eyegillian's review against another edition
The first section of the book was an interesting story and historically informative. But then - when characters died or moved on - I lost interest. I just wasn’t strongly enough invested in the story or characters to read more of what is a very long book.
letterbetty's review against another edition
3.0
Good on her for such an undertaking. But the few interesting stories were not able to carry the 700 pages. Relieved at finally being done.
_pickle_'s review against another edition
3.0
This book took forever (which is not quite a reflection on the book) to read. And honestly I'm glad to be done with it. It wasn't bad, it just was the result of some questionable decisions. The pacing and tone felt very uneven throughout the book. The pacing in particular suffered from odd jumps. Still, at its best this book was engaging and really well written. Proulx has such a great use of language.
itsgg's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars. I liked the writing and the story, but this novel was just TOO LONG. Proulx easily could have conveyed her sense of the epic span of time, with the forest as the main character as generations of human lives come and go, with half as many characters and maybe 400 pages. By the last round of character introductions, I was skimming through to the end -- I just couldn't get to know yet another generation of Sels. If she had focused more on the more interesting characters and eliminated many others, this would have gotten 4 stars from me. The themes of ecological destruction throughout North American history that Proulx conveys are important, but I wish the book had had a stronger editor.
ifpoetshadmerch's review against another edition
2.0
Yet she, too, had been a little moved by the great silent trees, so immense, so helpless.
2.5 stars
Before I start my review, I will admit that this is probably the most biased review I’ve written so far. I really struggled to get through this one, and I think a major reason for that was because it really just wasn’t the book I wanted to be reading this past few months, and if I had read this at another time in my life, I would probably have enjoyed it a lot more. I really needed something more plot-heavy and adventure-y, rather than a slow scroll of empathy through the entangled branches of a family tree. Perhaps I should have stopped reading and picked this up at some undetermined point in the future when the state of the world felt less bleak, but unfortunately for me I didn’t have this realization until ~400 pages in, and that point I didn’t think I would reread the first 50 percent of the book again. And there are some things that I knew I would struggle with even if I found myself enjoying the book— I have a really difficult time of holding together how different characters are related to one another, and I was reading this as an eBook, so I wasn’t able to conveniently flip to the family tree located in the back. (Didn’t even know the resource was available until I had slogged through the whole thing.)
Even though I didn’t personally enjoy this one, I think that it could entertain a particular subset of people. This book is clearly very well researched. It takes you through the colonization of the United States and the effects of deforestation across the centuries and around the world. As time elapses, you see the world from the perspective of many different people: greedy French enterprisers, Mi’kmaw Native Americans, women in the logging industry. The book follows their lives in the forest, how each is affected by the disruption of nature, and how each of them suffers. Death can happen swiftly. People step on rusty nails. They can be crushed by falling trees. They can be burned in wildfires. But this is also contrasted by the slow suffering of inherited Native trauma, injuries and disease, and the slow fall of the forest throughout the centuries.
Something that struck me while reading was how unaware people can be toward their own badness. Greed can easily be confused for comfort. They looked down on the Mi’kmaw tribe and assumed that they were lazy, not doing anything with the trove of wealth that they could have in the trees. In taking the trees, they take the livelihood of the Natives in North America. Even then, it takes a long time for them to realize the effects deforestation has, not limited to Natives, but to humanity as a whole. Even now, we have a hard time looking beyond our own lifetimes and truly understanding the ramifications our actions have on future generations.
The first loggers looked at the Great American forests and thought they were endless, that it would be impossible to leave their mark on the country. I’m thinking about how it feels to look at the Grand Canyon or see the Redwood Forests or other natural sights so wondrous that they feel like miracles. I think it must have been a similar awe that the first Europeans felt when they landed in the Americas. I wonder how impoverished the world has become of this beauty since that time.
2.5 stars
Before I start my review, I will admit that this is probably the most biased review I’ve written so far. I really struggled to get through this one, and I think a major reason for that was because it really just wasn’t the book I wanted to be reading this past few months, and if I had read this at another time in my life, I would probably have enjoyed it a lot more. I really needed something more plot-heavy and adventure-y, rather than a slow scroll of empathy through the entangled branches of a family tree. Perhaps I should have stopped reading and picked this up at some undetermined point in the future when the state of the world felt less bleak, but unfortunately for me I didn’t have this realization until ~400 pages in, and that point I didn’t think I would reread the first 50 percent of the book again. And there are some things that I knew I would struggle with even if I found myself enjoying the book— I have a really difficult time of holding together how different characters are related to one another, and I was reading this as an eBook, so I wasn’t able to conveniently flip to the family tree located in the back. (Didn’t even know the resource was available until I had slogged through the whole thing.)
