Unlike Mudbound, Cold Mountain was a bit more difficult for me to get into. I just didn’t seem to personally “click” with the characters like I had with the other novel. My mind wandered so much, even just in the first chapter. I’ve read books that were hard to read at first and then got really good, but that wasn’t the case this time. I found myself constantly thinking, “only this many pages left until I finish!” It’s so hard to focus on a book when all you’re thinking about is when it ends. I read with my Kindle app at night time because studying at night helps me retain information. Even so, I could barely focus on the reading. My attention span lasted maybe twenty-six seconds, maximum. I had to be really forceful with myself and trudge through this one.

I didn’t really enjoy how descriptive and in depth Frazier was because it made the book seem to drag on unnecessarily, in my opinion. In some cases, it seems like lots of detail actually makes a book harder to read. I was reminded of The Picture of Dorian Gray because it was difficult to read just because of its intricate and long sentences, and Cold Mountain gave me the same issues. Not necessarily because the sentences were too long, but because of the switches in thought. The book would read about what Inman was doing, then about what he was thinking about, and then another memory of his. I found it confusing at some points, and I’ve had to read paragraphs over again just to grasp an understanding. It wasn’t short, sweet, and to the point. It was a text that hopped back and forth between events in flashbacks and present time.

Perhaps if Frazier’s writing style was different, I would have found Cold Mountain much more enjoyable. It bored me, to be completely honest. I don’t mean to break an English teacher’s heart, but I just couldn’t get into it. However, I did enjoy the changes in point of view. I appreciated it, a lot actually, because the story wasn’t flattened into just one side. Getting a glimpse of Inman and Ada’s side was refreshing, especially with a slower novel.  I wish it would have been more like Mudbound, which had multiple sides to see and connect. I think that, with multiple sides to see, it’s easier to understand a novel because there are fewer questions left unanswered.

In regards to characters, Ada first seemed like a snobbier person. It is then made more understandable that she is very sheltered by her education, and she grieves the loss of her father. Coming together with Inman seemed to change her for the better, and to calm her nerves. She’s a very fearful character, but I feel that having Ruby and her own daughter will keep her more secure.

Inman wasn’t a bad character, either. He was well developed and easier to understand than most things in the book. It’s very obvious that the war impacted him, as he had wished for his own blindness after seeing the blood and gore. Frazier focused on that part of the war more than anything else, which probably impacted the story line all on its own. The time period was easy to understand too, as fallen soldiers had wounds that continued to rot because no one could treat it properly. That’s how it was then, and it’s unfortunate, but the main character pulled through from his neck wound, and that made me appreciate how strong he was.

That may be why the ending was so upsetting to me. In my eyes, Inman was strong and a great character, so it makes me wonder why Frazier decided to cut him off. Ridding of a main or very important character isn’t uncommon, (I’m looking at you, George R. R. Martin), but in this case, I just couldn’t understand it. He survived his wounds and he became one with Ada, but even still, his own daughter will have nothing but her mother’s memories of her father to learn from. It really makes you wonder how long you have yourself when characters can be ripped away in just a page turn.