Did you read "Cold Mountain"...

...by Charles Frazier?  I remember there was a lot of talk, and it was prolifically reviewed, when it was first published years ago. Embarassedly, I admit I do not remember much in the way of details of the story. But do recall it was mostly about a man's journey home following the end of the Civil War. Amazing to think that the vast majority of those who fought, and lived to tell about their experience, in that war were young men who walked every where they went. Trekking on foot, carrying all their possessions on their backs, getting from places like southern Alabama and Florida to central Pennsylvania, Virginia and home again on worn out shoe leather, or bare feet.

I recently read another book by the same author, that was so good, so interesting, so well written, with amazing details, thoroughly researched, I did not want it to end. Part of the reason it was so enjoyable is that it was a 'talking book', and was read by the actor Will Patton. Pretty long, as there were at least a dozen cd's in the case, but a very good story. The lead character in the book, whose name happened to also be Will, was living in the Indian territories in north Georgia and east Alabama before the 'removal', when native Cherokees were forced from their homes and land to the mid-west.Frazier tells of a remarkably full, long colorful life, with richly detailed experiences, tales of travel to Oklahoma, and back east to Washington. Even though he was made up from whole cloth, Will was so imaginatively described and beautifully wrought in words, it was as if I had walked along through his life, envisioning the people he encountered and the all the changes he witnessed, and geography he travelled.

I imagine that Frazier does a tremendous amount of reading, traveling, doing research and note taking before he begins to write. The documentation of the daily details of the lives of (invented) people who lived two hundred years ago was so precise, so clearly described, the book was a delight. "Thirteen Moons" was long, no telling how many miles I drove while reading/listening, but a wonderful traveling companion.

In my next life, I might apply for a job as a Book Reviewer... probably not a very good one, as I rarely find one that is so difficult as to be unreadable, or does not capture my attention enough for me to finish. I'm going to be the reviewer that finds something to recommend in every thing I read. Even though it does occasionally occur in my completely random reading choices. I have, at times, started one I can't wade through - and only in recent years have been able to say to myself: 'you don't have to write a report - so no, you don't have to read something so tedious it is annoying.' And: 'yes, you can return it to the library with your bookmark/post-it note stuck at half-way through...'