As that introduction likely provides little clarity about the plot, let me summarize - the book is about a cabin in the northern woods of Massachusetts. The author precedes to tell the story of the people and land in and around those woods from the first European inhabitants to modern day. I'm not sure how many individual stories are told, but I would guess around 10. Engagingly, each story was quite different and styles being told varied. From a set of twin girls/woman who lived most of their lives on the land in the late 18th, early 19th centuries, to the scientist who ended up there to close out the novel, the characters and stories were excellent and engrossing.
Also, to be clear, about 95% of the book is just a simple fictional story of characters. Other things mentioned, poetry, art, etc., are interwoven in the book very rarely, though, they do give the book a different type of flavor that I've never experienced before and really enhanced the story. The star of the book are the individual vignettes told over the 200+ years of the going ons in the north woods. Those 10+ stories have such fascinating range and varying focuses that it's hard to not to be fully engaged throughout the story. Of course, the book also subtly highlights how much language and nature change over the years to the point that it was quite clear by the end that the current environmental factors are literally killing parts of the world's woods.
Perhaps what I most enjoyed about the book was the ways in which the (originally) simple dwelling and woods shifted over the many decades the book oversees. I've written before about how much I love stories that are multi-generational and tell about a family over a long period of time. I've always been so curious about people's journey over an entire lifetime and few books tend to cover that much ground. That's part of the reason I so enjoyed East of Eden (both reviews) and Pillars of the Earth; like this novel, those also cover a lot of time which makes the evolution of characters (in this case setting), much richer.
I'm not sure if this novel will be beloved by everyone. If you are like me, you will definitely find some of the stories less enjoyable than others; and, again, if you are like me, you could forego the poetry included. You also might find some of the metaphysical aspects of the book odd, unnecessary, or unrealistic (I loved them as they connected multiple stories). Regardless, I do think it's worth giving this book a try. It's short, it's got a lot to offer, and it's also got a really cool cover I just realized (check below)!
Nice review Thanks
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