Cold MountainCold Mountain
Score Modern
What it's about
Near the end of the Civil War, Inman, a wounded Confederate soldier, walks out of a military hospital and starts the long journey home to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, hunted as a deserter. Waiting at home is Ada, a refined preacher's daughter from Charleston who never learned to work a farm. With the help of Ruby, a tough mountain girl, she learns to survive, while Inman makes his way back to her.
Why it's worth reading
It won the National Book Award and spent 18 weeks at #1 on the New York Times list. It's a beautiful American odyssey about war, love and the land.
You'll love it if you liked
Lonesome Dove
Gone with the Wind
The RoadGood to know
It's slow and lyrical, with dialogue written without quotation marks. There's war violence. The 2003 film stars Jude Law and Nicole Kidman.
By the numbers
- Readers24 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics72 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller74 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #564 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #1079 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Adventurous
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Quick answers
Is Cold Mountain worth reading?
Yes. It won the National Book Award and spent 18 weeks at #1 on the New York Times list. It ranks #1,079 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 72.1 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Cold Mountain about?
Near the end of the Civil War, Inman, a wounded Confederate soldier, walks out of a military hospital and starts the long journey home to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, hunted as a deserter. Waiting at home is Ada, a refined preacher's daughter from Charleston who never learned to work a farm. With the help of Ruby, a tough mountain girl, she learns to survive, while Inman makes his way back to her.
How long does it take to read Cold Mountain?
About 11 hours (450 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has Cold Mountain won?
National Book Award (Fiction) winner (1997).
What should I read after Cold Mountain?
If you liked it, try Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry, Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell or The Road by Cormac McCarthy.