The average user rating for this Book is 8.0 out of 10 (based on 24 Votes).
David R gave it a10: A couple of bad reviews made me put off reading Thirteen Moons. It was a mistake. Don't listen to the critics, who are insanely jealous of Frazier's success with Cold Mountain, and the huge advance he got for Thirteen Moons. If you give this novel a chance you'll likely love it. Thirteen Moons is a ripping yarn, beautifully written, and full of historical detail. It presents a balanced view of the relationship between the early American settlers and the Indian peoples they dispossessed (I don't recommend that you read the reviews but if you do you'll note that some critics say Frazier is too hard on the whites, and some contend that he's far too soft on them; this indicates he got it exactly right). I couldn't put Thirteen Moons down once I got into it. The opening sentence,--"There is no scatheless rapture."--is a bit off-putting, and the novel takes a few pages to hit its stride, but hang in there, it becomes a real page-turner. If you ignore the jealous ravings of the talentless critics you may find you like Thirteen Moons just as much as Cold Mountain, and perhaps even more.
Peter H gave it a10: For a book that leaves you shrouded in overwhelming sadness it wasn't half bad! Wonderful descriptive story telling at its best, dealing with hope and despair in a raw and honest way.
Jim C gave it a10: Absolutely a story that is a page turner for any one who appreciates history, real-life drama, and harshness or the reality of early American settlement.
[Anonymous] gave it a10: Not a quick read. This is a book to take your time with, enjoy the humor, and reflect on the wisdom it contains.
Martha Hagan gave it a10: Cold Mountain was very good but thirteen mooms a masterpiece! Words seemed to unfold spontaneously with cadence the impetus of revealing the historic plight of the Cherokee Nation in form of A Novel which as a gifted writer is honed to perfection. impetus of the plight of the Cherokee Nation
Dave P gave it a10: A great read, fully living up to, surpassing even, Frazier's 'Cold Mountain'. Themes of loss and regret abound against an elegaic and historical background which poetically reflects the loss recounted by central character Cooper in his own life. A masterpiece.
J D gave it an8: No, the book isn't perfect -- Claire annoyed me pretty quick. But the REAL love story -- Frazier's obvious love for the mountains and the people (the Original People) and his anger at how they've both been brutalized and diminished -- outweigh any small negatives. The writing is beautiful.
John B gave it a1: I not only bought this book, but after staring it I liked it so much, I bought another copy for my friend. Big mistake! As I continued to work my way through the pages, I quickly realized that this is not a good novel. In fact, it's so bad I called my friend and told him to not bother to read it. The story appears to offer such promise-but never develops. The reader is left feeling empty and, worse, completely bored.
Erinn M gave it a2: The first 93 pages were promising and I was wondering where he was taking us. It turns out he lost the map! Had I been his editor, I would have cut out the fluff and drivel and kept the book at no more than 200 pages.
r sgernab gave it a10: this is a captivatingly great book. wonderful language. great story telling. fantastic detail.
Julian B gave it a10: This is a Bildungsroman (same genre as Tom Jones, Don Quixote, etc. As such, it proceeds exactly as it ought to, and if to some modern readers and reviewers it seems to ramble in a disconnected episodic fashion, then they are quite right except for the "disconnected part." This is a brilliant novel held together by its repeated images and visually descriptive metaphors, which is a legitimate way of producing a story line. If in the end, the story line seems to have failed to have produced a satisfactory neatly packed conclusion, then it was true to life. The issue is that in spite of Cooper's statement that he and Bear after the Charley (Tsali) incident were discussing love and loss, and not broadly talking about important issues relating to the meaning of life, the novel as a whole reverbrates with something much larger than a trite story line about love and loss. Frazier did not give in to the tritely coincidental conclusion with which he wrapped things up in Cold Mountain. In Thirteen Moons, life is summed up in how the story is ultimately told, as surely as Cooper and Bear decide to turn Tsali (Charley) into a sacrificial Jesus after the fact. (And now, that is precisely how the "real" story is told about Tsali.) In short, I very much liked Frazier's retelling of history, and casting it into fiction. By the way, the book is as crafted by the sound of its words as anything Flaubert ever wrote. Do yourself a favor and read it out loud!
ron m gave it an8: A little uneven, but still interesting and entertaining. Not as good as it could have been
Grey S gave it a9: A beautifully written book, not in a class with "Cold Mountain" but good stuff, nonetheless.
Deb C gave it an8: Yes, the plot and characters could have been a little better fleshed out, but unbeatable beautiful writing. I lost count of the pages I dog-eared to go back and reread for Frazier's turn of phrase.
Devin gave it a0: The endless description of mountains and wilderness are tortuous rather than inspiring. Worse still, the entire plot is regrettably trite and contrived. Every turn of plot arrives deus ex machina: every bit of silly providential turn of events; every clumsy, stumbling plot device. There's nothing here but mindless pap...but surely there's a market for that among America's beachgoing readers!
Linda G gave it an8: Beautifully written. Incredibly descriptive turns of phrase. My only criticism is that the relationship between Willl and Claire was so poorly defined. We never learn why she's standoffish and then desiring him, nor why the phone calls later on. Other than that, Bravo!
Linelle D gave it a10: I "read" this as an audiobook, unabridged. I was transported back to the 19th century, or maybe to a fire circle listening to elders tell this story. I feel an understanding for that period of American history, and particularly that part of the south, that I haven't had before. This book is a singularity.
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