Customer Reviews

In the Wilderness

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

These essays, as suggested by the title, tell tales of life in the forest. The narrator, a neighbor of Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe, describes his experiences on camping trips, hunting trips and the like. They're very different essays from the modern variety; today they'd probably be classified as short stories, instead. Although Warner does make clear his distaste for humanity's killing wildlife, he does not go into deep issues as is the fashion in today's popular essays. He just tells generally peaceful, sometimes humorous stories. I can best describe them as relaxing. I wouldn't recommend this for someone looking for piercing nineteenth-century insight into life, but I would for someone who wants to curl up with a Victorian story.

As a new Kindle owner, I was curious to find some free books (still hoping to recoup that $200 cost!) and stumbled upon this one. As a lover of the Adirondacks, aspiring 46er (30 down!), and amateur ADK historian, stumbling upon this gem was a treat!

I had read the essay on Old Mountain Phelps before, so that one was no surprise. But the rest of these short stories were a wonderful portrait of what the mountains once were. As an earlier reviewer commented, the story of the deer hunt was an outstanding "thriller" that had me on the edge of my seat the whole time.

All in all, I'd recommend this to anyone stuck in an office who'd rather be pitching a tent out in the mountains. It's about as good as one can get during the week!

Bonus: The style of the essays has made them an excellent companion (via text-to-speech) for my morning ride!

Warner writes a handleful of essays about the Adirondacks Keene Valley and High Peaks area. Essays have very relaxed feel and Warner's description of the wilderness makes you want to pick up and go camping. An underlying theme throughout is mans destructive abilities toward the natural world. These remarks are are not dwelled upon however. One memorable essay is his description of a deer being pursued by hounds; all from the deers prespecctive. Another is a story of a legandary hidden cave on Nipple Top which the author ventures to with the wily Old Man Phelps.