The Pathfinder

I found this a terrific story: exciting, instructive, humorous, sad, awe-inspiring. The descriptions of the forest were wonderful. It has a lot of nautical terms, and paints a vivid picture of the fort in Oswego and Lake Ontario.

Cooper spins a tale that brings us immense pleasure at the character of his hero in this, Pathfinder. A simple, yet deep man, Cooper’s hero is an example of selflessness.

This book is the first in the "Leather Stocking Tales" series by Cooper. It has been considered a classic ever since it was written more than 200 years ago. The story is an exciing one of a very young man, Pathfinder, raised by Indians and in White Men's schools as well, on a government assignment in what appears to be the Ohio territory.Most of the action occurs on a lake in the middle of wich a pioneer and his two daughters have built their home which can be reached only by boat or canoe.With the French and Indian War looming, Pathfinder and a friend carry a message of warning to far out homesteads. But they are stopped at the lake. The pioneer and the friend decide to attack what appears to be a non-aggressive Indian encampment on shore simply because they are there and hated.The two men are clumsy and are captured. Pathfinder who paddled them ashore but did not join their scalp hunting venture escapes, and plans to go back and rescue the men--but is engaged in his first hand to hand do or die battle first. The Indian he kills renames him "Hawkeye" before he died.And it is the youngest, mentally disabled daughter who actually rescues her dad and the handsome and reckless friend.Chingachgook, Pathfinder's best friend, joins the group and tells them his love has been captured by this same group of Indians.The rest of the book follows the attempted rescue of the Indian Maiden, the arrival of soldiers from a near-by fort, the seductive ways of the older daughter of the pioneer.Although this is an accurate depiction of severl AmerIndian attitudes such as the polite and gentle treatment of the Indians of the Mentally chalenged young lady who comes to plead for her father, or Chingachgook's family heritage as pondered by Pathfinder, and the mind set of the white invaders as well, such as the pioneer and friends deciding to go scalp hunting among what appears to be peaceful Indians for no other reason than that they are Indians, this is not an easy book to read.The modern writer could write this same story, keep the tension and excitement in tact and do it in 1/4 the pages of this book. The flowery language that Pathfinder uses, for instance, with the Indian who attacks him and later renames him would have gotten him killed before he could have finished a sentence. And that is the problem with this book for modern readers.Much of the book purports to be Pathfinder's thinking to himself. The flowery language there might be acceptable as an example of how people thought and spoke in that time, but it is hard to get through. The description of the cabin is so detailed that it takes pages that could have been done in a paragraph and would have if written today.The resolution of the book, and the denoument of each character, including the supposed ending up of the Pioneer's eldest daughter, is easily followed and understood. As I said, the story is exciting and indictive of the mores and attitudes of the times in which it was written. To read the book to find out this type of thing would be a useful endeavor. To try to read it for enjoyment or relaxation is a waste of effort.

These are wonderful books to read, the pathfinder is the third in the series. Written in the early 1800s these novels take you back in time. With great characters and adventures, love and war.

Book claims to be illustrated to secure a higher price point, but there are no illustrations, not even simple pressed calligraphy, within the text.

This fine novel is inhibited by its print and point size making reading difficult to read and enjoy. There is also a lack of illustrations. Published by an unspecified publisher in Las Vegas, Nevada. Disapointing.

James Fenimore Cooper has a gift for getting the reader involved in his stories, this book is no exception. I had a difficult time putting the book down as I wanted to see what happened next.

I grew so tired of Uncle Cap so quickly that I was hoping the Mingos would quickly scalp him; and it was quite apparent that the 3, 4 or 5-timed married Quartermaster Lieutenant Davy Muir had an unsavory hidden agenda, while it was equally apparent that Jasper Eau-douce and Mabel Dunham would wed - all of which was presented in an enjoyable though sometimes tedious read!