Thirteen Moons (novel)

"Thirteen Moons" is an historical novel published in October 2006 by American author Charles Frazier, his second book after the award-winning "Cold Mountain". It is loosely based on the life of William Holland Thomas.

Frazier’s "Thirteen Moons" is the story of one man’s life, spanning a century of immense change. [ [http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780375509322 Random House blurb] ] It is primarily set in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in America. A 12-year-old orphan, Will Cooper, is given a horse, a key, and a map, and then sent on a journey through the wilderness near the Cherokee Nation, in what is now North Carolina. When Will is discovered by the native Americans, he is adopted by the Cherokee Nation and its chief.

"Thirteen Moons" leads the reader from the wilderness of an unspoiled continent, across the South, up and down the Mississippi River, and then into a new capitol, Washington, D.C.Washington City. All throughout this tale, Will admires the beauty of the nineteenth century while living amidst the era of a changing continental domestication; the early 20th century. With its rich historical tapestry, woven throughout vivid scenes of early American grandeur, "Thirteen Moons" again evokes the style and imagery of early America by the gifted author.

Contract

Charles Frazier was given an advance payment of over $8 million for a proposal that became "Thirteen Moons". [cite news | author=Shira Boss | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/13/business/yourmoney/13book.html?pagewanted=2 | title=The Greatest Mystery: Making a Best Seller | publisher=The New York Times | date=2007-05-13 | accessdate=2007-11-04 ] The book had an initial print run of 750,000 copies, but sold only approximately half of them. It is estimated that Random House lost 5.5 million dollars on the advance. [ [http://nymag.com/news/media/50279/index7.html Have We Reached the End of Publishing as We Know it?] ] .

External links

* [http://fora.tv/fora/showthread.php?t=515 Watch Charles Frazier talk about his new book "Thirteen Moons"] December 6, 2006 (video)

Footnotes