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Thirteen Moons: A Novel by Charles Frazier
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Thirteen Moons: A Novel

by Charles Frazier

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This book reminded me a great deal of Wallace Stegner's Angle of Repose, in regard to an aging narrator recounting his life in the most beautiful prose imaginable. Thirteen Moons is an absolutely phenomenal story, told by one of the most interesting and believable narrators that I have had the privilege of sharing a text with in a long while. I listened to the book on tape, and I found myself almost mesmerized by the story of Will Cooper, and his foibles and triumphs. I have always loved Indian stories, but this one seemed so real, and no account of Indian peoples I have ever read has seemed so realistic. I love the way that the narrator is so transparent about his life, and I also love his (Charles Frazier's really) command of the language. Some of the lines made me want to weep. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in reading an epic tale of love, loss, and the displacement of a nation. ( )
  silva_44 | Aug 25, 2009 |
I listened to this audiobook read by the actor Will Patton over a span of 8 months (I can only listen to books in certain situations). It was enjoyable, beautifully written prose. One time I listened to the book was when I did a mostly backwoods trip in Western North Carolina, and I felt more connected to the land when listening to the bookThere didn't seem to be much of a plot to follow as a whole.. just a (fictional) memoir. One notable exception was the deal when the Native Americans killed some American Soldiers. I found that to be the best part of the book. Otherwise, it was easy just to pick up and leave it at any time. The guy is a White Indian Chief, this dude name Bear is his Indian mentor, he loves a woman named Claire who has something to do with this mean guy Featherstone. ( )
  jjs6791 | Jul 24, 2009 |
I have read "Cold Mountain" a couple of times and was anxious to read another book by Frazier. This story of Will Cooper and his adventures in finding his own way in the world is set in the mountains of North Carolina, pre-Civil War. This book is full of details about this region of the country, Native American culture and life at that time and life at a trading post. ( )
  melissavenable | May 10, 2009 |
Another example of a beautiful and flowing style of writing. Charles Frazier has done a splendid job at creating a story and painting a picture of the culture, the wilderness and events in the book. I really enjoyed this book, Wills story gripped me at times, both sad and happy. He had a some what lonely life, but he constantly worked for everything and had a never give up way of thinking, I enjoyed his character. It wasn’t one I fell in love with, but he is a character that sticks with you.
The realism to the characters Frazier brought in. The friendships, triumphs, and deaths of the characters were well written and moving at times. I really felt bad for Will when his Horse died. A “friend” he had since boyhood. It sounds a little corny, but if/when you read the book you’ll understand.
I’m not sure how historically accurate the novel is, I’ve read in other reviews it’s loosely based on real events and real people, but regardless of accuracy I enjoyed the book a lot. I liked the glimpses into the lives and culture, of a culture, that has pretty much been whipped out from today’s society, and I think I’ll read more books close to this books genre and theme.
The only issue I have with the book is sometimes the book did drag out a bit more than I would have liked it. But it’s fairly minor, the elegant writing style will make you keep reading if anything else.

Review can also be found at my book review blog
http://juliebooks.blogspot.com/2009/0... ( )
  bookwormjules | May 7, 2009 |
To me this book seemed like a grown-up version of Huck Finn. The story is told right from the first person and the setting is a bit far back (the narrator is born about 3 or 4 decades pre-civil war).

It's a love story, it's a story of a yearning for power, for the preservation of tradition and all-in-all, a highly recommended read. ( )
  Sean191 | Mar 16, 2009 |
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For Charles O. Frazier and William F. Beal, Jr.
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There is no scatheless rapture.
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Book description

Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0375509321, Hardcover)

Charles Frazier’s Thirteen Moons is the story of one man’s remarkable life, spanning a century of relentless change. At the age of twelve, an orphan named Will Cooper is given a horse, a key, and a map and is sent on a journey through the wilderness to the edge of the Cherokee Nation, the uncharted white space on the map. Will is a bound boy, obliged to run a remote Indian trading post. As he fulfills his lonesome duty, Will finds a father in Bear, a Cherokee chief, and is adopted by him and his people, developing relationships that ultimately forge Will’s character. All the while, his love of Claire, the enigmatic and captivating charge of volatile and powerful Featherstone, will forever rule Will’s heart.
In a distinct voice filled with both humor and yearning, Will tells of a lifelong search for home, the hunger for fortune and adventure, the rebuilding of a trampled culture, and above all an enduring pursuit of passion. As he comes to realize, “When all else is lost and gone forever, there is yearning. One of the few welcome lessons age teaches is that only desire trumps time."

Will Cooper, in the hands of Charles Frazier, becomes a classic American soul: a man devoted to a place and its people, a woman, and a way of life, all of which are forever just beyond his reach. Thirteen Moons takes us from the uncharted wilderness of an unspoiled continent, across the South, up and down the Mississippi, and to the urban clamor of a raw Washington City. Throughout, Will is swept along as the wild beauty of the nineteenth century gives way to the telephones, automobiles, and encroaching railways of the twentieth. Steeped in history, rich in insight, and filled with moments of sudden beauty, Thirteen Moons is an unforgettable work of fiction by an American master.


