Cold Mountain

Embers of the Civil War

In the waning days of the American Civil War, Cold Mountain invites readers into a world where loyalty and longing are tested against the brutal landscape of 1865 Appalachia. Wounded Confederate soldier Inman deserts the Confederate line, driven by a singular purpose: to return home to Ada Monroe, the woman who saved his life and steadied his heart. As he navigates a fractured land scarred by conflict, Inman confronts marauding deserters, ruthless bounty hunters, and the indifferent cruelty of nature itself. Each step carries him further from the ruins of battlefields and closer to a love that transcends the horrors he has witnessed.

A Journey Through Love and Isolation

Meanwhile, Ada remains on Cold Mountain, her once-genteel upbringing stripped away by deprivation and isolation. Under her aunt’s stern tutelage, she must learn to coax food from stubborn soil, to master the tools of survival, and to confront her deepest fears. Her transformation from genteel southern belle to determined pioneer mirrors Inman’s own odyssey of endurance. Through alternating chapters, Charles Frazier weaves their parallel narratives into a rich tapestry of hope and despair, tenderness and violence. The lush, lyrical prose evokes the scent of wildflowers in summertime and the chill of winter’s first frost, capturing both the stark beauty of the wilderness and the fragile resilience of the human spirit.

Author’s Epilogue

. Charles Frazier is an American novelist and former lawyer whose debut novel, Cold Mountain, won the National Book Award and became an international bestseller. Drawing on meticulous historical research and a deep reverence for Appalachian culture, Frazier crafts a timeless tale of love and survival that continues to captivate readers decades after its first publication.