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lyx's review against another edition
Would probably come back to this sometime later.
hannahnyrie's review against another edition
5.0
"But behind the sheaves, and under the sod, there lurks a ripe fruit, which the reapers have not gathered, the true harvest of the year, which it bears forever, annually watering and maturing it, and man never severs the stalk which bears this palatable fruit."
At times a simple and poetic travel narrative, A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers follows Thoreau as he weaves together careful descriptions of Nature with intimate musings on friendship, virtue, literature, and culture.
I am trying not to be quick in calling this a better book than Thoreau's magnum opus Walden. I am still caught in the throws of the majesty of this text, having just finished it. (I haven't read Walden in its totality in almost two years.) A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers was published before Walden, and is one of the only two books that Thoreau actually published himself. There is something much more youthful about this book; Walden is a mature text, Thoreau knew himself and his beliefs better and was able to organize his thoughts clearly. A Week is a travel narrative spanning the course of a week's journey down the rivers of New England, but often and pleasantly veers off and lands on shores rich with wisdom. The reader is essentially following Thoreau's train of thought. On that same note I feel as though Walden was written consciously, whilst A Week reads as the natural fruition of a solemn September river journey. Not to say Walden is so concrete, but it is certainly more concise in its layout.
I adored this book. It has left me hungry for more of Thoreau's beautiful musings and inspired dialogue. With each of his works that I read, I understand more and more the final line of Emerson's eulogy,
"His soul was made for the noblest society; he had in a short life exhausted the capabilities of this world; wherever there is knowledge, wherever there is virtue, wherever there is beauty, he will find a home."
At times a simple and poetic travel narrative, A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers follows Thoreau as he weaves together careful descriptions of Nature with intimate musings on friendship, virtue, literature, and culture.
I am trying not to be quick in calling this a better book than Thoreau's magnum opus Walden. I am still caught in the throws of the majesty of this text, having just finished it. (I haven't read Walden in its totality in almost two years.) A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers was published before Walden, and is one of the only two books that Thoreau actually published himself. There is something much more youthful about this book; Walden is a mature text, Thoreau knew himself and his beliefs better and was able to organize his thoughts clearly. A Week is a travel narrative spanning the course of a week's journey down the rivers of New England, but often and pleasantly veers off and lands on shores rich with wisdom. The reader is essentially following Thoreau's train of thought. On that same note I feel as though Walden was written consciously, whilst A Week reads as the natural fruition of a solemn September river journey. Not to say Walden is so concrete, but it is certainly more concise in its layout.
I adored this book. It has left me hungry for more of Thoreau's beautiful musings and inspired dialogue. With each of his works that I read, I understand more and more the final line of Emerson's eulogy,
"His soul was made for the noblest society; he had in a short life exhausted the capabilities of this world; wherever there is knowledge, wherever there is virtue, wherever there is beauty, he will find a home."
charlieatkins12's review against another edition
4.0
With his customarily intimate, passionate, meditative, and meandering voice, Thoreau takes us with him on a weeklong journey through the Concord and Merrimack Rivers, regaling us the whole way with naturalistic observations, from the local fishes to the trees and seasons; historical and anecdotal tales of New England's founding; philosophical meditations on poetry, friendship, Christianity, and Eastern religions; and remarks on American culture—all of which express his profound love and admiration for life.
cdcsmith's review against another edition
3.0
This was like reading three different books in one. First, the nature book about the sights and sounds on the journey. I liked that part a lot. There was history woven into it with perfection. Loved it. But then there was the whole philosophical thing going on. Sometimes I liked it better than other times. Most of the time though, that wasn't why I picked up this book and it weighed it down for me. I found myself maybe agreeing, maybe arguing a bit, but mostly just wanting to be done so I could go back to reading about the other stuff. Maybe if I had known it was going to be like that, I would have given it a better review, but I didn't.
I will say that a lot of what he wrote about (religion/society) could be written today as well. The sights and sounds be wrote about, less so.
I will say that a lot of what he wrote about (religion/society) could be written today as well. The sights and sounds be wrote about, less so.
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