Reviews - Dans les forêts de Sibérie

146 reviews for:

Dans les forêts de Sibérie

Sylvain Tesson

3.68 AVERAGE

gibtrain's review against another edition

4.75

adventurous emotional informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

katybug25's review against another edition

3.0

Sylvain Tesson writes of his stay in a cabin located near Lake Baikal, Siberia. His contemplations of time, hermitage, and nature were interesting. I loved his descriptions of nature. They made me think about my own experiences of joy in the outdoors. I thought his attitude towards the Russian military men who disturbed his peace was a little funny, since he is not a native (he is French), and they were having fun (playing music, drinking, and jumping in freezing water). He also made statements about how Russians keep their refuse around, rather than throwing it away. This reminded me of rural Texas (or anyone who keeps broken machinery for parts). I thought he was judgmental at times, and when I mentioned it to a friend their explanation was that he is French and the French judge everything. His friendships with his neighbors, and the fishermen who passed through was intriguing. It was amusing to read his aversion and appreciation of people. I think he was using nature and solitude to isolate himself from his prior life. His stay sounded very restful mentally (he did quite a bit of physical labor). It was odd that he only mentioned his family ties, and his partner a few times throughout his entries. The fact that he does not write about his partner, made me wonder about their relationship and guess the causes for her ending it. Overall this was enjoyable read that made me want to visit Lake Baikal (even though that will probably not be happening for a while, with the political unrest occurring).