Customer Reviews

A Year In The Maine Woods

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

To appreciate Bernd Heinrich, you have to be prepared to slow down and look close. After all, the author himself has taken a year's leave of absence from a fast-paced university job to do just that. He wants to spend time in his beloved woods, study the creatures that live there and see where long rambles will take him. It not the sort of book to begin with an agenda in mind.

That said, I found A Year in the Maine Woods a quixotic mix of science and human exploits - a glimpse at the lives of a whole host of insects, birds, mammals and plant life I never knew existed, and a chance to share in one person's approach to learning.

Examples? Let's take Heinrich's penchant for climbing trees. For a full-grown, adult male he really does spend a lot of time in them, and as a result has some interesting stories to tell. There's the day he finds himself scrambling up a tree to avoid a moose who refuses to yield the right of way on a trail, and the time a doe wanders under the apple tree he is sitting in and proceeds to munch away. No amount of noise or movement on Heinrich's part seems to disturb her until he descends from the tree. Then she's off like a shot!

Here's another example. Heinrich loves ravens. He is fascinated by their intelligence, close-knit family systems, their flying ability and survival skills, and is not above combing the countryside for roadkill in order to provide food for them. Heinrich's exploits with a pet raven are both hilarious and revealing. Here is a man who delights in life itself and is willing to put up with a fair amount of discomfort and irritation to learn about it.

If you enjoy learning about special places on our planet, and the creatures that inhabit them, through the eyes of those who have studied and know them intimately, then this book will delight you. If, on the other hand you like your reading to be full of fast-paced action and spine-tingling climaxes, this is not the book for you. Be prepared to read slowly and savor the pictures Heinrich offers.

This is the second book by Heinrich that I have read. The first, Ravens in Winter, I found very enjoyable. (see review)

Based on the title and a review written on the book's back cover, I expected the book to be about Heinrich's year alone, except for his pet raven, Jack. With this in mind I thought we'd learn about his discoveries in nature and also his understanding into his own thoughts as he pondered life in seclusion.

This was not a book about living in the wild woods of Maine in seclusion. Heinrich often went into town and ate, met with neighbors, had family visit, and at one point he had a number of students over for a couple of weeks. Was this bad...no, but not what I expected based on the review on his book's back cover.

Heinrich has a gift in sharing information about nature. His curiosity and excitement for the natural world is contagious. In this respect I wasn't let down. He did go on quite a bit about the various things he noticed, sometimes sharing too much information, but I would just skip the paragraph and move on.

I think what appeals to me most are the times he is in seclusion and reflects on nature and his own life. He endures an amazing amount of cold...below zero, doesn't have running water, and the inside temperature in his cabin dips down below freezing on several occasions. I would enjoy many of the aspects of living in the location he speaks of but I would do it with a few extras...insulation in the walls, and electricity are two that come to mind!

Overall I did enjoy the book and I hope you do too!

Not planning to review this book, I changed my mind after perusing the reviews for "A Year in the Maine Woods." Most of them are by people who miss the point of his book (and, dare I say, life) entirely.

Yes, Bernd is foremost a Zoologist, and so does get a bit technical at times, but his over-whelming love of nature--and the sense that he's just a good guy doing what many of us are afraid to do (i.e. kick in our TeeVees and "get back to nature")--is enough for my vote.

In addition to the natural science found in these pages, I very much enjoyed his mundane, day-to-day observations (every time he made coffee or drank a beer, I inwardly smiled). He mixes his love for the woods with a few 21st-century earthly pleasures, as well he should. Of course he's no Thoreau, and I don't think he is in anyway trying to be. Still, he's a damn-sight closer to Nature and the ideas and mind of H.D.T than most.

Truly a pleasurable read. Thanks, Bernd.

