Archive for the ‘Novels’ Category

Rating: 5 Stars

This novel is an excellent read.  It takes us on a journey through a  most difficult time in our country’s history when the Civil War ravaged us and the greatest evils were perpetrated against mankind.  There is a lot of grim, gruesome reality in the novel as well as poignant beauty.  The love story drives the novel and yet our lovers spend the majority of the novel torn apart by war and distance.

Our female heroine, Ada and her friend Ruby show us the wonder of working the land and the power that can be gained supporting oneself through labor and industry.  I am so inspired by many of the ideas I read in the book for my own farm that we are starting including the use of Martins to keep crows and birds of prey away from gardens and livestock.  And with more research I find the Purple Martins need our help, have been trained by the Native Americans to nest near human habitation and that with a simple house (gourds being the traditional type) the birds will happily coexist with us and add beauty to our lives.

I learned various uses of corn meal, the various parts of a pig from “chitlins” to the brain, and the importance of lard in our traditional cooking methods.

I had hoped for more ideas and guides than the book offered though based on a review I had previously read.  Still the book is an inspiration and I enjoyed every minute of it.  It was rich in detail, the characters had depth and substance along with very real emotions, passions, flaws, and the beauty of spirit.

Our hero, Inman journeyed through the south after deserting the hospital where he was recovering from a near fatal wound.  His journey was rife with adversity, danger and miracles.  He would nearly starve then find a gift as if a higher power was looking out for him.  His trials give perspective to all of us that struggle with day to day life, heartache and pain.  If we can have just one ounce of his courage and leave our fates in God’s hands we can achieve great things.

All in all I give the book 5 stars.  It is well written, the plot is driven, the characters are rich.  Besides being entertaining it also encourages deep thinking not only about history, the civil war but about the nature of people from the most ruthless and sociopathic killers to the most honorable, caring and evolved souls.

The novel _Cold Mountain_ by Charles Frazier is an excellent story of the struggles of two star crossed lovers who are driven apart by the American Civil War. Inman was horribly injured and barely escapes death, he is plunged into despair and depression by the things he has seen yet he cannot sit and be forced back into fighting when he heals so he takes off, still injured and on foot, to go back home to Cold Mountain and the Woman he loves. Ada on the other hand is left by her father’s death penniless and clueless on how to raise the only asset she has left, a 300 acre farm. She is likely to starve until a local woman shows up to help named Ruby. Ruby shows her how to farm the land and Ruby is going to show me as well.

This is not a review of the book, I haven’t finished it yet but just an introduction. What I am finding, and the reason I picked it up was that the book is reputed to be an excellent guidebook for sustainable farming and I’m amazed already. The review in Wise Traditions, the Weston A Price Foundation Newsletter, mentioned this in some detail so I had to check it out. I trust the reviews from that newsletter and so should you. If you want to get the newsletter then join the organization, it’s well worth it for the fantastic articles on health and nutrition an Book Reviews.

We are slowly, so slowly, staring up our family farm. Though I come from a long line of farmers I find myself disconnected and cut off from that heritage. My parents had little interest in farming and for my mother it was not happy memories of childhood on her parent’s ill run and unhealthy farm. I do remember fondly my father’s grandparent’s farm and the delicious home cooked food she made with such ease until old age took their toll. Some of my few happy childhood memories are in the house and I miss them dearly. I knew unconditional love and that I was always welcome, and always safe while I was there. And I was always well fed. We did not go hungry as children but we did not eat a healthy diet by any means. Ours was the typical diet of the low income people we were with no fresh vegetables, little fresh fruits and the rest processed foods.

I am so inspired already with Cold Mountain and I am just a few chapters in. I have decide to take some notes and then do research on the great things I a learning and blog about it with you all. So we will have a weekly Cold Mountain blog theme with tips from the book backed up by research and enjoy this adventure together. I will be finished with the book rather quickly, it’s too good to put down for long, but the research can go on for awhile. Then as we step up our farm efforts I can blog about putting to good use what we’ve learned from the guidebook, er I mean novel.

I hope you all will enjoy it as much as I am already.