Thirteen Moons

A Novel

By: Charles Frazier

Narrated by: Will Patton

Length: 15 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

This magnificent novel by one of America's finest writers is the epic of one man's remarkable journey, set in 19th-century America against the background of a vanishing people and a rich way of life.

At the age of 12, under the Wind moon, Will is given a horse, a key, and a map, and sent alone into the Indian Nation to run a trading post as a bound boy. It is during this time that he grows into a man, learning, as he does, of the raw power it takes to create a life, to find a home. In a card game with a white Indian named Featherstone, Will wins - for a brief moment - a mysterious girl named Claire, and his passion and desire for her spans this novel.

As Will's destiny intertwines with the fate of the Cherokee Indians - including a Cherokee chief named Bear - he learns how to fight and survive in the face of both nature and man. Eventually, under the Corn Tassel Moon, Will begins the fight against Washington to preserve the Cherokee's homeland and culture. And he will come to know the truth behind his belief that "only desire trumps time".

Brilliantly imagined, written with great power and beauty by a master of American fiction, Thirteen Moons is a stunning novel about a man's passion for a woman, and how loss, longing, and love can shape a man's destiny over the many moons of a life.

Don't miss Charles Frazier's debut novel, Cold Mountain.

©2006 3 Crows Corporation (P)2006 Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A bountiful literary panorama....The history that Frazier hauntingly unwinds through Will is as melodic as it is melancholy, but the sublime love story is the narrative's true heart." (Publishers Weekly)

Incredibly Beautiful Storytelling

Thirteen Moons is a masterpiece! A slice of American history before and after the Civil War. Such warmth, color, sensitivity - brilliant writer and perfect narration. A cross between Mark Twain and Ken burns. Highly recommend!!!

Awesome storyline expertly told/read

This is my 2nd time listening to this audio book. I love it. the strong characters, the reference to our history, the love story, the bonds of friendship, the conflicts among people, the politics and social struggles all of it told in beautiful language that leaves you wanting more. One of those books that you want to tell everyone about.

Not if you are easily saddened

The first 1/4 was so enjoyable, his beautiful horse, his lover... Don't read this if you have a soft spot for horses. It's occasionally beautiful but quite melancholy. Forlorn, but hard to relate to the female lead who for no apparent reason comes and goes. I'm not so sure about his portrayal of native Americans either. Still it's memorable for me.

Loved the book! Thoroughly enjoy Frazier books!!

I thoroughly enjoyed Cold Mountain. This book didn't disappoint - couldn't stop listening to it. Will be listening again. A new favorite!

13 moons, a novel

I thoroughly enjoyed this book each of the time times I have read it. Will Patton is such an easy voice to listen to. He makes the story come alive.

Lovely (But Aimless) Writing

Many parts of this book are beautifully written and thus a pleasure to listen to (particularly with Patton narrating), but the story doesn't go anywhere. While this is clearly meant to be a character story (the story of one man's life) most of the characters aren't well developed and I didn't care much about them. Many characters, including the narrator's love interest, seem to exist just to offer the protagonist something to react against, with no real lives of their own.

Beautiful!!

beautiful as the memory of a dream. loved the addition of music so perfect to the theme. will leave a fingerprint on my soul.

A fascinating, great epic tale

While different from Cold Mtn, 13 Moons is a great tale of love and honor. I listened to the last 6 hours of it virtually non-stop, I was so taken with it. It's a fascinating story of the south's Indian's (Cherokee, primarily) and pre-Civil War politics that is little heard. Contrary to the other reviewer, I thought the reader was excellent.

Wanna go back in time?

This book is truly a beautiful piece of poetic literature. The way Frazier puts the reader/listener there in the place and time is, in a way, a humbling experience. How anyone could call such story "dull" is beyond me - hard to imagine while I'm sitting and listening for long stretches of time after the car is parked, the engine off. Will Patton - typically playing characters I've despised in films because he is so great at being evil - is actually just the guy for this reading. His accents and voice inflections aren't distracting but actually inviting. My only complaint would be the music that seems to appear fairly often towards the beginning. Otherwise - enjoy.

thirteen weeks

"Thirteen weeks" would be a better title - that's about how long it felt by the time I had completed this book. While I would agree that the author is a wonderful writer - some passages are beautifully written - the book itself did not seem to have much of a plot. Most of the time, it was somewhat boring. I loved Cold Mountain, but I certainly will not rush to listen to his next novel.