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gena10's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Death
lilly_dav_reading's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
The author said it himself-just out of context, “The book was massive and terrible and untethered, and as a reader who prided herself on not slinking before difficult texts, she found herself in awe at its sheer strangeness.”
{+} loved the concept, loved how the stories weeded together in the most delicious of ways, loved that the stories are filled with ghosts of their predecessors.
{-} took me forever to finish because it felt very long winded at times.
But happy I stuck it out because it’s a beautiful tale of time, nature, and the humans who navigate time and nature.
{+} loved the concept, loved how the stories weeded together in the most delicious of ways, loved that the stories are filled with ghosts of their predecessors.
{-} took me forever to finish because it felt very long winded at times.
But happy I stuck it out because it’s a beautiful tale of time, nature, and the humans who navigate time and nature.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Violence and Mental illness
Minor: Racism
wordswithjustine's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
I almost DNF'd this book because I wasn't in a murdery frame of mind nor do I pre er books with much sex and it seemed like those things were maybe going to be the focus. I am glad I stuck with it. The nature focus shines through in the second half. The writing is absolutely extraordinary with so many strands woven together.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, and Murder
Moderate: Slavery, Sexual content, Dementia, and Gore
fkshg8465's review
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This is one of the most interesting storytelling formats I’ve ever read. Is done effectively. It’s almost like a bunch of short stories connected through time with the setting and the part characters weaved throughout to provide continuity. It was enjoyable to read and to contemplate.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Ableism, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Blood, Confinement, Cancer, Car accident, Death, Mental illness, Violence, Hate crime, Fire/Fire injury, and Suicide attempt
mammut's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Slavery, Murder, Ableism, Car accident, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Violence
dizzymisslizzy's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Slavery, Murder, Mental illness, Car accident, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Homophobia and Suicide attempt
town_scar's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Have we not all looked at houses all around the world and pondered what history the walls may tell? What the earth might know?
This novel is a true masterpiece. A combination of prose and poetry that embodies naturalism and spiritualism at its core.
Perhaps my only gripe is that I wish there had been a greater focus on non-White individuals. The main owners of the house are all white (with a single brief exception) and while the original inhabitants of the land are acknowledged they are not given a voice.
This novel is a true masterpiece. A combination of prose and poetry that embodies naturalism and spiritualism at its core.
Perhaps my only gripe is that I wish there had been a greater focus on non-White individuals. The main owners of the house are all white (with a single brief exception) and while the original inhabitants of the land are acknowledged they are not given a voice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Mental illness, Death, Homophobia, Outing, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Colonisation, Blood, Car accident, Violence, Slavery, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Medical content, and Body horror
Moderate: Sexual content, Sexism, Racism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Cancer
mselvis's review against another edition
informative
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Murder, Confinement, Body horror, Sexual content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Gore
ashleyjean6's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Original and well written! It's genre defying: historical fiction, ghost story, thriller, academic essay, nature essay, poetry. It is also both a novel, but one made up of many short stories tied together by a place. The book starts during the 1600s and continues to modern day and beyond. Without spoiling things, I can't add much details. Only to say that while the overall tone of each story is typically a combination of sad and bizarre, it is also thought provoking and inspiring in its sheer creativity. Highly recommend. The audiobook was also very well done!!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Colonisation, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Car accident, Child death, Animal death, Cancer, Death, Dementia, Murder, Slavery, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and War
halkid2's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
NORTH WOODS is unlike any book I've ever read. But its distinctive approach to story, exceptional use of language, and thoughtful messages are not to be missed. It's on both The Washington Post and New York Times lists of Top Ten Books of 2023. Though it's not necessarily a book that will appeal to everyone.
Looking at the novel from the ten thousand foot vantage point, it's about one plot of land in western Massachusetts and the assorted people who have lived there over centuries. In many ways, the book reads like a series of short stories (and poems). But the house, with its slow expansion and eventual decay, is not nearly as important as the lives of its residents. Because the message at the heart of the book is the richness inherent in EACH person’s life story and, perhaps more importantly, how much of that richness is lost over time. And this same richness of story is true in every location, everywhere.
These are stories of love, betrayal, jealousy, and revenge. There are even references to connections that live on after death. Whether it's an apple tree farmer planting an orchard, an enslaved woman on the run, twin sisters reconnecting with a childhood friend, a son struggling with mental illness, or a little known artist and his evolving relationship with a writer -- each person's life in this one spot has a way of impacting those that follow. And that together they form a never-ending cycle of human connection that is built into the passage of time.
Author Daniel Mason's skill with language is extraordinary. Both his poems and prose are full of beautifully crafted phrases that evoke detailed images of nature. And throughout the novel, he continually refers to the value of the natural world to all of us.
This is a book that will likely make you think about larger themes. Like isolation, relationship, connection, even reality. This is my first experience with this author. But it certainly won't be my last.
Looking at the novel from the ten thousand foot vantage point, it's about one plot of land in western Massachusetts and the assorted people who have lived there over centuries. In many ways, the book reads like a series of short stories (and poems). But the house, with its slow expansion and eventual decay, is not nearly as important as the lives of its residents. Because the message at the heart of the book is the richness inherent in EACH person’s life story and, perhaps more importantly, how much of that richness is lost over time. And this same richness of story is true in every location, everywhere.
These are stories of love, betrayal, jealousy, and revenge. There are even references to connections that live on after death. Whether it's an apple tree farmer planting an orchard, an enslaved woman on the run, twin sisters reconnecting with a childhood friend, a son struggling with mental illness, or a little known artist and his evolving relationship with a writer -- each person's life in this one spot has a way of impacting those that follow. And that together they form a never-ending cycle of human connection that is built into the passage of time.
Author Daniel Mason's skill with language is extraordinary. Both his poems and prose are full of beautifully crafted phrases that evoke detailed images of nature. And throughout the novel, he continually refers to the value of the natural world to all of us.
This is a book that will likely make you think about larger themes. Like isolation, relationship, connection, even reality. This is my first experience with this author. But it certainly won't be my last.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Mental illness