Call number
FIC MAS
Collections
Publication
Random House (2023), 384 pages
Description
When a pair of young lovers abscond from a Puritan colony, little do they know that their humble cabin in the woods will become the home of an extraordinary succession of human and nonhuman characters alike. An English soldier, destined for glory, abandons the battlefields of the New World to devote himself to apples. A pair of spinster twins navigate war and famine, envy and desire. A crime reporter unearths a mass grave--only to discover that the ancient trees refuse to give up their secrets. A lovelorn painter, a sinister conman, a stalking panther, a lusty beetle: As each inhabitant confronts the wonder and mystery around them, they begin to realize that the dark, raucous, beautiful past is very much alive."--!cProvided by publisher.
Media reviews
Because Mason’s novel operates in such a robust variety of styles and voices, it is — perhaps more than its arboreal literary brethren — an unusually spectacular showcase of the various powerful responses that nature provokes in us, from wonderment to utter derangement ... If the episodes
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that make up North Woods are largely grim, Mason’s delivery is a pleasure, fueled by his exuberance at inhabiting the unique voices of a clutch of characters ... The fractured storytelling is all the better to suggest that, like the trees, humanity doesn’t operate in isolation. Show Less
Gorgeous ... Manages, impressively, to balance both the narrow and the long view, intimately focusing on the lives of each of the house's inhabitants, yet expansively encompassing American history, natural history, and the relentless march of time and the cycle of the seasons ... It is the elegance
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with which Mason spins and links these stories in 12 chapters (each roughly connected to a different month) that truly dazzles ... here is nothing meager about this book, or Daniel Mason's talent. Show Less
Mason’s historical fiction...brilliantly combine the granularity of realism with the timeless, shimmering allure of myth. His new novel, North Woods, promises — and delivers — more of the same ... A hodgepodge narrative, brazenly disjointed in time, perspective and form. Letters, poems and
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song lyrics, diary entries, medical case notes, real-estate listings, vintage botanical illustrations, pages of an almanac ... That North Woods proves captivating despite its piecemeal structure is testament to Mason’s powers as a writer, his stylish and supple narrative voice ... The secret of North Woods, its blending of the comic and the sublime, lies in the way Mason, deftly toggling between the macro and micro, manages to do both. He not only acknowledges cosmic indifference but celebrates it, even as he pauses to recognize the humans who experience jubilation and heartbreak as they wend their way toward oblivion. This is fiction that deals in minutes and in centuries, that captures the glory and the triviality of human lives. The forest and the trees: Mason keeps both in clear view in his eccentric and exhilarating novel. Show Less
Haunting, haunted ... The literary gods are inscrutable — the book club overlords even more so — but I’m praying you’ll consider getting lost in North Woods this fall. Elegantly designed with photos and illustrations, this is a time-spanning, genre-blurring work of storytelling magic ...
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Mason isn’t just passively watching the evolution of this site in the forest. Each chapter germinates its own form while sending out tendrils that entwine beneath the surface of the novel ... Revelatory. Show Less
Publisher's Weekly
...spectacular ghost story ... Mason interleaves his crystalline prose with enchanting and authentic-seeming historical documents, including a Native American captivity narrative, psychiatrist case notes, and pulpy true crime reportage. Each arc is beautifully, heartbreakingly conveyed, stitching
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together subtle connections across time. This astonishes. Show Less
Kirkus Reviews
Throughout, this loose and limber novel explores themes of illicit desire, madness, the occult, the palimpsest of human history, and the inexorable workings of the natural world...all handled with a touch that is light and sure. Like the house at its center, a book that is multitudinous and magical.
Library Journal
Remarkable ... Although the novel spends varying amounts of time with each successive set of characters, Mason depicts all of their stories with sympathy, sensitivity, and affectionate humor. Epic in scope and ambitious in style, this book succeeds on all counts. Highly recommended.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Cariola
North Woods is difficult to categorize. Is it a novel? Is it a collection of short stories? Is it a family saga? An environmental novel? The genealogy of a house over five centuries? A murder mystery? A ghost story? A gay romance? A social critique? My answer: All of the above and more.
