Cold Mountain purports to be an American "Odyssey", but the amount of detail is overwhelming and the story line is too thin. It seems as though the author tried to incorporate every esoteric bit of research he could about the Civil War period into this novel. No glossary or supporting notes are provided to help understand the antiquated words and aspects of life in the 1860's. And the main character, Inman, apart from a thinly veiled name that describes his personality, appears throughout the book as a non-entity - just a faceless man trudging home to the girl he loves! If you love American history you might like this, but I prefer a book with more adventure and plot such as "The Quincunx" by Charles Palliser.