Cold Mountain

I finished this book a couple of days ago. It was a very enjoyable read. I saw the movie when it came out a few years ago, but not since, so some of the details of that are fuzzy. The biggest difference is in the portrayal of the romance between Ada and Inman. It is much more low-key in the book. In fact, though it is the prime motivation for Inman's actions and plays a big part at the end, it is hardly a major part of the book. Rather it is the story of two people's journeys - Inman's physical journey to return to Ada, his mental journey coping with the things he has seen in war, and Ada's emotional journey to mature and grow into a self-reliant person. The romance is secondary to these and I think more poignant for it. I understand why they played it up for the movie (and I did enjoy it), but the book is more powerful because of it's low-key approach.