Litsy

Last of the Mohicans | James Fenimore Cooper

so-so

I had a hard time with this book. It did not hold my attention well through long sections, then something rather bizarre or violent would happen and I‘d get caught up in the story again for a while. It also took a long time to get the characters straight.

When I finished, I did listen to a podcast episode that discussed a few aspects and gave me a bit more to think about. (Link in comments)

#audiobook #LMMAdjacent #1001books

BarbaraJean

Daisey Overdue podcast episode 🔗 https://open.spotify.com/episode/5eRT6tYHYJmoA1QUDF9fhU?si=DfJntIVpS1-4nzXXblkYV... 5h

BarbaraJean This was underwhelming to me, for the same reasons you mention. Thanks for sharing that podcast episode--I'll have to check it out. 4h

22 likes2 comments

BarbaraJean

Rilla of Ingleside | Lucy Maud Montgomery

Here's the #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead schedule for the next six weeks, with #LMMJournals, #LMMReread and #LMMAdjacent choices. We'll read the last section of Volume 4 of LMM's Complete Journals over the next two weeks, then Rilla of Ingleside, then Pollyanna.

I've tagged the schedule/announcements list for the group, but all are welcome. If you'd like to be tagged for any/all of the above, please comment!

rubyslippersreads, Daisey, LeahBergen, JenlovesJT47, CogsOfEncouragement, lauraisntwilder, kwmg40, TheAromaofBooks, Roary47, LitsyEvents, julieclair

TheAromaofBooks Yay!! I'm still plowing through The Last of the Mohicans!! I'm really looking forward to rereading Rilla, and Pollyanna with the group!! 8h

25 likes1 comment

BarbaraJean

The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757 | James Fenimore Cooper

For our #LMMJournals readers (and those interested in the L.M. Montgomery connection!):

LMM mentions having read the book “in schooldays” and discussing it with Nate Lockhart. What did you notice in the book that might have attracted LMM as a schoolgirl? What characters and incidents do you imagine she might have discussed with Nate so enthusiastically?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent - Last of the Mohicans discussion (5/5)

BarbaraJean @rubyslippersreads, @Daisey, @DieAReader, @JenlovesJT47, @lauraisntwilder, @TheAromaofBooks, @julieclair 1d

BarbaraJean I have to admit that I'm puzzled that LMM was enthusiastic about this book! I thought maybe she would have resonated with the nature descriptions, but honestly, I didn't find them that compelling. I guess it was just the action and adventure she was so excited to discuss with Nate?! And perhaps Cora would have been a compelling figure to her? 10h

Daisey I‘m not sure what to think of this connection to LMM either. It does have some interesting scenes to discuss, but it doesn‘t resonate with me in any way that her writing does. 6h

20 likes3 comments

BarbaraJean

The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757 | James Fenimore Cooper

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent - Last of the Mohicans Discussion (4/5)

In general, did you like or dislike the book? What did you enjoy or not enjoy?
Do you feel this is a classic that‘s worth reading?

rubyslippersreads, Daisey, DieAReader, JenlovesJT47, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair

BarbaraJean Honestly, I didn't enjoy this. I didn't find it engaging, for all its action. The characters initially held promise, but weren't developed at all. Cooper sacrifices character development for horrific action sequences and scenic descriptions that fell flat for me. I'm torn about whether it's worth reading for how it's shaped other writing over the years. I think it has some value as a biased but illuminating portrayal of a specific time and place ⬇ 10h

BarbaraJean (Cont'd) ...in history, but I don't think I'd recommend it unless someone was specifically studying this time period and they were also seeking out supplementary sources to contextualize and balance the perspective here. 10h

Daisey I didn‘t particularly enjoy this. There were short sections at a time that were really interesting, but there were long sections between where I struggled to stay focused. 6h

19 likes3 comments

BarbaraJean

The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757 | James Fenimore Cooper

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent - Last of the Mohicans Discussion (3/5)

What do you think about the way the book portrays its Native characters (and the different tribes they belong to)?
What about the way it portrays the English and French characters?

rubyslippersreads, Daisey, DieAReader, JenlovesJT47, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair

