theshelteredroom 's review for:

Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier

3.75

emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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I feel conflicted about this book. I fear I went in with expectations too high, largely due to many recommendations and my prior likes/interests for the movie adaptation. I was excited to uncover the novel’s full story. While I did enjoy its slow pace and descriptive writing (sometimes), I found myself struggling to care.

The characters felt mostly one-dimensional. Aside from Inman—whom I was somewhat invested in—I found their inner monologues repetitive, lacking emotion, and often underdeveloped. Ada, in particular, was difficult to connect with; for much of the book, I found her unlikable or simply uninteresting. While I acknowledge that the novel largely explores the effects of war (which it does somewhat successfully), the romance subplot felt weak and unconvincing.

Inman rarely thought of Ada unless he was looking at another woman and comparing her to Ada, and Ada barely seemed to think of Inman at all until she received his letter near the end. I understand that the story may have intended to depict their love as something repressed for the sake of survival, but it often felt more like an afterthought—a narrative thread hastily tied together.

Additionally, while I appreciate descriptive writing, it became repetitive and formulaic. I could almost predict the order in which each scene would be described—the sky, the clouds, the sun’s position, the grass, the weather—all following a similar pattern, which made it feel monotonous rather than immersive.

While I think the plot was clever, I wish it had been more developed and better edited, as I truly believe it had the potential to be something greater. And I can’t believe I’m saying this but the movie actually made the book more tolerable —though, even then, it was more so for Inman than Ada. I had hoped the book would provide deeper insight into Ada’s character, but instead, I was left underwhelmed.

 The film brought the emotion that I found lacking in the novel, making the story feel more impactful.

So while Cold Mountain wasn’t a terrible read and had its moments, I mostly felt disappointed. It was just... okay—and sometimes, “okay” is an even worse verdict than outright disliking a book.