All of the
Mason's book is beautifully written, brilliantly plotted, observant, sensitive to detail. And as so many professional reviewers have stated, it is simply magical. North Woods is a lament for all that we have lost but also a prayer for the time to come. I haven't read anything in years that comes close to it in originality and in its ability to make me not only feel but think. It's one of those rare books that, when I completed it, I felt I needed to rest awhile and then start it all over again. It's going to be difficult for any other book to nudge it from the top on this year's reading list.
All of the
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stories are in some way connected to one New England house and to the land surrounding it. It begins when a pair of lovers flee north from their Puritan community, at first hunted, but eventually settling peacefully on a plot of land that seems like paradise. Mason ingeniously uses the cabin they build as the framework of the book, tracing a succession of inhabitants through the centuries: a retired British soldier with a passion for apple cultivation; his two spinster daughters; a painter seeking solace who corresponds with a poet friend; a catamount; a ghost; a beetle bringing Dutch Elm Disease; an artists' colony; a madman; an anthropologist; and many, many more, all connected to one another by blood, land, house, memory. Every story is fascinating, and every story makes you want to connect the links between them. When you do, you realize that Mason has something important to say about time, place, nature, and the human condition. We may think that we are the masters of our world, but North Woods reminds us that we are, always, a small organic part of it. Mason's book is beautifully written, brilliantly plotted, observant, sensitive to detail. And as so many professional reviewers have stated, it is simply magical. North Woods is a lament for all that we have lost but also a prayer for the time to come. I haven't read anything in years that comes close to it in originality and in its ability to make me not only feel but think. It's one of those rare books that, when I completed it, I felt I needed to rest awhile and then start it all over again. It's going to be difficult for any other book to nudge it from the top on this year's reading list.
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LibraryThing member technodiabla
I listened to this book on Audible. North Woods is a difficult book to categorize. It's a regional history, nature writing, crime drama, supernatural thriller. Several stories centered around a yellow house in Western Massachusetts unfold across time from the colonial era to the near-future. The
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multi-layered weaving together of these tales is nothing short of brilliant. The characters are so richly drawn (and superbly performed by the cast of readers) and the dark dry humor was the perfect foil to the grizzly, heartbreaking stories. In addition to be being highly entertaining, the book has a lot to say about our place in the cosmos, about the trivial and the timeless, and about the unstoppable power of nature. This book will probably take a spot in my Top 10 All Time Favorites. Show Less
LibraryThing member japaul22
I LOVED this book. It is a bit hard to describe, but a plot of land in Western Massachusetts anchors the stories as we learn about the lives of the people who lived there from the 1600s through the future. Each generation makes and experiences connections to the past and influences the future -
I loved all the small details that connect each generation. I did a lot of rereading as I went through the book. Sometimes I'd think I remembered the reference, but wanted to go back and reread the section referred to and I'm glad I took the time to do that. The book is laid out in a manner that makes this very easy to do.
Highly recommended!
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sometimes through objects, sometimes through the environment, and sometimes through spiritual connections. At first, though the descriptions of the environment are beautiful, I didn't realize what a large part of the book the natural world would be. As the book progresses, that element of the story enlarges and becomes more meaningful. I loved all the small details that connect each generation. I did a lot of rereading as I went through the book. Sometimes I'd think I remembered the reference, but wanted to go back and reread the section referred to and I'm glad I took the time to do that. The book is laid out in a manner that makes this very easy to do.
Highly recommended!