BarbaraJean I mentioned this an earlier question, but I was bracing myself for far worse racial stereotypes. There was a bit too much “noble savage“ to the descriptions of Uncas and Chingachgook and the Delaware village. Then basically all Huron/Mingos were portrayed as bad/scheming/backward, but their French allies were largely let off the hook. But I also appreciated how there was SOME nuance in the way Magua was characterized, when he revealed ⬇ 10h

BarbaraJean (Cont'd) his treatment at the hands of the English. And Cora early on makes a remark about not judging someone based on the color of their skin (ironic that she makes that comment about the person who basically becomes the villain, though!). There were plenty of problematic racial stereotypes, but overall I was impressed by the complexity we did get. 10h

15 likes2 comments

BarbaraJean

The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757 | James Fenimore Cooper

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent - Last of the Mohicans Discussion (2/5)
How much knowledge of the French & Indian War/Fort William Henry conflict did you have prior to reading this book? Did you seek out more info?
What do you think of how Cooper dramatized these events?
What responsibility does an author of historical fiction have in representing historical events? What do you think are appropriate or inappropriate changes or exaggerations?

rubyslippersreads, Daisey, DieAReader, JenlovesJT47, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair

BarbaraJean I didn't have much knowledge about the historical context, and so I looked up the Fort William Henry conflict after reading the section on the betrayal/massacre. I was frustrated by what I found. Cooper has been criticized for his “lurid“ and inaccurate characterization of the massacre--it was bad, but it seems it was not nearly as horrific as described, and the inciting event with the mother & baby seems like it was completely invented. ⬇ 10h

BarbaraJean (Cont'd) I do think a writer of historical fiction has a responsibility to present the backdrop of history and historical events as accurately as possible--dramatizing within the “spirit“ of what happened, so to speak. ESPECIALLY when it comes to war--attributing particular types of cruel violence that DID NOT happen, to one side or the other, is irresponsible, to me. 10h

Daisey I have some basic knowledge of the French & Indian War, and I did not look anything up while reading. 6h

15 likes3 comments

BarbaraJean

The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757 | James Fenimore Cooper

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent - The Last of the Mohicans Discussion (1/5)

What expectations did you have going into the book?
How did it compare to your expectations? Was there anything that surprised you?

rubyslippersreads, Daisey, DieAReader, JenlovesJT47, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair

Daisey I‘ve got two hours of audio left . . . Every few days I listen to a bit more, but I‘ve never felt fully invested. I‘ll come back to the discussion once I‘m done. 11h

BarbaraJean @Daisey Look forward to your thoughts when you finish! This was a bit of a slog for me. 10h

BarbaraJean I did NOT expect the ending. (I haven't seen the movie, and I'm curious--does it end the same way?!) I expected that the portrayal of the Native characters would be far more problematic. I cringed at some of the verbiage/stereotypes, but there was a LOT more nuance and complexity to the portrayal of Native characters and cultures than I expected there'd be, given when this was written. Also, I expected that it would be more engaging than it was!! 10h

18 likes3 comments

BarbaraJean

The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757 | James Fenimore Cooper

Posting our check-in for #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent a little early since I‘ll be out of town visiting friends on Saturday & Sunday.

I got caught up this week—and wow, lots of action, lots to talk about. But I‘ll save that for next week‘s end-of-book discussion!

How is everyone‘s reading coming along? What are you enjoying and/or not enjoying in what you‘ve read so far? Which characters are you most curious about?

rubyslippersreads, Daisey, DieAReader, JenlovesJT47, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair

TheAromaofBooks I'm a couple chapters behind, but overall enjoying this story even if it's a bit slow in spots. The betrayal/massacre as everyone left the fort was just horrific. 1w

lauraisntwilder I'm not loving this one. It feels like a lot of wandering around in the woods, occasionally interrupted by horrible violence. 1w

Daisey I‘m playing catch up today. I just got through the chapter @TheAromaofBooks mentioned. It‘s holding my attention better than it was thanks to the action, but I‘m still not loving it. 1w

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BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks SO horrific. The violence has been hard to read. @lauraisntwilder Yeah, unfortunately that's a very apt description! @Daisey I've had a similar experience this week: finding it more engaging now, but not really enjoyable. I'm curious about Hawkeye and want to know more about his past as well as Uncas and Chingachgook's past. I feel like Cooper is trading character backstory & development for action & description--not my favorite. 6d

TheAromaofBooks In fairness, this is technically the second book in the Leatherstocking Tales - I think book one is about Hawkeye's origin story. 6d

