James Fenimore Cooper - The Pathfinder

A beast of a book! Started it about a month ago...it has been on my "to read" bookshelf for about 15 years :-(. Finally decided to get through it. Natty Bumpoo (aka Hawkeye, Leather Stocking, and Pathfinder to name a few) is a frontier legend. The LeatherStocking tales is Cooper's most recognized work. It is 5 books written at various times in the Pathfinder's life. Written in 1840, it is the 4th novel telling the tale of Pathfinder. It is a simple tale of leading a young woman through the woods, getting her to her father on an outpost, an adventure to a secret fort, a battle, and then the fade away. Mixed in is a love story (sort of). Decent story, a little wordy in parts, and well a little too much old English. I would shoot someone if they talked like that today...ughhhhh. Difficult to slog through as the tale wasn't gripping, the characters somewhat cardboardish, and the plot a bit see through. Interesting read as the main character has somewhat become the archetype for the American Male mythos. Natty can be traced to Hemingway's male characters which are stoic, easy going yet always prone to having life turn on them. Their resilience is always present and they take each event thrown at them with grace and honor. Good read overall just tough to read a 19th century novel.