has been one of those books circling in the back of my mind that I should probably read one day, but maybe I'm not missing out all that much.
Loretta wrote: "This was one case that I enjoyed the movie with Nicole Kidman, Jude Law, Renée Zellweger and Jack White more than the book and that usually never happens! Hope you fare better Matthew! ☺️"
Only slightly better, Loretta! :D
I felt the very much the same.
Kathryn in FL wrote: "Great book, I thought the movie did a great job of capturing the mood and the environment, I hope it is a winner for you as well."Book just so-so. I need to watch the movie again and see what I think. It has been years since I have seen it - none of the story seemed familiar.
Nice review Matthew! I read this long ago but I do remember it being wordy and slow. I did enjoy it though. I also remember telling friends after I was finished that it would make a good movie and then taadaa it became one. 🙂
I,too, enjoyed the movie and the story that the author presented in the book, but the wordy descriptiveness was what bothered me.
I read this more than a decade ago and I know what you mean. It is a LONG book that has very little to do with its page count. Despite that I remember loving the writing and enjoyed the slow drag. It is one of the few books though that made me SOB like I rarely do while reading. I have thought about picking it up again.
Regina wrote: "Wow, Matthew, I'm impressed you finished it at all! Cold Mountain has been one of those books circling in the back of my mind that I should probably read one day, but maybe I'm not missing out all ..."Thanks, Regina! It is a book loved by many, so maybe it would be your jam - you never know!
Albert wrote: "I felt the very much the same."Great minds, Albert! ;)
Melanie wrote: "Nice review Matthew! I read this long ago but I do remember it being wordy and slow. I did enjoy it though. I also remember telling friends after I was finished that it would make a good movie and ..."Thank you, Melanie! Glad you enjoyed it even with its wordy slowness - and kudos to you for your predictive prowess! :D
I hope you find books more able to pull you out of your slump. I loved this a few years ago, but with any book, one's reaction is affected by the time and circumstances of reading, and the last 14 months have affected us in many ways.
Jay wrote: "I,too, enjoyed the movie and the story that the author presented in the book, but the wordy desciptiveness was what bothered me."Indeed - as I was reading I could only consume about 10 pages at a time. I would think - I just enjoyed what I read, but I need to stop for a while!
It was light as a feather for me when I read many years ago, but I love this author. I can relate, though, as sometimes I am of a mood or distracted and struggle with certain books that I would otherwise enjoy. I put McCarthy’s The Road in this camp, I blame myself in thinking it mediocre.
Jess ❈Harbinger of Blood-Soaked Rainbows❈ wrote: "It is a LONG book that has very little to do with its page count."I LOVE this quote - perfectly stated!
I did find some emotional connection with the characters despite going through it slowly. It was nice at the end to feel that more than a "glad this one is done" feeling. I mean, I did have that a little, but I was still satisfied that my time was not wasted.
Cecily wrote: "I hope you find books more able to pull you out of your slump. I loved this a few years ago, but with any book, one's reaction is affected by the time and circumstances of reading, and the last 14 ..."Thanks, Cecily . . . me too! I have been doing better the last few weeks it seems. And, yes, the last year has been quite a doozy!
Mmhmm. Personally I just don’t care for the style of his. I have tried to read several for a book group at the library and I didn’t do well with them personally either even if I did appreciate the plot.
Nice review. I had trouble getting through with the book too.
Shaina wrote: "Mmhmm. Personally I just don’t care for the style of his. I have tried to read several for a book group at the library and I didn’t do well with them personally either even if I did appreciate the ..."100% agree - there is just something about it where I want to get into it and the story seems good, but each page was a chore.
Yes! Well said! That’s it.
Shaina wrote: "Yes! Well said! That’s it."And, sorry for my delayed response :)
Dan wrote: "Nice review. I had trouble getting through with the book too."Thanks, Dan! Sorry it didn't work for you either!
I thought I was the only one who did not get in with this book. I usually love descriptive, beautiful prose and the era etc. but I found myself exactly in your position, after a few pages I was distracted and could never really fully engage. Thank you for sharing your views as I am not sure I would have been brave enough to disagree with all the 5 star reviews out there!
This is my current book group read. Love it. Last one was Ulysses by Joyce. Now that is hard to get through.
Hope you fare better Matthew! ☺️