North Woods
Ratings16
Average rating4.5
15
Ratings16
Average rating4.5
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR A WASHINGTON POST TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR • FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD A sweeping novel about a single house in the woods of New England, told through the lives of those who inhabit it across the centuries—“a time-spanning, genre-blurring work of storytelling magic” (The Washington Post) from the Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of The Piano Tuner and The Winter Soldier. “With the expansiveness and immersive feeling of two-time Booker Prize nominee David Mitchell’s fiction (Cloud Atlas), the wicked creepiness of Edgar Allan Poe, and Mason’s bone-deep knowledge of and appreciation for the natural world that’s on par with that of Thoreau, North Woods fires on all cylinders.”—San Francisco Chronicle New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice • A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: Time, The Boston Globe, NPR, Chicago Public Library, The Star Tribune, The Economist, The Christian Science Monitor, Real Simple, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Bookreporter When two young lovers abscond from a Puritan colony, little do they know that their humble cabin in the woods will become the home of an extraordinary succession of human and nonhuman characters alike. An English soldier, destined for glory, abandons the battlefields of the New World to devote himself to growing apples. A pair of spinster twins navigate war and famine, envy and desire. A crime reporter unearths an ancient mass grave—only to discover that the earth refuse to give up their secrets. A lovelorn painter, a sinister con man, a stalking panther, a lusty beetle: As the inhabitants confront the wonder and mystery around them, they begin to realize that the dark, raucous, beautiful past is very much alive. This magisterial and highly inventive novel from Pulitzer Prize finalist Daniel Mason brims with love and madness, humor and hope. Following the cycles of history, nature, and even language, North Woods shows the myriad, magical ways in which we’re connected to our environment, to history, and to one another. It is not just an unforgettable novel about secrets and destinies, but a way of looking at the world that asks the timeless question: How do we live on, even after we’re gone?
Reviews with the most likes.
This book has been buzzy for awards, and after reading it I very much understand why. It traces the history of a house in rural Massachusetts, starting with its establishment as a cabin by a pair of teenage lovers fleeing their Puritan settlement, all the way through the present day and beyond. In between there are murders, seances, a new breed of apple, a mountain lion, joy, and despair. The story is told through multiple formats, including songs, one side of a correspondence of letters, and an article from a true crime magazine. It's creative, compelling, and filled with callbacks to the past both large and small in a way that makes it rewarding to be an attentive reader of. I very much liked it and strongly recommend it.
Wow, what a brilliant read. It reminded me a lot of The Overstory with its trees and ecological themes, but spanning hundreds of years, a dozen central characters, twisting narrations and common stopping places. Immersive and enthralling.
Wow. Just wow. I loved this book despite my not thinking I would. I became so caught up in the lives of the humans and the nature around them. The last 2 chapters blew me away with the beauty of the writing (although the whole book is beautifully written--I just happened to love those chapters the best). The last line is perfection.
