Based on local history and family stories passed down by the author's great-great-grandfather, Cold Mountain is the tale of a wounded soldier Inman, who walks away from the ravages of the war and back home to his prewar sweetheart, Ada. Inman's odyssey through the devastated landscape of the soon-to-be-defeated South interweaves with Ada's struggle to revive her father's farm, with the help of an intrepid young drifter named Ruby. As their long-separated lives begin to converge at the close of the war, Inman and Ada confront the vastly transformed world they've been delivered. Charles Frazier reveals marked insight into man's relationship to the land and the dangers of solitude. He also shares with the great nineteenth-century novelists a keen observation of a society undergoing change. Cold Mountain re-creates a world gone by that speaks eloquently to our time. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Rich in evocative physical detail and timeless human insight, this debut novel set in the Civil War era rural South considers themes both grand (humanity's place in nature) and intimate (a love affair transformed by the war) as a wounded soldier makes his way home to the highlands of North Carolina and to his prewar sweetheart. Shot in the neck during fighting at Petersburg, Inman was not expected to survive. After regaining the strength to walk, he begins his dangerous odyssey. Just as the traumas of life on the battlefront have changed Inman, the war's new social and economic conditions have left their mark on Ada. With the death of her father and loss of income from his investments, Ada can no longer remain a pampered Charleston lady but must eke out a living from her father's farm in the Cold Mountain community, where she is an outsider. Frazier vividly depicts the rough and varied terrain of Inman's travels and the colorful characters he meets, all the while avoiding Federal raiders and the equally brutal Home Guard. The sweeping cycle of Inman's homeward journey is deftly balanced by Ada's growing sense of herself and her connection to the natural world around the farm. In a leisurely, literate narrative, Frazier shows how lives of soldiers and of civilians alike deepen and are transformed as a direct consequence of the war's tragedy. There is quiet drama in the tensions that unfold as Inman and Ada come ever closer to reunion, yet farther from their former selves. BOMC and QPB selections; paperback rights to Vintage; rights sold in Germany, the U.K. and France; film rights sold to Lynne Pleshette. (June) FYI: Frazier's great-great-grandfather was the source of this story about a Civil War soldier who deserted and walked home. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

This monumental novel is set at the end of the Civil War and follows the journey of a wounded Confederate soldier named Inman as he returns home. Interwoven is the story of Ada, the woman he loves. Ada, who was raised in genteel society, cannot cope with the rigors of war until a woman called Ruby arrives to help her. Inman comes across memorable characters like the goatwoman, who lives off the secret herbs in the woods and Sara, a woman stranded with an infant who is assaulted by Yankee soldiers whom Inman later kills. After a long, threatening journey, Inman finally arrives home to Ada, "ravaged, worn ragged and wary and thin." His momentary homecoming, however, comes to a tragic end. A remarkable effort that opens up a historical past that will enrich readers not only with its story but with its strong characters. Highly recommended for all collections. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 3/1/97.]‘David A. Beronä, Univ. of New England, Biddeford, Me. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

A Civil War soldier and a lonely woman embark on parallel journeys of danger and discovery. Environment, events, and the empathy of others transform the protagonists spiritually as well as physically. (Nov.) From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Charles Frazier was born in 1950 and grew up in western North Carolina.

Frazier received his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of North Carolina and his doctorate in American literature from the University of South Carolina.

He taught at the University of Colorado and North Carolina State University before writing his first novel, Cold Mountain. He based the bestselling book on true stories written by his great-great-grandfather in journals during the Civil War period. Cold Mountain won the National Book Award.

(Bowker Author Biography) Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Context	p. 1
Plot Overview	p. 3
Character List	p. 7
Analysis of Major Characters	p. 11
Inman	p. 11
Ada	p. 12
Ruby	p. 13
Themes, Motifs & Symbols	p. 15
Isolation in the Search for Meaning	p. 15
Knowledge and Intuition	p. 15
Seasonal Changes and Rotations	p. 16
The Past	p. 17
The Crow	p. 17
Forked Roads and Crossings	p. 17
Dark-Haired Women	p. 17
Summary & Analysis	p. 19
The Shadow of a Crow	p. 19
The Ground Beneath Her Hands	p. 22
The Color of Despair; Verbs, All of Them Tiring	p. 24
Like any Other Thing, a Gift; Ashes of Roses	p. 27
Exile and Brute Wandering	p. 31
Source and Root	p. 33
To Live Like a Gamecock	p. 36
In Place of the Truth; the Doing of it	p. 39
Freewill Savages; Bride Bed Full of Blood	p. 42
A Satisfied Mind; a Vow to Bear	p. 45
Naught and Grief; Black Bark in Winter	p. 47
Footsteps in the Snow; the Far Side of Trouble	p. 50
Spirits of Crows, Dancing; Epilogue. October of 1874	p. 53
Important Quotations Explained	p. 57
Key Facts	p. 63
Study Questions & Essay Topics	p. 65
Review & Resources	p. 69
Quiz	p. 69
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 74

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