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LibraryThing member rayski
This is the story of a piece of land, the house that sits on it and the souls that have passed through it. Seem to me a unique story line. From pre-revolutionary war to the present, the land evolves, dissolves, re-evolves, and over again. It does make me think about the numerous souls that passed
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through my 95 year old house, things that happened and didn't happen here. We all pass through visiting while the house stays here ready for the next inhabitant. This yellow house did feel to me to have more than its fair share of sad/troubled residents. Though there were happy moments for most of the inhabitants, almost everyone to the person lived a sad life. If we look at ourselves over the long haul and tried to measure our life happiness score, would we score a sad too? The only tick against the book is that I felt a couple of the residents over time disappeared without any explanation. There is one moment where Daniel Mason has a bounty hunter open a hatch hiding secrets from the house's past and it just ends. Did he find what he was looking for? Did something happen? There are a couple of these little cliff hangers with no answers. Show Less
LibraryThing member oldandnewbooksmell
North Woods tells the story of a plot of land over centuries and its inhabitants. Ranging from spinster twin sisters, to beetles, to a painter, to many more.
You can argue that this book is just a collection of short nature stories that are all connected by this plot of land / cabin in the middle of
I ended up listening to this as an audiobook and first off - I had to move the speed up to 1.75 because of how slow the reading was. The prose were absolutely great and beautiful in the story, just so many words. This really makes it seem that I don’t like it, but I totally did, I just needed it sped read.
This novel has stories told through letters, journal entries, historical records, a true crime magazine, and poetry that showcase human’s beautiful connection with nature that involve forbidden love, enslavement, insecurity, mental health, and climate change.
Overall, this is a beautifully written novel filled with stories that will possibly make you think about your childhood home, or of the older buildings and houses around you, and all that they have witnessed. Those who love literary fiction with historical fiction will fall in love with this.
*Thank you Random House and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
You can argue that this book is just a collection of short nature stories that are all connected by this plot of land / cabin in the middle of
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the woods - you wouldn’t be wrong. Some stories were more catching to me than others, but they all still held my attention.I ended up listening to this as an audiobook and first off - I had to move the speed up to 1.75 because of how slow the reading was. The prose were absolutely great and beautiful in the story, just so many words. This really makes it seem that I don’t like it, but I totally did, I just needed it sped read.
This novel has stories told through letters, journal entries, historical records, a true crime magazine, and poetry that showcase human’s beautiful connection with nature that involve forbidden love, enslavement, insecurity, mental health, and climate change.
Overall, this is a beautifully written novel filled with stories that will possibly make you think about your childhood home, or of the older buildings and houses around you, and all that they have witnessed. Those who love literary fiction with historical fiction will fall in love with this.
*Thank you Random House and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
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LibraryThing member ozzer
This is really a short story collection connected by a yellow house in rural Western Massachusetts. Mason provides the reader with a sweeping view of nature, the passage of time, decay and renewal, the foibles of humanity, the influence of history, murder, ghosts, and a whole lot more. It's a book
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that is fun to read and contemplate. It really should not be missed. Show Less
LibraryThing member Hccpsk
The very definition of “sprawling” historical fiction, North Woods by Daniel Mason begins in colonial Western Massachusetts and follows the acres surrounding the yellow house into the future. With streaks of magical realism, and interludes of structural variations (poems, letters, ads, photos,
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etc.) Mason keeps mainly to inhabitants of the home at different points in time to explore themes of loneliness, loyalty, nature, and family. At times his little tricks go a bit too far, but the excellent writing and deeply drawn characters make up for any faults in the big picture. Readers of historical fiction who don’t mind some eccentricity will enjoy North Woods. Show Less
LibraryThing member Michael_Lilly
SPOILER ALERT. This book has an unusual format that is interesting, But to actually like it you probably need to enjoy reading about psycho-killers in a book that includes fantasy, supernatural events and time travel. That's not for me. I forced myself to finish it, and consider it time wasted.
LibraryThing member kimkimkim
Northwestern Massachusetts, an apple sapling, a yellow house and many centuries encompassing the Osgoods who arrived in America, leaving war behind to raise apples to twin daughters always tending the apples, to Anastasia Rossi, née Edith Simmons, a mystique poseur, who couples with a certain Mr.
