Reviews

North Woods by Daniel Mason

theoverbookedbibliophile's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

4.5

 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 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.

awesomejen2's review against another edition

challenging mysterious slow-paced

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

4.0

serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, War, and Murder

mondovertigo's review against another edition

adventurous funny reflective 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Sexual content

Moderate: Slavery

Minor: War

ronpayne's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

An absolutely wonderful book following a piece of land in Massachusetts from Pilgrim days to the present, and beyond. The point of view changing through a succession of residents, each distinctly voiced, was a great writing feat on its own, but mixed in with that was sometimes explicit, other times subtle, nature observation that showed detailed knowledge of how humans have changed the land, and the land has changed humans. Truly remarkable.

reggiewoods's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Following the traditional format of the Generational novel, Mason focuses on the area of land that connects the different eras as opposed to sticking strictly to blood ties. Each generation/era has it’s own narrator, narrative voice, style and format (journal, letters, third person, etc.) which is in its own way indicative of its time in history, but it doesn’t feel disjointed because Mason’s style is still present in them all. There are love stories, ghost stories, crime fiction and others, all with a familiar and human touch. I really enjoyed that Mason focused on his characters and their personal trials as opposed to playing up some kind of sinister mysticism about the woods itself. A solid example of modern-day literary novels. 

mimima's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No

3.75

 This is hard to categorize – it’s magically realistic historical fiction, I guess. Instead of following people, this book follows a house in the Northeast – and by doing so, it allows Mason to play with form and structure in that each vignette is allowed to have different voices, writing styles, perspectives, blueprints, etc. At the time, I felt like it was more like 3.5 stars, but in retrospect, will probably call it 4/5 stars. 

aimee_fortheloveofbooks's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.75

carie's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

10 🌟's

anfishh's review against another edition

challenging mysterious slow-paced

3.75