Customer Reviews

The Way Winter Comes: Alaska Stories

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Calling this book nature writing, or Alaska writing, or wilderness writing is to box it into a space that is too small. This is just damn GOOD writing by someone who knows how to take the reader places without heavy-handedness. In many ways, I find Simpson's essay to be better than the oft-mentioned names like McPhee, Muir, Gutkind, etc.

Simpson takes the reader on a literary tour of Alaska. From her upbringing here in Juneau to her excursions in the deep Arctic, we are given an open window to peer into some of the mysteries of the many faces of Alaska. Her journalistic past affords her some true objectivity in dealing with controversial topics like wolf trapping.

The Way Winter Comes is one of the best pieces of Alaskan -- or any -- writing I have read in decades. Readers who do not experience this small, precious book may have wasted some portion of their lives. Get it. Get it now.

Simpson is a brilliant writer with the uncanny ability to construct paragraphs that capture the essence of Alaska in only a few words. She's amusing, moving and informative in a voice that is instantly familiar and enjoyable. I often recommend "The Way Winter Comes" as a must-read contemporary book on life in Alaska. Her latest book "The Accidental Explorer," is also excellent.

Fantastic Book! Sherry Simpson's brilliant style and insight mark her as one of the best writers of our time. This book is sure to become a classic that will be read and studied for generations to come. You will enjoy this book on many, many levels. If you don't own a copy of "The Way Winter Comes", buy it now. You won't be disappointed!

Sherry Simpson's prose is fantastic. Her thoughts are insightful and interesting. The author uses the native animals of Alaska to describe the Alaska Experience and her own personal experiences. Each page was a revelation of what I love about Alaska as well as why. Sherry has the ability to write from any perspective, and to show reality by combining factual references with her own experiences and exposing two sides to every question. She obviously has a passion and it shows in her work. Very "personally" thought provoking.

I lucked onto this book when it came out in 1998 and have found myself returning to it over and over throughout the years. I can't say that I've ever tired of rereading the same stories. If you want to feel yourself in Alaska, this is one book that takes you there. Great fireside reading!

Sasquatch books delivers wonderful books, and this one is no exception. If you love Alaska, you love well written passages, you will love this book.