Reviews with content warning for Dementia - North Woods

Reviews tagging 'Dementia'

North Woods by Daniel Mason

7 reviews

readingoverbreathing's review against another edition

mysterious reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

Ever since this was included in the NYT Book Review's list of the best books of the year, I've been dying to read this. It checks so many of my boxes: lush, descriptive writing, an 18th-century New England farmhouse, and a threaded series of different characters, time periods, and circumstances that are all woven together into one brilliant tapestry. I am someone who is also very protective and sentimental about place and home and curious how places evolve over time, so this was truly, totally, utterly up my alley. And, to top it all off, I just so happened to be spending time traveling in the Berkshires while reading this, traversing the same landscape that shapes these characters and this story, apple picking and all. There could not have been a more perfect book in my hands for that trip.

And, believe me, it did not disappoint. Admittedly, I was a bit bewildered by the first couple of chapters, but by the time I got to Mary and Alice, the story was starting to click. And it only gets better from there.

However, while this was so close to a five-star read for me, there were a few minor things that bothered me. For one, the songs and the images Mason incorporates. Personally, I don't think they really added much. I'm sure the author could offer a detailed and fascinating justification for their inclusion that would help me appreciate them, but I honestly found them a little pretentious and unnecessary.

Secondly, I could have done without the last chapter, maybe even without Nora's story altogether. Part of the thrill of this book, for me at least, was the slow realization that

a supernatural world did in fact exist just beneath the surface of the present one. By exposing this so fully, Mason took away a lot of the magic, mystery, and intrigue for me. I also wouldn't have been opposed to a glimpse into the house and land's future, but the way Mason explored this lacked the detail and rich storytelling that characterized the rest of the book and honestly just felt like a cheap way to tie this off. There's definitely some allusion to climate change, but I would have preferred something more substantial, if he did indeed want to take the story that far.

However, overall, I'll say it just one more time: I loved this. The writing is beautiful, the story brilliant, the characters vividly memorable. Maybe it was a case of right place/right time for me, but I am so grateful to say that this was just about everything I had hoped it would be.

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mscalls's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional informative mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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wordswithjustine's review against another edition

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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.

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rednikki's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

The more I think on this book, the more I dislike it. Much like Edward Rutherford's famous books, Mason tells the history of a place through the people who have lived there over time.

But Mason only tells the story through the white people who have lived (or in one case, visited) there. Excluding people of color from point of view was clearly a decision Mason made. The first time we encounter the place, it is through the eyes of some of the first white settlers of the US; we never see it through the eyes of the historical people of the land. There is one section where there is a person of color living in the place, and Mason chooses to tell the story through the point of view of a white visitor instead.

Rutherford's books also usually have at least some time points where there is hope and happiness. In Mason's world, there is only misery, tragedy and despair. Sometimes it's just an undercurrent, sometimes it is overwhelming – but whenever his characters experience joy they are punished for it.

Do not recommend.

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ashleyjean6's review against another edition

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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!!

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sjanke2's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
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

4.25

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jesselynn's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious sad tense medium-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

4.5

Rapturous, moving and eternal.

An incredible book. It is a true epic of life, death, nature, history, succession and reclamation. Told in many voices and styles, we follow hundreds of years of history revolving around a house deep in the woods of Massachusetts. This book haunts its reader with the voices of the past, rallies the timeless human and non-human experiences that are held in a perpetual clandestine shroud between walls, branches and soil. It is sweeping and vibrant and rich in longing and grief and nature. A truly fascinating literary joy and stellar achievement by Daniel Mason.

Thank you to John Murray Press/Hachette for the advanced reader copy.

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