PRAISE FOR THIRTEEN MOONS

“Genius.”
–Time

“Gorgeous…Thirteen Moons calls Cold Mountain to mind in its wonder at the natural world; its pacificist undercurrents; its dismay at the dismantling of what matters, and its convication that one love, no matter how tortured and inexplicable, can be life-defining…fascinating…vivid and alive.”
–Newsweek


Thirteen Moons is rare in many ways and occupies a literary plane of such height that reviewing it is not really salient….Thirteen Moons has the power to inspire great performances from succeeding generations of writers….For those who simply value the literary experience, Thirteen Moons will provide the immense satisfaction of taking a literary journey of magnitude. Whether on a plane, in an office or curled in a window seat, readers who absorb Will's story will find their own lives enriched….Thirteen Moons belongs to the ages.”
–Los Angeles Times

Thirteen Moons brings this vanished world thrillingly to life…
One of the great Native American, and American stories, and a great gift to all of us, from one of our very best writers.”
« –Kirkus Reviews, starred review «

“There are things so masterful words can’t do them justice. Frazier’s writing falls in that category…With Thirteen Moons, he’s doing important work fillnig in the gaps, helping restore the roots, of our knowledge of our own history.”
–Asheville Citizen-Times

“Fascinating…Reading Thirteen Moons is an intoxicating experience…This is 21st-century literary fiction at its very best.”
–BookPage

Thirteen Moons is rare in many ways and occupies a literary plane of such height that reviewing it is not really salient….Thirteen Moons has the power to inspire great performances from succeeding generations of writers….For those who simply value the literary experience, Thirteen Moons will provide the immense satisfaction of taking a literary journey of magnitude. Whether on a plane, in an office or curled in a window seat, readers who absorb Will's story will find their own lives enriched….Thirteen Moons belongs to the ages.”
–Los Angeles Times

“Once again, we are in the hands of an assured writer who knows how to bring history to life…Gorgeous.”
–New Orleans Times Picayune

“Magical…the history lesson in Thirteen Moons is fascinating and moving…You will find much to admire and savor in Thirteen Moons.”
–USA Today

“Incredibly powerful.”
Melissa Block on NPR All Things Considered

“Verdict: A powerhouse second act….a brilliant success…Frazier's second act should convince everyone that he's here to stay. It is a powerful, dramatic, often surprising and memorable novel.”
–Atlanta Journal Constitution

Thirteen Moons is a boisterous, confident novel that draws from the epic tradition... Frazier is a natural storyteller, and throughout his picaresque tale are grand themes and eulogies”
–Boston Globe

“Warm hearted…Frazier is a remarkably meticulous and tasteful writer… Thirteen Moons is a worthy successor to the first novel
and a highly readable book.”
–Seattle Times

“Fiction of the highest order…Another indelible character. Charles Frazier has a knack for them.”
–Charlotte Observer

“Splendidly written.”
–New York Daily News

“What a story!... Frazier's creation, Will Cooper, is utterly charismatic….Frazier's genius lies in his ability to convey emotions that feel pure and genuine…It was worth the wait.”
–Dayton Daily News

“To Charles Frazier, words are playthings. Like very few other contemporary American novelists, he puts them together in such a way that they can transform an otherwise mundane moment, scene or conversation into one that is transcendent….No sophomore jinx here. Reading a Frazier novel is like listening to a fine symphony. He's a maestro whose pen is his baton, beckoning the best that each sentence has to offer. And just as you wouldn't rush a conductor, you should take the time to savor Frazier’s work, to take in each thought, to relish the turn of phrase or the imagery of a craftsman.”
–Denver Post

“Two for two…Here is a book brimming with vivid, adventurous incident…Charles Frazier set himself a daunting challenge with this book. He set out to write a historical novel that was retrospective and meditative, yet still vibrant and immediate with life. Thirteen Moons succeeds in classy fashion.”
–Raleigh News & Observer

“If current fiction is anything to go by, it’s hard for a novelist to make Santayana's puzzle pieces - lyricism, comedy, tragedy - fit together, as they do in real life and real history. Frazier has done it…Thirteen Moons makes you feel that change that happened so long before our own time, and makes you mourn it.”
–Newsday

“[Thirteen Moons] is superbly entertaining, and it packs enough emotional heft to measure up to most readers’ high expectations.”
–Richmond Times-Dispatch

Thirteen Moons is a fitting successor to Cold Mountain…fans of Frazier's debut will be cheered to discover that the new book is another compulsively readable work of historical fiction.”
–St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“If there is any doubt that Frazier is an incredibly gifted storyteller - and not just a lucky name or a one-hit wonder - it will be put to rest with the publication of Thirteen Moons. Within 10 pages, this long-awaited new novel bears the reader swiftly out of the waking world into its own imagined universe like nothing else published this year.”
–Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Achingly beautiful descriptions of nature…It’s rich, it’s beautiful.”
–Columbia State

“Forget the sophomore jinx. Frazier demonstrates that Cold Mountain was no one-hit wonder with this fully realized historical novel again set in the South….Again, Frazier shows himself a master of landscape and language, both often fresh and surprising in his telling.
–Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Thirteen Moons contains achingly beautiful passages of snowfalls, fog-wrapped rivers and moonlit forests. There are ribald and hilarious events, too, including a description of the Cherokee Booger Dance that is a masterpiece of satire. The love affair between Cooper and Claire threads its way through this pseudo-historic epic like a brilliant, scarlet ribbon. There is also a melancholy refrain that celebrates a wondrous time and place that is gone and will never return.”
–Smoky Mountain News



“Once again, we are in the hands of an assured writer who knows how to bring history to life…Gorgeous.”
–New Orleans Times Picayune

“Magical…the history lesson in Thirteen Moons is fascinating and moving…You will find much to admire and savor in Thirteen Moons.”
–USA Today

“Verdict: A powerhouse second act….a brilliant success…Frazier's second act should convince everyone that he's here to stay. It is a powerful, dramatic, often surprising and memorable novel.”
–Atlanta Journal Constitution

Thirteen Moons is a boisterous, confident novel that draws from the epic tradition... Frazier is a natural ...

(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:57:53 -0400)

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