North Woods - Daniel Mason ------------------ 4 Stars

I'm not sure I've ever read anything like Daniel Mason's North Woods. The book was unique (well, I guess all books are technically unique). While a fictional novel, it was part poetry, biology, art, pro-environment treatise, and historical fiction. While divisive based on reviews post-finished reading, I found I really enjoyed numerous aspects of this story.

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)!

State of Wonder - Ann Patchet -------------- 2.5 Stars

A recent recommendation and a well regarded book by most measures, I thought I'd really enjoy Ann Patchet's State of Wonder. Based on the first sentence of the Amazon description, "In a narrative replete with poison arrows, devouring snakes, scientific miracles, and spiritual transformations, State of Wonder presents a world of stunning surprise and danger, rich in emotional resonance and moral complexity," it really does sound great. Unfortunately, I just didn't end up enjoying it.

Usually when I don't enjoy a book it's because "nothing happens" or "it's too slow." Interestingly, neither was true in this case. The book had a lot happen; in many ways it was an adventure novel. Also, the pace was good, while there were a few times that it either was repetitive or the plot stalled, for the most part, I thought it moved fairly quickly and I was curious what was going to happen next. So, then, while all the hate?

Well, the novel did something that was rare for me - I found I didn't care at all about the characters. And, I'm not sure why. I guess they were likable enough, but I found their motivations pretty surface level and not real engaging. Again, it was a good plot too - the Amazon, snakes, a mysterious death, etc. For me, unfortunately, that couldn't outweigh that vast staleness of nearly every character in the story.

I suppose I should at least check myself as it may be a case of sexism. The core of this novel revolved around two woman doctors; perhaps that's the reason I couldn't identify as much and care as much about the story. There is also a major sub plot about pregnancy; so, again, perhaps that was part of my challenge. Either way, when you find you really don't identify or care about the characters, it makes it much harder to enjoy the story.

Of course, I think I am in a minority on this point. The person who recommended the book loved it, as did many, many people on Amazon and Goodreads. The author, Ann Patchet, she's no slouch either, winning the Pulitzer six years ago. And, to give credit, there were parts that were really great in the story. I found the start quite interesting and it had a good ending. And, to be clear, the book was a page turner; the plot was solid and filled with a ton of action.

So, on a whole, the book is one you'd probably enjoy; most people do. However, like any book, some people will enjoy it more than others, and I'm clearly in the minority for this one. Going back to the Amazon note there was absolutely "emotional resonance and moral complexity" taking place. But, I just found I didn't care much what that emotion and morality looked like.