Which Way to the Nearest Wilderness?

Eunice Gottlieb

by Tricia Springstubb

As she watches her parents' marriage deteriorate, eleven-year-old Eunice, the sensible child in the family, wants only to escape.

166 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1984

About the author

Sister James Bernard, my first grade teacher, taught me how to read. Our class had 60 children (yes) and we went up and down the long rows, taking turns reading aloud. There was absolutely no reading ahead, which was torture. I was always dying to know What happened next? (though with Dick and Jane, the answer was usually, Not much.) As I grew up, I began to wonder not only what happened, but why, and much much later,inhabiting other people's stories wasn't enough. I began to make my own.

Reviews

[Kyla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yeah that's right, I'm reading every Dell Yearling book the thrift store can throw at me. What strikes me is the sophistication of these older middle readers - Walden quotes and sage observations about parents and life philosophies - the golden age of the non-problem Problem Novel. I thought this book was deeper than most adult fiction I read today.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have all these 'wonderful' books on my shelves that I have never read and one of them is this book. It is a real book about real people - a family who constantly fights and two friends from different backgrounds. But,most importantly, it is a book about forgiving, love, and friendship.

[Partridge Public]

Springstubb, Tricia

[NNMarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an OK book. Had a great lesson, but didn't keep my intrest for long.

[Jennifer Heise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written in 1984. It's hard to remember families were still struggling with the new relationships between women and men, and especially mothers and families, in the 80s, but it's probably true. Eunice, the solid sensible middle child, struggles with the drama in her family as her parents fight. Stumbling upon a copy of Thoreau's Walden, she decides that moving out to live in the wilderness is the solution to her problems-- and she and her best friend start up a insult-card business to raise money. But nothing turns out quite the way she expects.

Okay, this dated, especially by the conflicts over, for instance, Eunice's brother going to counselling, but for what it is, it's solid.