We just took a vacation to Maine, in the same area the author stays for a year. It was great to see the descriptions of the countryside over the 4 seasons - not just the one that we saw. The author clearly describes nature and the intricate workings and interactions of all the plants and animals - especially insects and ravens. I felt sad that he saw so much so clearly, but did not (I am guessing) see God's hand in the creation of the finely tuned machine of nature. I never thought of lumbering as an environmental tool, so that was interesting. Loved the drawings of the plants and insects. Next walk I take will be a longer, more conscious one, thanks to this book.

Like Aldo Leopold's "Sand County Almanac",Heinrich has written a book that I find myself going back to with each changing season. His descriptions are those of an experienced naturalist who finds immense pleasure in the diversity and detail of nature. I especially enjoyed the many passages on bird song and his observations of the myriad colours and patterns in Red Maples in the fall. To fully appreciate this book, however, the reader needs to be knowledgeable about natural history. Whereas some other reviewers have said that they found the long passages about a particular plant or animal tiresome, these were the parts of the book that I enjoyed the most.

I've read several of Heinrich's books and have never been disappointed. Some reviewers compare him to Thoreau, favorably or not. While in certain places he does evoke thoughts of Thoreau, that is not what he is trying to do, contrary to what some reviewers seem to think.

As a word-class biologist and naturalist, Heinrich approaches his story of life in the Maine woods from two vantage points. First, as a scientist/naturalist, and then as a long-time resident of the area of Maine he calls home. The two themes are interwoven with a seasonal view of life in his cabin.

Unlike Thoreau, who was an amateur nineteenth century naturalist and literary philosopher, Heinrich has the advantage of being both a keen observer and a trained scientist, albeit one who grew up surrounded by nature before receiving his academic research training as a physiological ecologist. While some might find the detail he presents in places to be too much, those who really wish to learn about combining the powers of observation with scientific insights will be richly rewarded.

I must take exception to the reviewer who termed this book an "ego trip".
Heinrich is hardly parading his vast scientific knowledge for the sake of seeming erudite. The man has garnered numerous scientific and literary kudos, for both his research and nature writing, so I suspect he hardly needs to engage in an "ego trip" by trying to ape Thoreau. In fact, given his vast knowledge of biology, I would say that he strikes a good balance between telling a personal story and presenting scientific facts and insights in the context of his experience.

Having spent a few years in the area of Maine that Heinrich loves and writes about so well, I think that he does a wonderful job capturing both the nature and the lifestyle of rural Maine. If you are the type of person who enjoys taking walks in company of expertise, you will enjoy this book.

Bernd Heinrich does a spectacular job of compliling his experiences of spending a year in the Maine woods into a book.
This professor shows you in his journal how he explores the woods of Maine around his cabin, which is not equipped with running water or electricity.
Mr. Heinrich mentions everything from the pet raven he partly-raised to his encounter with a majestic moose that crossed his path. Other birds, insects, plants and animals that he finds on his daily walks through the remote and beautiful Maine woods are also widely mentioned. He clearly describes the flute-like song of the Hermit Thrush, the chirping of the crickets, the eerie howling of the coyotes, and much, much more.
This book is interesting and easy-to-read for nature lovers and casual observers alike who enjoy serene nature with a touch of civilization here and there.
I recommend this book and hope that Mr. Heinrich will come out with another book as good as this one soon!

Bernd Heinrich has become more or less an icon over the year as to natural history writing. His work and writing on the life cycle and behavior of Ravens has become classical. This offering, A Year in the Maine Woods is one of my favorites of his work.

Heinrich is a world class zoologist, expert ornithologist and an acknowledged expert on environmental issues. For me, reading this particular work was like taking a mini-seminar concerning life in the woods in the state of Maine. Heinrich is not only an expert on his subject, but has the writing ability to articulate and teach; passing bits and pieces of his knowledge on to his readers. I am certainly not a newcomer to the subjects covered by this author, but must confess that I learned much with the reading of this one!