The Mountains of Western Massachusetts are”a place of extraordinary wealth… and backwoods poverty. Gilded ballrooms…and clapboard shanties. Summer retreats of artists, poets, captains of industry…and dark forests where the hunter stalks.” Stick with it, each chapter introduces a new set of characters and inhabitants. The prose is exquisite, the notion inventive and like an ouroboros the stories link back and forward to each other. Expect to spend time, to read and reread - it commands your attention - it deserves it.
Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for a copy.
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Farnsworth in Eden, “the Serengeti of Massachusetts. They, and many others, will all visit and leave something behind in the yellow house.The Mountains of Western Massachusetts are”a place of extraordinary wealth… and backwoods poverty. Gilded ballrooms…and clapboard shanties. Summer retreats of artists, poets, captains of industry…and dark forests where the hunter stalks.” Stick with it, each chapter introduces a new set of characters and inhabitants. The prose is exquisite, the notion inventive and like an ouroboros the stories link back and forward to each other. Expect to spend time, to read and reread - it commands your attention - it deserves it.
Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for a copy.
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LibraryThing member nancyadair
As I read the last pages of this book, I was overwhelmed with emotion. A sad recognition of what we humans have wrecked upon the earth, combined with a wistful hope that nature is never fully spent, never fully depleted, always ready to grab a chance at rebirth.
I had experienced the history of a
It had been a haven for a couple who fled an oppressive society and the Indian captive who later sheltered there, leading to a murder which allowed an apple seed to take root. There was the man who discovers the apple tree and the apple’s miraculous experience of taste; he buys the land and propagates Osgood’s Wonder. Then, his twin daughters inherited the land and cared for it until jealousy brought more death. The woods take over, the catamount inhabiting the house, before it is discovered and claimed once again.
Generations of people come and go. One man, considered a schizophrenic, sees the ghosts of the people who came before. An amateur historian seeks evidence of a colonial murder, a young woman comes to study the flora.
Invasive species arrive and disease that claims the chestnut and beetles decimate the ash. The climate alters and Southern trees arrive, and then fire.
“Then it begins again.”
With inventive chapters that include narratives, ballads, documents and letters, following the generations who come to these woods, the story of a place is revealed as also our communal story. The runaway lovers could be our Adam and Eve, the twin sisters our Cain and Abel. We are the lovers of the land, the destroyers and murderers.
The stone house becomes a Federal home becomes a wreck becomes an improved, modern mansion, falls to neglect, becomes a commune, becomes a hunting cabin. The woods are replaced by an apple orchard and pastureland, grows wild again, is destroyed, and will be reborn.
I love this book. I loved the inventive storytelling, the passage through history, the way it broke my heart and gave me hope.
Thanks to the publisher for a free book.
I had experienced the history of a
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place under the hands of people who loved it, a deep woods seemingly separated from the world, yet bearing the scars of civilization and environmental degradation.It had been a haven for a couple who fled an oppressive society and the Indian captive who later sheltered there, leading to a murder which allowed an apple seed to take root. There was the man who discovers the apple tree and the apple’s miraculous experience of taste; he buys the land and propagates Osgood’s Wonder. Then, his twin daughters inherited the land and cared for it until jealousy brought more death. The woods take over, the catamount inhabiting the house, before it is discovered and claimed once again.
Generations of people come and go. One man, considered a schizophrenic, sees the ghosts of the people who came before. An amateur historian seeks evidence of a colonial murder, a young woman comes to study the flora.
Invasive species arrive and disease that claims the chestnut and beetles decimate the ash. The climate alters and Southern trees arrive, and then fire.
“Then it begins again.”
With inventive chapters that include narratives, ballads, documents and letters, following the generations who come to these woods, the story of a place is revealed as also our communal story. The runaway lovers could be our Adam and Eve, the twin sisters our Cain and Abel. We are the lovers of the land, the destroyers and murderers.
The stone house becomes a Federal home becomes a wreck becomes an improved, modern mansion, falls to neglect, becomes a commune, becomes a hunting cabin. The woods are replaced by an apple orchard and pastureland, grows wild again, is destroyed, and will be reborn.
I love this book. I loved the inventive storytelling, the passage through history, the way it broke my heart and gave me hope.
