LIFE'S BETTER IN THE MOUNTAINS

Monday, July 7, 2008

There is a Cold Mountain

Many of you may have read Charles Frazier's Cold Mountain, a novel about a Civil War soldier who deserts the military and walks for months to get home to Cold Mountain. There really is a Cold Mountain in Western North Carolina and it is the Cold Mountain to which Frazier's book refers.

Cold Mountain lies in Haywood County, but these pictures were taken in Transylvania County from the Blue Ridge Parkway. Cold Mountain is well over a mile high and is a lovely sight to behold in all seasons.

Taken today (July 7, 2008)



If you did not read the book, but saw the movie, I would strongly recommend that you do read the book. I personally found the movie to be superficial and did not enjoy it much. But I did enjoy the book, the style of which has been compared to Homer's Odyssey, (which I believe is something of a stretch). It's a good read, but it certainly isn't the Odyssey.

6 comments:

KGMom said...

I loved the book Cold Mountain.
As for the comparison to the Odyssey--it is partly in the plot developments.
Inman (i.e. Odysseus) fighting in a war, then trying to get home to see his long ago sweetheart. Along the way he encounters trials and tests, each of which he masters, then finally arrives at home.
There is where the comparison ends, for reasons readers of Cold Mountain know.
The subject makes a great compare/contrast.

Jayne said...

Beautiful photo Carolyn. I enjoyed the movie too, but the books are always usually much better.

The Birdlady said...

Cold Mountain is beautiful - your photo really shows it off.

Kerri Farley said...

A Beautiful mountain! Great shot!

Anonymous said...

I definitely agree with your last statement there. No book can compare to that epic poem. The mountain however is absolutely amazing.

NCmountainwoman said...

Donna - Yes, I can see the Odyssey comparisons with Cold Mountain as well as Oh Brother, Where Art Thou. There's just something within me that doesn't like comparisons of good reads to truly classic literature even though I'm sure no one is comparing Frazier to Homer. I'm sure it does make good compare/contrast for educators.

Jayne - Thanks. The only movie that didn't disappoint me after reading the book was The Godfather.

Helen - Thanks. The mountains are so lovely along the Blue Ridge Parkway, the pictures just take themselves.

Kerri - Thanks. The picture is framed by nature and if you can hold a camera straight you can't help getting a good shot.

Science guy - Thanks. The mountains around here are indeed amazing. No matter how often I drive the same roads, it still sometimes takes my breath away.