Even though I didn’t personally enjoy this one, I think that it could entertain a particular subset of people. This book is clearly very well researched. It takes you through the colonization of the United States and the effects of deforestation across the centuries and around the world. As time elapses, you see the world from the perspective of many different people: greedy French enterprisers, Mi’kmaw Native Americans, women in the logging industry. The book follows their lives in the forest, how each is affected by the disruption of nature, and how each of them suffers. Death can happen swiftly. People step on rusty nails. They can be crushed by falling trees. They can be burned in wildfires. But this is also contrasted by the slow suffering of inherited Native trauma, injuries and disease, and the slow fall of the forest throughout the centuries.
Something that struck me while reading was how unaware people can be toward their own badness. Greed can easily be confused for comfort. They looked down on the Mi’kmaw tribe and assumed that they were lazy, not doing anything with the trove of wealth that they could have in the trees. In taking the trees, they take the livelihood of the Natives in North America. Even then, it takes a long time for them to realize the effects deforestation has, not limited to Natives, but to humanity as a whole. Even now, we have a hard time looking beyond our own lifetimes and truly understanding the ramifications our actions have on future generations.
The first loggers looked at the Great American forests and thought they were endless, that it would be impossible to leave their mark on the country. I’m thinking about how it feels to look at the Grand Canyon or see the Redwood Forests or other natural sights so wondrous that they feel like miracles. I think it must have been a similar awe that the first Europeans felt when they landed in the Americas. I wonder how impoverished the world has become of this beauty since that time.
leighcharlton's review against another edition
4.0
SO sad. Could do with a little more direction but all in all a good book that emphasizes the destruction of both this nation's forests and native cultures.
elsaofie's review against another edition
3.0
Logging, multi generational, international, female leaders
escatusser's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
Vaig arribar a aquest llibre en assabentar-me que la pel·lícula "The shipping news", deliciosa, no es tractava d'un guió original, sinó que estava basada en un Pullitzer. Vaig pensar que segur m'agradaria l'autora.
Però el llibre ha estat molt feixuc de llegir, lent, pesat i sense aprofondir en cap personatge en concret, ni en cap situació. I mira que n'hi ha, de personatges... M'he perdut en aquesta saga de dues famílies durant tres segles, sense que doni temps de conèixer a cap dels múltiples fills, filles, nebots, cosins, avis i besavis i tataravis, anomenats de forma incansable.
Ah, que es tractava de demostrar que el protagonista, tràgic, és el bosc. Doncs m'han sobrat fulls.
Això sí, el futur que ens augura als ambiciosos i eixelebrats humans és pèsim, sense cap respecte per la natura i l'entorn, posant la irremediable llavor de la destrucció sense sentit, com a tèrmits a la fusta, despreciant les cultures autòctones que mantenen connexió amb els boscos, els rius, els animals i les plantes, fins a extongir-les o tancar-les en reserves... i la sensació de que ja hem fet tard.
Però el llibre ha estat molt feixuc de llegir, lent, pesat i sense aprofondir en cap personatge en concret, ni en cap situació. I mira que n'hi ha, de personatges... M'he perdut en aquesta saga de dues famílies durant tres segles, sense que doni temps de conèixer a cap dels múltiples fills, filles, nebots, cosins, avis i besavis i tataravis, anomenats de forma incansable.
Ah, que es tractava de demostrar que el protagonista, tràgic, és el bosc. Doncs m'han sobrat fulls.
Això sí, el futur que ens augura als ambiciosos i eixelebrats humans és pèsim, sense cap respecte per la natura i l'entorn, posant la irremediable llavor de la destrucció sense sentit, com a tèrmits a la fusta, despreciant les cultures autòctones que mantenen connexió amb els boscos, els rius, els animals i les plantes, fins a extongir-les o tancar-les en reserves... i la sensació de que ja hem fet tard.
mrbadger63's review against another edition
3.0
I finally had to put this one down after making it about 50%. Way too long for such shallow character development. The first 200 pages is fantastic and the writing is superb throughout but why on earth did this book need to be over 600 pages?! Ugh. I hate giving up on books but I'm too old for dull storytelling.