The Last of the Mohicans; A narrative of 1757

And now, with The Last of the Mohicans under my belt, I'm going to delve into the rest of the Leather Stocking Series... It took a chapter to meld with the Cooper's era writing style; but once engaged, the story read well - of course, I frequently utilized my iPad's Kindle Thesaurus to understand his use of now archaic words; but that made the read educational as well! Better than the movie!

I'll admit, I've seen the movie with Daniel Day Lewis, and loved it. But, the book, just like always, surpassed the movie. Not only was it full of adventure, but the difference between the two made it even better. The adventure that this group of people went through was keep you on the edge of your seat good. Hawkeye was my favorite in the movie, but Uncas was by far my favorite in the book. He had so much depth and character that was left out in the movie. All of the characters did in the book, well except for Alice. And I think that was because Cora kept her pretty protected.The dignity with which the author portrayed the native American characters was surprising to me, given the time this book was written, but very much added to the depth of the story and each character.I didn't think I was going to like this book, but I loved it and it will now be among my favorites.

Having watched the 1992 Daniel Day Lewis film after several cocktails, my husband dared me to read the book. And I drunkenly accepted the challenge. Whew, it was a doozy. I’m not even going to elaborate on how the sequence of the plot between the film and the book differed, or how the death and survival of characters were changed because the film is a total bastardization of the book. Therefore the end was not at all what I expected considering the fates of the primary characters were changed so radically. And there is zero romance so don’t read the book expecting anything passionate. I will admit that the actors and scenery from the movie helped with my mental visualization of the characters and the setting.There’s a lot more commentary about how the different tribes interact with one another and with the whites, be they French or English. The rhetoric can be rather cumbersome and it took me a good 40 pages to acquaint myself with the cadence and embellishments. Here’s an example of a single, extravagant sentence:“The strong glare of thee fire fell full upon his sturdy, weather beaten countenance and forest attire, lending an air of romantic wildness to the aspect of an individual, who, seen b the sober light of day, would have exhibited the peculiarities of a man remarkable for the strangeness of his dress, the iron-like inflexibility of his frame, and the singular compound of a quick, vigilant sagacity*, and of exquisite simplicity, that by turns usurped the possession of his muscular features.”Despite the reading being somewhat challenging, it was engaging. The plot is still dynamic and suspenseful. Despite the difficult and elaborate prose, it was rewarding and I was emotionally vested.*Sagacity is apparently one of JFC’s favorite words.

This was a book that thrilled me as a high schooler and when I purchased it for an addition to my library of classics. I wasn't sure if it would hold my interest as an adult.I was wrong. This book was just as exciting as before and as I add it to my library of classics I am so glad that I get to enjoy important early American history once again.I do look at the story with a completely different perspective as an older adult and with much more understanding of those early American settlers and also Native Americans.I ask you to consider reading this classic once again and immerse yourself into a well written book

I read this "classic" novel for the first time in junior high school because it was actually one of the least horrendous -- to my preteen point of view -- choices on the required reading list! (Imagine having children that age read Jane Austen and then ask them to find symbolism! Worse the works of Mark Twain by doing the same! Symbolism indeed! BAH!) Anyway, back to the novel at hand.There is a character who seems almost totally unnecessary to the storyline, and that is the music master, David Gamut. In fact, I cannot help but think that the other men in company would be telling him to keep his mouth shut in the forest to avoid attracting the hostile element!Then there was another scene when the evil Magua was in the control of Hawkeye and Heyward. All those two did was tie him up and gag him. Why didn't they kill him then and there? They knew his nature!In short, I could go on and on, but about the only thing that book and the movie have in common is that Cora is the name of the older sister and Alice is the name of the younger sister. If you watch the movie with Daniel Day Lewis as Hawkeye, you will have a more enjoyable experience. However, if you use the movie as a source for a book report, the teacher will know right away that you didn’t read the book!

It was quite lengthy but very helpful to my kid. I really love this book.

"The Last of the Mohicans" is a historical novel written by James Fenimore Cooper in 1826, set during the French and Indian War. It is considered one of the most popular and widely read leatherstocking tales, a series of novels featuring the main character Natty Bumppo.The novel is noted for its vivid and descriptive depiction of nature, frontier life, and the American wilderness, as well as its exciting and action-packed narrative. The themes of love, loyalty, bravery, and cultural conflict also add depth and complexity to the story, making it a timeless classic that continues to captivate readers to this day.I loved this book when I was a child, I loved watching the movie when it come out, and rereading it now was an interesting experience.

This author in my Ancestry tree! Had to have his book!

Muito legal para quem está aprendendo inglês. A versão conta com os significados de algumas palavras que ajudam a entender o contexto.

Celebre libro d'avventura da cui è stato anche tratto un bellissimo film, è tra i grandi classici della letteratura americana. Ambientato durante il periodo della Guerra dei sette anni a metà del XVIII secolo, si dipana sullo sfondo delle battaglie tra i Francesi e gli Inglesi e quelle tra gli Uroni e i Mohicani, rispettivamente alleati con gli uni e gli altri. Oltre la trama di guerra, il romanzo affronta anche altri temi come quello dell'amore, della solidarietà, del tradimento e del razzismo. Ancora valido e appassionante.

Me ha sorprendido, no creía que no fuera a ser el mismo argumento que la pelicula. Me ha gustado mas que la película

A wonderful version of early American colonial civilisation. The author takes us back to an era when prose had to fill your imagination when pictures were not available. I also recommend getting the audiobook version. The American accents added colour to the book. (I now look forward to the movie to see how well it follows the book.)

Né à la fin du XVIIIe, Fenimore Cooper a été l'un des premiers romanciers américains, son oeuvre a influencé un grand nombre d'auteurs du XIXe, dont Chateaubriand et Victor Hugo.The Deerslayer fait partie d'une "série" de 5 ouvrages, qui comporte entre autres The Last of the Mohicans, et décrit les aventures d'un chasseur au temps où l'Amérique du nord était encore en enfance. On y découvre l'existence quotidienne dans les immenses forêts, la lutte entre "peaux-rouges" et "visages pâles", et la rivalité France-Angleterre pour la possession des terres.The Deerslayer est caractéristique des ouvrages de F. Cooper : l'action est finalement limitée, le texte est très dense, les dialogues, interminables, sont surtout des monologues qui peuvent s'étaler sur plusieurs pages. Le style reste assez formel, mais nous sommes au XIXe siècle.Deux personnages émergent du lot, Judith et Deerslayer lui-même. Ce dernier, courageux chasseur et tireur d'élite, est pétri de droiture et de morale, ses déclarations vertueuses finissent par lasser, à force d'être rabâchées.Il reste que l'aventure décrite est belle, le suspense demeure, malgré les redondances, et il ne faut pas oublier que les romanciers, à cette époque, étaient beaucoup moins réalistes et descriptifs, et l'on peut considérer que F. Cooper a ouvert la voie aux écrivains "véristes" qui ont suivi.Ne serait-ce que pour cela, ce livre mérite d'être lu, même s'il a pris quelques rides !