Thanks to the publisher for a free book.
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LibraryThing member dele2451
Evokes such a rich sense of place. I greatly appreciated Mason's novel approach to a history-based novel. This book will likely modify your perspective of abandoned homesteads and people wielding metal detectors, as well as send you out looking for apples. A fine read indeed!
LibraryThing member melaniehope
I absolutely loved this book. The story revolves around a cabin in the woods and its surrounding land. Over several hundreds of years, the reader is introduced to the people that find themselves drawn to this place. The house, the land and the people who live there are constantly evolving. Chapters
The descriptions of the apple trees, the meandering rivers, and open fields and the woods full of wild live are a joy to read. I highly recommend this book! Each chapter kept me riveted and wanting more. I was sorry to see it end.
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read like short stories where we get a glimpse into their lives and the history of who they are. This house witnessed it all...death, love, jealousy, murder, sanctuary...but above all it is the connection they felt to this home.The descriptions of the apple trees, the meandering rivers, and open fields and the woods full of wild live are a joy to read. I highly recommend this book! Each chapter kept me riveted and wanting more. I was sorry to see it end.
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LibraryThing member EllenH
There's a sense of natural magic and poetry in this beautifully written story of a house and woodland in New England. Each chapture was set more into the future of the home and I was able to set it down and come back to the rich setting and characters. But I was always called back. Maybe a little
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wordy, so I founsd myself skimming at times, still really enjoying the book. Show Less
LibraryThing member srms.reads
4.5⭐️
North Woods by Daniel Mason is a beautifully written novel. Spanning centuries, the narrative tells us the stories of those who inhabit a home deep in the woods of Western Massachusetts. Through these stories, we explore not only the history of the land, the people and animals but also how
The strength of this novel is the writing and the vivid imagery that transports you to the "north woods”. The landscape changes over time, stories begin and end and generations of people come and go, leaving an imprint on the land – a legacy of joy, sorrow, loneliness, tragedy and renewal. Told through letters, journal entries, historical records, an article from a true crime magazine and poetry, this is a story that must be read with time and patience. Overall, Daniel Mason’s North Woods is an immersive experience that I would not hesitate to recommend.
Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group- Random House and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel was published on September 19, 2023.
North Woods by Daniel Mason is a beautifully written novel. Spanning centuries, the narrative tells us the stories of those who inhabit a home deep in the woods of Western Massachusetts. Through these stories, we explore not only the history of the land, the people and animals but also how
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the concept of home and shelter evolve over time and the precious bond human beings have with nature. Forbidden love, enslavement, belongingness and insecurity, rivalry, mental health, climate change and survival are only a few of the themes that are deftly woven into the fluid narrative.The strength of this novel is the writing and the vivid imagery that transports you to the "north woods”. The landscape changes over time, stories begin and end and generations of people come and go, leaving an imprint on the land – a legacy of joy, sorrow, loneliness, tragedy and renewal. Told through letters, journal entries, historical records, an article from a true crime magazine and poetry, this is a story that must be read with time and patience. Overall, Daniel Mason’s North Woods is an immersive experience that I would not hesitate to recommend.
Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group- Random House and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel was published on September 19, 2023.
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LibraryThing member GrandmaCootie
North Woods is an extraordinary novel: epic, evocative, enthralling. The history, the people, the environment all come to life through the well-chosen, perfect words of author Daniel Mason. It’s a simple premise, the story of events occurring in a single house in the woods of New England, told
Through Mason’s masterful writing, including some enticing poetry, we journey through the history of the entire country and come to realize the past is always present. Through memory? Through fate? Through magic? We meet so many people and learn so much about the many ways they live and love, their desires, their baser needs, their secrets, their pain. About links formed and links severed. About love and hope, revenge and meanness, madness. See how events happening around them, societal mores, happenstance affect their lives and their futures.
North Woods is one of the most unique books I have read in a long while. Such a simple premise but so richly full of emotion and life through story after story, expertly woven into one long, delicious thread. North Woods is so different, so unusual and so satisfying. I highly recommend this must-read. Thanks to Random House Publishing Group for providing an advance copy of North Woods via NetGalley. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own.
