Product Description

The wild rush of action in this classic frontier adventure story has made The Last of the Mohicans the most popular of James Fenimore Cooper’s Leatherstocking Tales. Deep in the forests of upper New York State, the brave woodsman Hawkeye (Natty Bumppo) and his loyal Mohican friends Chingachgook and Uncas become embroiled in the bloody battles of the French and Indian War. The abduction of the beautiful Munro sisters by hostile savages, the treachery of the renegade brave Magua, the ambush of innocent settlers, and the thrilling events that lead to the final tragic confrontation between rival war parties create an unforgettable, spine-tingling picture of life on the frontier. And as the idyllic wilderness gives way to the forces of civilization, the novel presents a moving portrayal of a vanishing race and the end of its way of life in the great American forests.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #546931 in Books
• Published on: 1982-06-01
• Released on: 1982-06-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 432 pages

From AudioFile
Few are not familiar with The Last of the Mohicans. War, "Indians," fight scenes, courage, love and death are all incorporated into this abridgment. While the abridgment is obvious, none of Cooper's rich language is lost. Theodore Bikel is a very suitable narrator for this dramatic work. His deep, clear voice leads the listener along the shadowy forest trails and through the tribulations of the Indians, their allies and captives. Bikel modulates his voice to suit the characters while maintaining the quality and richness of the story. This is a good addition to a collection of classic literature. M.B.K. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Review
"[Cooper's] sympathy is large, and his humor is as genuine—and as perfectly unaffected—as his art."— Joseph Conrad

Ingram
The classic story set during the French and Indian war of a man with the moral courage to severe all relations with a society he no longer can agree with.

Customer Reviews

A Frontier Clasic
"The Last of The Mohicans" is the second in the Leatherstocking series by America's first professional novelist, James Fenimore Cooper. Set in upstate New York during the French and Indian War, it introduces the reader to the Eighteenth Century world inhabited by settlers and Indians. This work contains both continuations and similarities to "The Deerlsayer" (see my Amazon reivew). The Deerlsayer is now known as Hawkeye and seems to be more a man of action and less a man of words. Chingachgook remains his loyal friend, although the Indian nature is more presented by his son, Unca. As in "Deerslayer", much of the story revolves around two sisters, in this case Cora and Alice, who are making their way in the wilderness with the aid of their companions. Like in "Deerlsayer" the saga finds its action in war and chase scenes involving American settlers and their Indian allies against Indians opposed to them. This series is rare among early American literature in that the Indians display characters of their own. A bit of comedy is introduced into the narrative by the character of David Gamut, the professional psalmodist who, despite having gifts so ill-suited to the environment of the story, still manages to play a helpful role in the conflict running throughout the book.

I read this for "mood setting" during a trip to Cooperstown and other areas in which the book is set and in which the author lived. I was also interested in a familiarity with this classic of American literature. As a reader of my Amazon reviews is aware, I tend much more toward history than to novels and, generally, enjoy them much more. That being said, this novel is a keeper. It is an enjoyable and edifying read, even if classical novels are not your forte.

Hard to understand
This book is not quite what I expected. I expected a book I could UNDERSTAND. It may have a nice adventurous plot, but it is just way too hard to read. It was more of a burden to read than a joy. I see it as similar to a majic eye. You can't figure out what it is saying unless you cross your eyes. If you like to read books at night to make you go to sleep this one is ideal. Also, I found that I had to stop and think about what I just read because it was so hard to read and understand. I lost my excitement for reading it on the first page.

A true classic
I never really had any intention of ever reading this booking, having assumed that it was romanticized nonesense, but after watching the movie, and, for some reason, enjoying it, I decided that the time had come: I had to read the book.

So I did. At first, I'll admit, the going was a little slow, as the writing is somewhat fanciful and the dialogue stilted, but this awkwardness became less of an issue the more I became enthralled by the story.

Having seen the movie in advance, it was interesting to see how much the movie had in fact diverged from the story. Actually, aside from many of the characters, the setting, and the general premise of the story, the movie is quite different from the book. So much so, that it is safe to say that the movie has totally failed to capture the true spirit of the novel, and is little more than the typical Hollywood historical romance. The most unfortunate aspect of the movie, however, is how the "patriotic" element was incorporated--this is simply not in the book. I do have to say that the movie in its own right is good, but it utterly fails as an adaptation.

The is no doubt that Last of the Mohicans is a classic. It is a book that I know will be reread a number of times before my time comes, and I'm sure with each reading, new meaning and insight will be found in its pages.