'North Woods' by Daniel Mason is a novel that spans centuries, telling the story of a piece of land in Massachusetts and the various characters who inhabit or are connected to it over time. The book explores themes of nature, humanity, change, and interconnectedness through a series of short stories featuring different characters who leave their mark on the land. The author's writing style is described as poetic, capturing the essence of nature and the passage of time in a lyrical and captivating manner.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings for North Woods include themes of historical racism, violence during colonization, and environmental destruction.
Has Romance?
There are elements of romance present throughout the narrative, particularly in the evolving relationships of the characters, making it a medium presence.
From The Publisher:
New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice
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
ONE OF THE WASHINGTON POST 'S TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR
A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: Time, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly
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?
Ratings (43)
Incredible (18) | |
Loved It (11) | |
Liked It (7) | |
It Was OK (4) | |
Did Not Like (2) | |
Hated It (1) |
Reader Stats (78):
Read It (45) | |
Currently Reading (2) | |
Want To Read (28) | |
Not Interested (3) |
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North Woods?
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