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through the lives of those who inhabit it across the centuries, beginning with two young lovers fleeing from a Puritan colony.Through Mason’s masterful writing, including some enticing poetry, we journey through the history of the entire country and come to realize the past is always present. Through memory? Through fate? Through magic? We meet so many people and learn so much about the many ways they live and love, their desires, their baser needs, their secrets, their pain. About links formed and links severed. About love and hope, revenge and meanness, madness. See how events happening around them, societal mores, happenstance affect their lives and their futures.
North Woods is one of the most unique books I have read in a long while. Such a simple premise but so richly full of emotion and life through story after story, expertly woven into one long, delicious thread. North Woods is so different, so unusual and so satisfying. I highly recommend this must-read. Thanks to Random House Publishing Group for providing an advance copy of North Woods via NetGalley. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own.
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LibraryThing member c.archer
North Woods is a unique novel of the eco-history of a woods in Western Massachusetts over the years from early colonial settlement to the present. The subject is a particular spot in these north woods and to a lesser degree, the individuals that spend a portion of their lives, from days to many
The book shows the ravages that people and nature can play on the land bringing disease and disaster. It also seems to illustrate a dichotomy between the almost naive nature of this beautiful place and the savagery and baseness of humanity. It is a haunting read filled with lovely language and description, but a sense of mystery and unease as well. I would recommend this title to readers who are interested in nature and man's connection to the natural world. It should also appeal to people interested in unique styles of writing as the author employs different features and methods of bringing this history to the reader.
My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.
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years, in those very woods. There is a raw and primitive beauty that draws these people and yet leaves them affected in strange and often unsettling ways. The woods themselves as well are changed and affected by the efforts of the people to tame them. The book shows the ravages that people and nature can play on the land bringing disease and disaster. It also seems to illustrate a dichotomy between the almost naive nature of this beautiful place and the savagery and baseness of humanity. It is a haunting read filled with lovely language and description, but a sense of mystery and unease as well. I would recommend this title to readers who are interested in nature and man's connection to the natural world. It should also appeal to people interested in unique styles of writing as the author employs different features and methods of bringing this history to the reader.
My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.
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LibraryThing member erinclark
This enchanting, etherial book will stay with me for a very long time. It is the story of a humble house which over many, many years houses and shelters a diverse set of people all building their stories upon what came before them. First there are the Puritan lovers who escape from their strict
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sect to live freely in the humble home and worship God the way they want to. There are the Artist and Poet who fall into a forbidden love and whose spirits decide to remain with the house long after they are gone. The apple obsessed retired military man whose relatives think he is crazy to want to plant and produce apples - The Wonder. And his two daughters, the sisters Mary and Alice both obsessed with apples, but in different ways. Even the beetles that make this house a home for their children (larvae) to thrive have a unique story to tell. It is a magical journey of beautiful words, humor, love and the story of a lifetime. I cannot recommend this book highly enough, it is a work of art and a love letter to nature and humanity. Show Less
LibraryThing member bookczuk
Interconnected stories tracing all the occupants (human, feral, spectral etc) of a bit of land in Massachusetts from before the revolutionary war and into the future. Told through a variety of means. Fascinating collection
LibraryThing member DrApple
A beautifully written book that follows the lives of those who live on an apple farm in the north woods.
LibraryThing member rmarcin
Tale of the North Woods of Massachusetts, beginning in colonial times, and progressing to the present. Early, a tribe avenges a killing, burning a village, but taking a woman to safety in the North Woods. When people come to take her back, there are deaths. So begins the haunting of this land.
At times funny, other times haunting, this is a unique story, beautifully written. Extremely enjoyable.
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Then, Charles Osgood and his daughters, Alice and Mary, come to live there, planting an apple orchard. As successive people live on the land, there are tales of ghosts. At times funny, other times haunting, this is a unique story, beautifully written. Extremely enjoyable.
