Reviews

North Woods by Daniel Mason

kjreadsbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated

5.0

m2gnr's review against another edition

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  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

thekatedit's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective

4.5

mikeyt's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing slow-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? Yes

4.5

jcnista's review against another edition

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Almost finished.  Read like a bunch of short stories.  Interesting but ultimately wasn’t compelled to continue.

fourstringspark's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

 
I’m a sucker for gimmicks, and on that count, North Woods delivered amply. With a series of often interconnected stories in different voices from different eras, North Woods reminded me a bit of David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas, another book that I couldn’t put down. Whereas Cloud Atlas centered around the passage of a soul and a song (composition) across eras and cultures, North Woods follows the epic life of a house and all of the people, animals, insects, and ghosts that call it home until the page turns again. It’s a book about change and its inevitability. It’s also a book about nature – how it shapes us and we shape it. Which leads to one of the more pleasant surprises of North Woods given that it was written by a physician (a psychiatrist): this book has some of the most beautiful nature writing I’ve ever encountered. Author Daniel Mason veers from the rapturous and impressionistic, to scientific scenarios with an obsessive level of detail that would make Nicholson Baker envious. What I suppose I should have expected from a psychiatrist-author was a character with schizophrenia. Check. Also did not expect the supernatural touches, which ended up being a key element to the book. Didn’t want this book to end. Five stars without reservation. 

admorobo's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

kng247's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

johnbyers1500's review against another edition

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dark funny reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Summer solstice Lummi. Maybe best book ever??

mehunt424's review against another edition

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medium-paced

4.5