Now before I go on there are a couple of things to note. This author is not Thoreau and if you read his work carefully, it quickly becomes apparent that he is not trying to be. Much of this "Thoreau talk" is merely wishful thinking on the part of some readers. Old Henry was a creature of a different century, was not a trained zoologist or biologist, and was of a more literary philosophical bent. He in no doubt one of my favorite writers, but when I crave a read of Thoreau I will read Thoreau and when I crave the readings of Heinrich, well then, I will read Heinrich. I certainly do not grab a book by Ray Bradbury when I have a hankering for some Emily Bronte. We are talking two different literary animals here. While there are glimmers of Thoreau's attitude in Heinrich's writing, I feel strongly that that was not his intention. Secondly, if the reader is looking for a read filled with quirky, quaint and rustic local characters, then they, the reader, will be disappointed. Suggest you read something like `The Egg and I." You will get all the quirky local characters you want in that one.

As one reviewer has pointed out, this is more or less the year long writings of a man who has sort of "dropped out," taken a bit of time off from a very fulfilling life, and more or less isolated himself in a rather primitive cabin in the Northern Woods in Maine. In many ways this is a weekly, or even daily account of his life spent there. The vast majority of this work concerns his observations as a naturalist; the wildlife, trees, flowers, insects, et al, surrounding him throughout the four seasons. There is also a record of his random thought process and little side trips into astronomy, the condition of people in general and his somewhat pragmatic view of the way we are handling our environment in the location he is living. The sketches the author provides, along with the black and white reproductions of his watercolors, are a delight to the eye and enhance the reading of the book.

As a couple of reviews here have complained; yes, the author does indeed use quite a number of scientific and technical names (gasp, Latin...how dare he), but for the life of me I cannot figure out how he could describe the various species of flora and fauna he is dealing with without using these terms. If you are uncomfortable with such, then you should probably look elsewhere. I think to receive the full impact of this work, to appreciate each and every aspect of it, then a wee bit of scientific training would be quite helpful and in order.

On the other hand, the shear joy in which the author approaches his subjects, his vivid descriptions of the plants and wild life, his description of the weather and his accounts of surviving is a cabin with no electricity, running water or indoor plumbing of any sort, is pure pleasure to read. Now I am not a cold weather person by any stretch of the imagination and feel that anything under 80 degrees is really unlivable, but even I found myself enjoying his description of the climate and how the various critters, including himself, were and are able to cope. His ability to identify hundreds of birds by their call only is more than impressive. I always considered myself pretty good at this, but have to admit my ability is a mere shadow of his and I stand in awe.

As I said before, reading this work was like taking a short course in natural history. If nothing else it certainly opens the door for the reader in many areas and certainly should encourage further learning. I know I felt a recharging of my batteries as I read this one and will certainly hit the bush with a different attitude and with even more enthusiasm after having read it.

To be quite frank, I did not find one page of this work to be boring and in fact had trouble putting it down after I started it. This one will go on my list of book that I will be rereading in the future...if for no other reason than the inspirational aspect.

My wife and I plan a trip soon to this area of the country and I am sure I will be looking at it through different eyes now.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

Bernd Heinrich a Zoology Professor at the University of Vermont has written many books on natural history or what is now called nature writing. This is the first I've read and have enjoyed it immensely. His style is a mixture of deep zoological knowledge of the animals and plants of the Maine woods and the pure love of being a human being who can appreciate and really live the surrounding natural world. This is what is needed by all people if they want to appreciate their world. Its a delightful book but does not possess the intensity of Jack Turner's "Abstract Wild" or Doug Peacock's Grisly writing. But it doesn't really need it, it is just a man living in the woods for a year through the beautiful summer pestered by black flies and the stunning autumn into a cold winter and the new life of spring. The book is also full of very well drawn animals and plants. The story starts with him driving to his cabin with his pet raven Jack who, being a raven, is independent minded and eventually leaves. Its too bad Jack was truly fascinating. There is much to do including the chopping of wood for the winter, taking care of his apple trees, raven watching to do. Its amazing how beautiful nature is when someone is watching with all his heart and mind. A delightful book.

A must for any outdoor and simple living buff who have forgotten that the simple life does not also mean the easy life. But this life does produce its rewards and that is made evident here. An enjoyable book that deserves a second reading.