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LibraryThing member Shookie
North Woods is a magnum opus if ever there was one. Daniel Mason is a masterful storyteller and a magnificent prose stylist. His glorious descriptions of nature are breathtaking. I don't remember the last time I read a book brimming with such extraordinary characters and emotion.
North Woods is the
The numerous characters in the book are each highly distinctive and intriguing personalities. The form of narrative changes with each new individual, lending each a style perfect for its identity. Nature is a character in its own right, and Mason's descriptive genius forces the reader to look at it in a wholly new manner. As the people populating the house change, nature remains strong yet also transforms. There are surprising links between storylines of differing times. The book's tone is fiercely plangent, although Mason has a humorous style to his writing.
The book has pleasant diversions interspersed - illustrations, line drawings, and folk songs. One short chapter describes the existence and mating of a beetle.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC of this astonishing book.
North Woods is the
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story of a house in the woods of Massachusetts and the plot of land surrounding it. The tale begins with two lovers escaping a strangling Puritan colony and carries the reader through centuries of various inhabitants of the house, both human and animal. The numerous characters in the book are each highly distinctive and intriguing personalities. The form of narrative changes with each new individual, lending each a style perfect for its identity. Nature is a character in its own right, and Mason's descriptive genius forces the reader to look at it in a wholly new manner. As the people populating the house change, nature remains strong yet also transforms. There are surprising links between storylines of differing times. The book's tone is fiercely plangent, although Mason has a humorous style to his writing.
The book has pleasant diversions interspersed - illustrations, line drawings, and folk songs. One short chapter describes the existence and mating of a beetle.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC of this astonishing book.
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LibraryThing member 37143Birnbaum
Well-written book. Sort of in awe of the author. Really knows alot of stuff. Read avidly the first half of the book, but it slowed way down the second half, and I found it a bit difficult to follow.
LibraryThing member shazjhb
Complicated book with many twists and turns. Focused on a house and the land in Western Massachusetts. Great ending. Some interesting characters.
LibraryThing member Kristelh
Reason read: I saw some great reviews and I was intrigued. I went on waiting list in Libby and finally received by audiobook. I would say that this epic in nature and the main protagonist is this bit of land in the North Woods or it might be the house. I prefer to think of it as the land. The
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stories are interconnected but there is a thread that binds them together and it is this land, this house. The lives that have lived there have left their mark but it isn't always easy to see unless you search for it or it finds you. So the setting is centuries long, the place is New England and the culture, etc changes with the passing of time and generations. There are 12 vignettes representing months/year. The span is 400 years or 4 centuries and the message is "life is change". We humans are like grass; here today and gone, but life does go on. There are other characters besides humans; catamount (mountain lion), beetle, fungus, etc. The author is US author and this is his 5th book but it is the first book that I've read by the author. I think it is deserving of a prize. The prose is fantastic. A pleasure to listen to, and book to have on the shelf. I will probably be purchasing this one. Show Less
LibraryThing member Mercef
Not my usual 4 star read, as the inclusion of magical realism parts doesn’t do it for me. However, the skill of bringing all these stories together and the incredible vivid imagination to create them warrants a high rating. I’m sure this book was too clever for me and I probably missed some
This would be a good book club book- lots to discuss.
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hidden meanings and links between the stories; I was also confused in parts and I don’t like having to work hard to read a book.This would be a good book club book- lots to discuss.
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Awards
National Book Critics Circle Award (Finalist — Fiction — 2023)
BookTube Prize (Octofinalist — Fiction — 2024)
Washington Post Best Books (Fiction — 2023)
Libby Book Award (Finalist — Historical Fiction — 2023)
NPR: Books We Love (2023)
The New York Times Notable Books of the Year (Fiction — 2023)
Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year (Historical Fiction — 2023)
The New York Times Best Books of the Year (Fiction — 2023)
Christian Science Monitor Best Book (Fiction — 2023)
Notable Books List (Fiction — 2024)
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best: Adults (Selection — 2023)
Pages
384
ISBN
0593597036 / 9780593597033
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