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saholst's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
I loved this book, the author’s voice is perfect for the high mountain valleys that she loves. I especially enjoyed the pure magic of the arctic chapters and the exploration of the earth as mother.
There is a particularly brutal description of familial sexual assault that snuck up on me. Important for the author’s story but it’s in stark contrast to the rest of the book.
Also I wanted more careful treatment of the indigenous peoples of this land. They are barely mentioned and not at all in the exploration of the history of her place.
There is a particularly brutal description of familial sexual assault that snuck up on me. Important for the author’s story but it’s in stark contrast to the rest of the book.
Also I wanted more careful treatment of the indigenous peoples of this land. They are barely mentioned and not at all in the exploration of the history of her place.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual violence and Sexual assault
bookish_manda's review
5.0
Deep Creek: Finding Hope in the High Country is a collection of essays written by Pam Houston about her experiences with connecting to her ranch in Colorado and how that has helped heal her from her past experiences with her negligent and abusive parents. There are also environmentalists themes within most of these essays as well. This collection is broken into five parts: Getting Out, Digging In, Diary of a Fire, Elsewhere, and Deep Creek. Houston writes in prose form, and she is easy to connect with and understand. She is passionate and you can tell through her writing that she has spent a lot of time reflecting on her life.
I am currently working on a book challenge for the school district I teach in, and one of the categories is Collection of Short Stories or Essays. I stumbled upon Deep Creek while searching this as a tag and was immediately interested in reading it. I don't read many of these kinds of books, and pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed reading this book. My favorite essay in this collection was "Kindness" because it made me laugh out loud, but also told the lesson of learning to trust strangers and loved ones. As I was reading this I found myself so grateful for Martha Washington. She sounds like she was a spectacular woman with a beautiful soul. I wish I could've met her in person, but I am inspired by just reading about her and how Houston saw her in her experiences with helpful strangers.
I think this book would be great for a book club or for anyone who loves nature and the environment. Houston paints beautiful imagery that provokes emotion.
I am currently working on a book challenge for the school district I teach in, and one of the categories is Collection of Short Stories or Essays. I stumbled upon Deep Creek while searching this as a tag and was immediately interested in reading it. I don't read many of these kinds of books, and pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed reading this book. My favorite essay in this collection was "Kindness" because it made me laugh out loud, but also told the lesson of learning to trust strangers and loved ones. As I was reading this I found myself so grateful for Martha Washington. She sounds like she was a spectacular woman with a beautiful soul. I wish I could've met her in person, but I am inspired by just reading about her and how Houston saw her in her experiences with helpful strangers.
I think this book would be great for a book club or for anyone who loves nature and the environment. Houston paints beautiful imagery that provokes emotion.
mawalker1962's review against another edition
5.0
Sometimes you read the right book at just the right moment. This was one of those books for me.
jempz's review against another edition
5.0
It would be impossible for me to not like this book. Pam writes beautifully with wisdom, humor, and vulnerability. As someone who loves dogs and finds healing/solace in nature, it felt like an older version of me was telling myself life stories. (Though she has lived through far more trauma, grief, and extreme scenarios than I have.) I’m glad to have randomly found this book and will be looking into more of Pam Houston’s writings.
arielamandah's review
5.0
Blown away by this lovely book. It reads like the best, engaging fiction but has the oomph and meaningfulness of memoir. Houston is such a lovely writer. I am surprised and delighted that I am just discovering her now. Of course, this is not a book for everyone. It’s not perfect. Yet, within the first chapter, it burrowed inside my head and inside my heart.
Read it for the section on saying goodbye to her dog (which beautifully takes us by the hand and leads readers into the book’s thread of environmental writing), stay for her description of a boat trip to the arctic, and save the section on wildfire for when you have a long expanse of free time (it’s hard to put down).
Do you ever wish you could pin pieces of books on your wall like pictures or postcards so you could slip into them and inhabit them again at a glance? So many parts of her book were this for me.
Read it for the section on saying goodbye to her dog (which beautifully takes us by the hand and leads readers into the book’s thread of environmental writing), stay for her description of a boat trip to the arctic, and save the section on wildfire for when you have a long expanse of free time (it’s hard to put down).
Do you ever wish you could pin pieces of books on your wall like pictures or postcards so you could slip into them and inhabit them again at a glance? So many parts of her book were this for me.
femmeradicale's review against another edition
4.0
I'd been waiting for this since I heard an interview between Houston and Cheryl Strayed a couple of years ago. It was well worth the wait. Pam Houston's voice is a treasure. This book combines personal narrative with meditations on nature and what it means to be home. It was honest, insightful, and beautifully written.
anberel's review
5.0
Absolutely stunning
Perhaps one of the best books I’ve ever read (and I’ve read hundreds). Most certainly it is the best memoir I’ve ever read. It’s honest, brutal, tender, and big hearted. You would have to be made of stone not to be invested in Pam and her ranch within the first few pages.
The way she blends her personal life with the risks currently facing the environment is poignant in a way that I think we need right now. We’ve spent too long borrowing against the future of our planet and the mortgage has come due. People need to read this and be exposed to the world as it really is, because we’ve never been so close to the point of no return as we are now.
Perhaps one of the best books I’ve ever read (and I’ve read hundreds). Most certainly it is the best memoir I’ve ever read. It’s honest, brutal, tender, and big hearted. You would have to be made of stone not to be invested in Pam and her ranch within the first few pages.
The way she blends her personal life with the risks currently facing the environment is poignant in a way that I think we need right now. We’ve spent too long borrowing against the future of our planet and the mortgage has come due. People need to read this and be exposed to the world as it really is, because we’ve never been so close to the point of no return as we are now.
ggmelone's review against another edition
2.0
first 100 pages are good, the last 200 are mostly pam writing incessantly about a fire and being conflicted about traveling the world and being concerned about climate change. her voice is strong throughout but it’s annoying