The Pathfinder by James Fenimore CooperMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is my favorite so far of the Leatherstocking Tales. A good plot, a good set of characters, a fun setting, a couple foul villains--it works well.
James Fenimore Cooper is not, in my opinion, an easy read. He has some tics that will annoy, and he belabors some dull scenes while rushing through the great ones, and I know that not too many of my friends would like this book. But he does some fun things that make it worthwhile for some readers.
Although the book is full of action--fighting down a river, chased by the enemy; sailing through a storm on Lake Ontario; facing overwhelming numbers from inside a fort hidden on a small island--one of the best scenes is just a shooting contest on a peaceful day at Fort Oswego. It's great fun seeing Hawkeye/Pathfinder outshooting everyone, just as you know he should, without breaking a sweat, but there's more to it. On one hand, we see the wives of the officers being bitchy to the humble, pretty daughter of a nobody sergeant. On the other, we find an annoying and cocky gentleman getting beaten by his inferiors. Just that is fun, but it's the juxtaposition of those events which supplies a nice critique of society at that time, the continued stratification of society that makes so little sense out in the forest. Of course, it's always fun to see Pathfinder be awesome. What's the point of his being the best shot on the frontier if we don't see him shoot?
The author puts less philosophy in Pathfinder's mouth in this book, and the novel's better for it. (He doesn't resist completely, however, and those are my least favorite passages.) Still, he has a lot more action in this novel than in others (IMO) and it makes a less laborious and more entertaining read. And, as always, knowing the whole of a classic novel has its own rewards, and I think for some readers that's reason enough.
So I liked it. Others may not. Recommended for a pretty narrow group of readers, I fear. :)
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