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks Yes! When adding it on GR, I saw it was marked as book two! I had no idea it was part of a series, so looked it up (I hate starting in the middle of a series). The Hawkeye one was written later, as a prequel (1841 vs. 1826 for Mohicans)--so I guess others wanted to know more about him as well! 5d

julieclair @TheAromaofBooks @BarbaraJean I have always thought of this as a stand-alone book. It‘s interesting to learn it is Book 2. I‘m tempted to read a summary of book 1, just to quickly learn more about Hawkeye. 5d

TheAromaofBooks @BarbaraJean so there goes my attempt to make excuses for Cooper's pathetic character development - apparently he only did so under duress over ten years later! 😂 5d

BarbaraJean @julieclair I always thought it was standalone, too! I don't know if I'm interested enough to read any of the others, though! @TheAromaofBooks 😂 😂 The rest of the series was a retcon... 😆 5d

31 likes9 comments

BarbaraJean

The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757 | James Fenimore Cooper

It‘s been an over-full reading week and I‘m only just now sitting down to read this week‘s section of Last of the Mohicans for #LMMAdjacent #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead. 🙃 How‘s everyone else‘s reading coming along? Are you enjoying the book so far?

rubyslippersreads, Daisey, DieAReader, JenlovesJT47, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair

Bookwomble Nice bookmark 🔖🙂 2w

DieAReader Behind in all my readings this week🤦🏻‍♀️ 2w

lauraisntwilder I've read this week's chapters, but I'm finding it easy to zone out on this one and not realize it. 2w

See All 11 Comments

TheAromaofBooks I'm finding this one interesting, but a chapter a day is definitely easier for me than large chunks, especially when there is fighting. 2w

Daisey I‘m with @lauraisntwilder on this one. I find some parts interesting, but then I‘ll completely lose the thread. Maybe it would be better if I was focused on print instead of listening, but there‘s no way I can currently fit that in my schedule. 2w

BarbaraJean @Bookwomble Thanks! I like to use a bookmark that matches the book. In this case I love the red leather with the vintage book—even though the Fitzwilliam Museum doesn‘t match thematically😆 2w

BarbaraJean @DieAReader I know the feeling!! This was one of those weeks for me. 2w

BarbaraJean @lauraisntwilder @Daisey Similar for me—I find my attention wandering. @TheAromaofBooks I‘m too behind to parcel it out in short chunks now ☹️ 2w

julieclair Need to catch up… it‘s been a crazy week. 2w

julieclair I‘m now on Chapter 14 - listening on audio and really enjoying it. It‘s action-packed for sure! 2w

BarbaraJean @julieclair I've been wondering whether I'd like this more or less on audio! Glad you're enjoying it. I think I'd prefer audio for the action parts but would probably find myself zoning out in some of the wordiness. 1w

38 likes11 comments

BarbaraJean

The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757 | James Fenimore Cooper

So, what had happened was…😆

When making our reading schedule, I mistakenly consulted the table of contents for a retold/abridged version of the book, which only had 19 chapters. The actual book has 33 chapters. SO—I have adjusted the schedule accordingly! I divided the remaining number of chapters by 3 weeks, so now the pace is about 9 chapters per week instead of 5 —but it should still be really doable. ⤵️ #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent

rubyslippersreads, Daisey, DieAReader, JenlovesJT47, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair

BarbaraJean (Cont‘d) (I was surprised by how short this week‘s section was—now I know why 😂) I‘m so sorry for the mistake—hope this still works for everyone! 3w

JenlovesJT47 Going to try to catch up today. I know, I‘m the worst 😬 always behind on everything, sorry! 3w

TheAromaofBooks Looks good!! When I started reading, I couldn't find the schedule (Litsy was being obnoxious lol) so I just read 2 chapters a day, so I'm a little ahead of the original schedule anyway!! 3w

See All 7 Comments

Daisey I haven‘t been very good at listening to my audiobooks during the week, so I‘m catching up on a book club read today and then getting back to this. 3w

BarbaraJean @JenlovesJT47 No worries—the discussions will be here whenever you‘re caught up! 3w

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks Haha—one small benefit of Litsy‘s issues last week! 3w

BarbaraJean @Daisey I‘ve had to do a lot of catch-up lately, too—so many (good) bookish commitments! 3w

34 likes7 comments

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