Falling into Place: An Intimate Geography of Home

by Catherine Reid

Quietly powerful essays, weaving keenly observed insights into the mysteries of nature with those of family and community
 
“It’s not easy,” Catherine Reid writes, “to love a person and a place in equal measure.”

Love she does, however, as described in these intimate, lyric essays about the land and people around her. With the inside perspective of a native daughter combined with her outsider status as a lesbian, Reid explores such paradoxes as those that arise from harnessing wild rivers or legalizing same-sex marriage. Her fascination with natural phenomena—whether bird hibernation, the arrival of fishers in suburbia, or the explosion of amphibious life in the wet weeks of spring—is captured in writing that pays as much attention to the sounds of a sentence as to the rhythms of the landscapes she wanders.

Ultimately, however, Reid finds herself having to choose between her lover and her home place. Solace comes from companions as varied as a praying mantis, an otter, and her hundred-year-old grandmother, while resilience shows up in the stories of streams recovering from toxic spills and in communities weathering floods and town meetings. In essays both sensuous and provocative, Reid faces the beauty and challenges of our changing world head-on.

Genres: Nonfiction, Essays, Nature, Memoir, Natural History

184 pages, Hardcover

Published February 4, 2014

Reviews

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would give this book a *3.5* I was a goodreads first reads winner of the book "Falling Into Pace:An Intimate Geography of Home. Catherine Reid writes a memoir and kind of a journal of life growing up and her adult years on the east coast. she mentions many states as Vermont, Maine. New York. this is a nice read about Nature.the Author writes about many topics that have to do with nature.
She has a real love for the woods, trees, rivers, an assorted bunch of animals and birds.
I especially liked reading about the animals and birds. I felt sad to read about the poor deer who got injured.and the bear. it was interesting to read about the birds and the geese. the otters made me laugh.
this is a nice read for people who like to read about nature. I was glad I had the chance to read this book and it's devotion to Nature and all that comes with it.

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in the Goodreads First Reads contest and received it for free. The book has a very Walden like quality and rather than a straight through read, should be savor end in small, thoughtful reads. I enjoyed the emotional aspects of the book and the authors thoughtfulness as she described her relationship with nature. For me, this was a wonderful and beautiful journey with the author.

[Wilma · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the monthly read for my Master Gardener Book Club. It is a series of essays mostly about nature but also some unique observations about the human spirit and insights into ourselves. If you like a quick book that you can read one chapter at a time, it is soul food.

[Nicole Hatfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

The words paint a beautiful picture of the nature surrounding Catherine Reid's home and in her past. I was drawn in and savored every word of her essays. I absolutely loved it and I'm looking forward to reading more of her writing.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this collection of essays. It gathers power over time with its gorgeous, lush language and great thinking. It reminded me of when I first read Terry Tempest Williams's Refuge and Kathleen Norris's Dakota. Read this book.

[willowdog · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reminiscent of Thoreau, these essays speak to the comfort of Reid's native New England natural surroundings and the place of the world events, family, and relationships on this comfort. Not enough lgbt material. Wanted more. Beautifully written passages

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing is absolutely stunning. The content was neither here nor there.