The Coldest Night

Written by Robert Olmstead

Narrated by Richard Poe

The recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship and the Heartland Prize for his fiction, Robert Olmstead crafts riveting prose about love, war, and the human condition. Set in 1950, The Coldest Night follows Henry, a marine who arrives in Korea just before the devastating Chosin Reservoir battle. Days of brutal fighting leave Henry forever haunted by what he's seen, but the true depth of his scars doesn't become apparent until he returns home-and finds that the combat he loathed may be the closest he'll ever come to feeling truly alive.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 3, 2012
• ISBN: 9781464038341

Reviews for The Coldest Night

[peggygillman · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book was a disappointment. Half of it was a war book set in Korea and I just don’t want to read about that unless it’s written by a woman. This was such a man book. Two star crossed lovers from both sides of the tracks meet, get torn asunder by her rich family and then get back together over their baby. 6/28

[txwildflower_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

One the front cover of this book it says under the title A Novel of Love and War. That is exactly what it is. The first part is about love between two young people and they run off to be together but her father and brother soon bring her back home. The middle part is about the Korean War and the boy enlists in the Marines and is sent over to fight in this terrible war which will change him forever. The last part is coming home and learning to exist in society and life again. The book is well written but I just didn't like the war scenes and the hardship of war.

[maneekuhi · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was attracted to this book because it had a number of "best book" mentions for 2012 and because the plot summary of love story +Korean War + return home struck home. There was a lot about the book I really liked, particularly the middle third dealing with battle scenes from a war that still has not gotten its due. But there was a lot I did not care for, particularly the writing style. Much of the dialog seemed impressionistic, as though every sentence had a hidden meaning. Too often, much of the story seemed vague, as though lots of little details, including things that people really talk about, were avoided. But then there would be a scene of several pages were there was lots of discussion and/or description, and I came away thinking "now what was that about?" There were a number of well done, steamy love scenes, but I couldn't help feel that they were unreal for the 1940's US. The ending was particularly foggy and disappointing. I hadn't read Olmstead before and am not likely to read a second book.

[pennsylady · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The year is 1950.Henry Childs is a high school junior with a fervor for horses and baseball.As a stable hand he meets Mercy, who is wealthy and university-bound.Henry, by contrast, is simply handsome and destined for reliable blue-collar labor.This coming of age story begins with an intense love affair, soon to be stifled by the fury and vengeance of Mercy's father and brother."To escape the wrath of the young girl’s father, Henry joins the Marines, arriving in Korea on the eve of the brutal battle of the Chosin Reservoir—the defining moment of the Korean War." (overview comment)We're then taken through an intense study of war and fellowship that leave Henry "scarred and haunted".Love...war... (heaven...hell) and "the double-edged role of memory, which can both sustain and destroy."I've only grazed the surface of elements such as joy, sorrow, fear, and hatred.You'll have a much deeper feel for the characters when you read the story.Needless to say, I recommend the read.