desirosie's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars. Not nearly as much of an isolated-out-in-the-wilderness-memoir as I had hoped for.
The author had some pleasant and well-crafted insights about life and navigation, but most of her experience seemed painfully ... out of place ... in the new world of covid-19. (It's also possible that I still would not have identified overly much with her situation in any case.)
The author had some pleasant and well-crafted insights about life and navigation, but most of her experience seemed painfully ... out of place ... in the new world of covid-19. (It's also possible that I still would not have identified overly much with her situation in any case.)
libreean's review against another edition
4.0
Loved this memoir of a woman trying to re-orient herself in life.
katebelt's review against another edition
5.0
I love the writing and the thoughts in this book about finding and mapping your way, both physically and emotionally/mentally, in going through life transitions. I made several notes about doing some soul searching of my own, along with a new goal of learning how to map where you are, physically and geographically. Darling, who had a bout with breast cancer while living in rural Vermont, writes about disaster brain, when the adrenalin kicks in and you become focused on what you must do, vs. normal brain, which "on the other hand stumbles into a swamp of negative thoughts. You don't get to see what's up ahead or how to get there. obstacles loom ... or disguise themselves as worthwhile destinations of their own so you let them lead you astray or you walk part of the way around them but don't make it all the way back to your original course." She shares learning over the last solitary years that "it takes a long time to distinguish the small clear quiet voice within from the fickle winds of immediate desire ...for comfort, love, the blunting of anxiety or fear. "In that way, my instincts lied; they always had." I don't remember how I heard about this book, possibly from another Vermonter, Ellen Stimson. Read her too if you haven't already.
pattydsf's review
3.0
“My daughter’s departure left questions, big questions, that her presence and the warm hive of family life had made it easy to ignore, of who to be and how to live, of what, if anything, I wanted.” p. 5
Lynn Darling drove me crazy for the first chapters of her story. I felt like she was whining and had no excuse for such behavior. Yes, her daughter had gone off to college and yes, Darling had lost her husband so that she had been a single parent. I am sure that was very hard. But why would woman who had spend much of her time in New York City move to backwater Vermont? Why did I, as the reader, find it so much easier to see that moving at that time in Darling’s life was the worst thing she could do? What possessed this woman?
I am not sure why I stuck with Darling’s tale. I had no angst when my kids went off to college. I have not made big changes in my life (except for my retirement) in decades. There were not a lot of places where I could connect with her in any way. Also I read to learn about people and places and I didn’t feel like I was learning anything. I had picked this book because it appeared to be about solitude, but that really wasn't the subject, so I felt a bit misled.
I am glad I continued reading, however. I eventually found that I could relate to some of what Darling was trying to say. Unfortunately, she has some health issues that made her earlier issues seem trivial and when writing about those, Darling made me really see what she was experiencing. Also I enjoyed her attempts to ground herself through maps. And so, I did learn some new things and found a way to relate to the city mouse who choose to live in the country.
I recommend this book to those with high tolerance for people who make big decisions lightly, but who do learn from their mistakes. Also if you like reading about people’s lives and their stories, this may be the book for you. Darling is a good writer and you might not even see any of her story as whining.
Lynn Darling drove me crazy for the first chapters of her story. I felt like she was whining and had no excuse for such behavior. Yes, her daughter had gone off to college and yes, Darling had lost her husband so that she had been a single parent. I am sure that was very hard. But why would woman who had spend much of her time in New York City move to backwater Vermont? Why did I, as the reader, find it so much easier to see that moving at that time in Darling’s life was the worst thing she could do? What possessed this woman?
I am not sure why I stuck with Darling’s tale. I had no angst when my kids went off to college. I have not made big changes in my life (except for my retirement) in decades. There were not a lot of places where I could connect with her in any way. Also I read to learn about people and places and I didn’t feel like I was learning anything. I had picked this book because it appeared to be about solitude, but that really wasn't the subject, so I felt a bit misled.
I am glad I continued reading, however. I eventually found that I could relate to some of what Darling was trying to say. Unfortunately, she has some health issues that made her earlier issues seem trivial and when writing about those, Darling made me really see what she was experiencing. Also I enjoyed her attempts to ground herself through maps. And so, I did learn some new things and found a way to relate to the city mouse who choose to live in the country.
I recommend this book to those with high tolerance for people who make big decisions lightly, but who do learn from their mistakes. Also if you like reading about people’s lives and their stories, this may be the book for you. Darling is a good writer and you might not even see any of her story as whining.
rebeccahussey's review
2.0
This was missing a certain spark for me. It was competent but not new or exciting.
anndouglas's review
4.0
Writer Lynn Darling retreats to an off-grid house in the woods "to run away, to begin again, to become a strange and fabulous creature: my true self." Out of the Woods describes that journey of self-discovery. It is one part memoir and one part travel narrative. The result is a well-written and thought-provoking snapshot of a woman seeking answers at midlife.
e_z's review
3.0
Spoilers: Not everyone needs to publish their memoir. She moves to Vermont and then gives up and returns to Manhattan! The one thing worth writing was "New York is a dangerous place to live in without dreams."
Other sections were more like "Here's a chapter about being an empty nester" or "Here's what cancer was like for me." I did not sympathize with her inability to read maps which made the plot device of finding your way particularly irritating. The writing was fine but this should have been a magazine article.
Other sections were more like "Here's a chapter about being an empty nester" or "Here's what cancer was like for me." I did not sympathize with her inability to read maps which made the plot device of finding your way particularly irritating. The writing was fine but this should have been a magazine article.
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