The Last of the Mohicans

The Last of the Mohicans is one of Mrs.’ top 10 movies of all-time and a film that I also really enjoy.  Because of this I’d always wanted to read the book by James Fennimore Cooper.  The novel tells the story of Chingachgook, his son Uncas (the last of the Mohican tribe) and their friend, the frontiersman Hawkeye, as they attempt to rescue Cora and Alice Munro, the daughters of a British commander in French and Indian War.  The sisters first encounter the Mohicans and Hawkeye while being escorted to their father’s fort by Duncan, a major in Munro’s army and the trio helps guide them all safely.  The action takes the reader from the fort where the French defeat the British to a Huron village where Cora and Alice are held captive after being abducted by Magua, a Huran chief, and all throughout the mountains and woods of upstate New York.

The Good:  My first observation is that the book differs in many ways from the movie, but this isn’t a bad thing at all.  In fact, I think a movie more faithful to the novel would be incredibly interesting and suspenseful in its own right.  The main differences are that the novel focuses more on the Indian tribes, where a large portion of the action takes place, and that the novel doesn’t have the same romantic relationships that the movie presents (oh, Hollywood).  The story really moves once the sisters are kidnapped and the rescue begins.  It was also really interesting to see the plight of the Indians as the Europeans are slowly taking over their country and their ways and traditions begin to die (symbolically with the last of the Mohican tribe).

The Bad:  The book is a tad long and a little slow at the beginning.  There’s lots of description of the settings, the mountains, the rivers, etc., and while well written, as a modern reader I could do with a little less.  My only other critique is that I don’t like when writers talk to the reader, such as “now reader this or now reader that”.  For example Cooper begins a chapter with “. . . we use an author’s privilege, and shift the scene a few miles to the west . . .”, and writes similarly several times.  Just tell the story, don’t tell me that you’re telling the story.  Just a small pet peeve, but maybe this was a popular writing device 200 years ago.

The Verdict:  I’m glad I finally picked up The Last of the Mohicans to read, and overall I would definitely recommend the novel.

Next up:  Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell