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Schoolhouse: Lessons on Love and Landscape
SCHOOLHOUSE: Lessons on Love & Landscape concerns the search for where identity, place, and heart intersect. The memoir opens with its Brooklyn-born narrator standing on his head outside an old one-room schoolhouse amid 500 acres of remote woodlands in Iowa, his new home. Why this Walden-like retreat? Is it to attend the renowned Iowa Writers’ Workshop, or is he actually on the lam from love?
Structured like a schoolbook, each chapter is named after a school subject (i.e. Geography, History, Social Studies, What I Did On My Summer Vacation), which collectively forms an overall lesson plan for his coming back out of the woods. For the Heartland, it seems, won’t allow him to hide from his own heart forever. SCHOOLHOUSE is a study of both nature and of human nature.
Structured like a schoolbook, each chapter is named after a school subject (i.e. Geography, History, Social Studies, What I Did On My Summer Vacation), which collectively forms an overall lesson plan for his coming back out of the woods. For the Heartland, it seems, won’t allow him to hide from his own heart forever. SCHOOLHOUSE is a study of both nature and of human nature.
- GenresMemoirNonfiction
272 pages, Paperback
Published October 10, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 15, 2017
I’ve only recently come to understand why I have this lifelong, unwavering commitment to reading literature (esp. literary fiction and memoir). I seek two rewards: 1) to develop deeper empathy as a path to more authentic kindness; and 2) to dive below the inadequacy of life to discover the connection of a deeper intimacy.
For this reason, there are books I choose to read, and books I refuse to read. There are authors who are kind, and authors who are venomous. The older I get, the more I seek out authors whose treatment of characters (protagonists and antagonist in fiction; self and others in memoir) and plot is essentially compassionate, not self-righteous.
Here’s J.C. Hellman writing about Marc Nieson in his review of schoolhouse (to read the whole review go to: http://www.themillions.com/2016/10/am...)
“Even in the first few pages of his book one taps into the gentle, anger-averse mien that made Nieson something of an odd presence at both those games, and in that creative writing program, each of which often featured conflict….It’s a kind and quiet book about a world that often isn’t either, and it’s told in a spare language that serves an inverted measure of the volume’s difficult-to-plumb sophistication.”
Marc Nieson’s kindness is not only the result of, but also the progenitor, of empathy, as Hellman goes on to write:
“Of course you recognize that you have a particular kind of intimacy with people in books, and with people through books, which everyday relationships lack, but if you never read a book that was written by someone you know, then you never come truly face to face with the sad inadequacy of real life, which is the reason books exist in the first place,” Mr. Hogan writes. “When I read Schoolhouse, I realized there was more pain and past in Nieson’s life than I had ever known or suspected might have lurked there.”
Who will like this book? People who want to slow down--fans of introspective, literary memoir; city-dwellers who dream of spending a Thoreau-like 2-years in solitude, contemplating their lives; Iowans & Minnesotans who like to re-explore their region through the eyes of a compassionate, intelligent stranger; those who like to spend time in the company of thoughtful, sparse prose that, like the simplest of poetry, says so much more than words can ever say.
Who will not like this book? People looking for a bold, sassy voice (a la Mary Karr--which is not to say that I don't enjoy her writing); those who want action-filled plots with quick pacing; people who like clear delineations between right and wrong in relationships (as in, "whose fault is the problem that caused it all to go wrong?")
For this reason, there are books I choose to read, and books I refuse to read. There are authors who are kind, and authors who are venomous. The older I get, the more I seek out authors whose treatment of characters (protagonists and antagonist in fiction; self and others in memoir) and plot is essentially compassionate, not self-righteous.
Here’s J.C. Hellman writing about Marc Nieson in his review of schoolhouse (to read the whole review go to: http://www.themillions.com/2016/10/am...)
“Even in the first few pages of his book one taps into the gentle, anger-averse mien that made Nieson something of an odd presence at both those games, and in that creative writing program, each of which often featured conflict….It’s a kind and quiet book about a world that often isn’t either, and it’s told in a spare language that serves an inverted measure of the volume’s difficult-to-plumb sophistication.”
Marc Nieson’s kindness is not only the result of, but also the progenitor, of empathy, as Hellman goes on to write:
“Of course you recognize that you have a particular kind of intimacy with people in books, and with people through books, which everyday relationships lack, but if you never read a book that was written by someone you know, then you never come truly face to face with the sad inadequacy of real life, which is the reason books exist in the first place,” Mr. Hogan writes. “When I read Schoolhouse, I realized there was more pain and past in Nieson’s life than I had ever known or suspected might have lurked there.”
Who will like this book? People who want to slow down--fans of introspective, literary memoir; city-dwellers who dream of spending a Thoreau-like 2-years in solitude, contemplating their lives; Iowans & Minnesotans who like to re-explore their region through the eyes of a compassionate, intelligent stranger; those who like to spend time in the company of thoughtful, sparse prose that, like the simplest of poetry, says so much more than words can ever say.
Who will not like this book? People looking for a bold, sassy voice (a la Mary Karr--which is not to say that I don't enjoy her writing); those who want action-filled plots with quick pacing; people who like clear delineations between right and wrong in relationships (as in, "whose fault is the problem that caused it all to go wrong?")
July 26, 2017
Schoolhouse is a quiet memoir that succeeds because of its quietude. It is not a memoir of abuse, mental illness or a dramatic/traumatic life. Instead, Schoolhouse tells of the author's attempt to engage more with life while living in a former one-room schoolhouse near Iowa City, Iowa. Nieson is there to study writing but winds up studying nature and himself even more. The circumstances, the end of an affair, a dying friend, are less important than the author's personal growth shared with the vision of hindsight and with journal excerpts from the time. More than most memoirs I have read, Schoolhouse leaves me feeling as though I have met the author, spent time with him and know him. It is a most intimate of memoirs, not in a sexual sense, but in the sense of interiority.
As an aside, the cover art on this book is wonderful and it is a shame Goodreads does not have it displayed.
As an aside, the cover art on this book is wonderful and it is a shame Goodreads does not have it displayed.
February 1, 2017
As someone who's mothered six boys to distinction...no jail time, addictions, car wrecks, unintended pregnancies, are gainfully employed, pay taxes, stay in touch with me...good guys...I came away from this read curious about our own boys. Though not a coming of age memoir it is a book of life. The author was in his thirties when he attended Iowa for his MFA. Marc, I can call him by his first name because I've known him for about ten years, was my first writing teacher at a sleep-over big kid camp called the Iowa Summer Writers Festival (https://www.writinguniversity.org/dep...). It was there I met a now long-time friend from DesMoines with whom I have attended several AWP Conferences (https://www.awpwriter.org/awp_confere...), classes at Iowa, and with whom I have exchanged long-winded emails and Christmas letters. And since I had Marc as a teacher I've finished a masters in humanities with a concentration in creative writing ...after our kids finished college. Though not the path I wanted (circumstances grounded me in my home city) I was not able to get an MFA. However, I've been exposed to enough writing teachers as a non-traditional student (older) that I can speak with some authority about those teachers who are the real deal. Marc is the real deal.
Marc's reach in life fully displayed in his memoir encompasses the teacher, the inquisitor, the hermit, the lover, the giver, the taker, the guy you want to knock up the side of the head and scream 'grow up!' to. He's a really nice guy, a bit of a slogger and plodder' Hey, he's a guy, and I can't help wonder if they are all a bit like this. He is also a thinker, a friend, a traveler, a helper, a victim, a man open to life. One who seemingly holds no prejudices or anger, but is at the same time devoid of huge swings of excitement and passion...in this book, that is. He does have one wonderful trait, he is steady, constant.
Schoolhouse displays nothing provocative and reads without excitement or wonder, seems a bit dull at times, and yet the flow of language, the breadth of knowledge, the ever-present teacher on the page, the many stories in this story held my attention. In Schoolhouse, Marc captures his family background and in it his quest to understand his immediate family so extensively that I marvel at his research. (He has braided well.)
The consummate teacher appears when he discusses his own professor drawing an arc on the board at Iowa, not unlike the teacher I had that summer at Iowa when Marc drew an arc on the board to illustrate the 'momentum' of a story. The traveler appears when he discusses his life in Italy, the friendships he made during that time. Do we all drag around the souls of our friends from the different periods in our lives?
This memoir is the story of Marc, the young man who had an affair with an older woman. That's the tickler to entice you. She laces through the memoir until he untangles himself from the affair that had no chance of lifelong permanence.
Marc lived in an old schoolhouse in the middle of an Iowa corn field, a city boy armed with curiosity about nature, a guy who easily made friends, a guy who had lived a bit before undertaking the rigors of Iowa at that time, a passionate reader, a guy comfortable in his own skin. He recused himself from society to experience life. One should be so lucky.
For any student writing a memoir this book is a model.
Through the many layers of this memoir the one that resonates with me the most is the story of a humble guy just trying to live life. Lucky the woman who ended up with him.
Marc's reach in life fully displayed in his memoir encompasses the teacher, the inquisitor, the hermit, the lover, the giver, the taker, the guy you want to knock up the side of the head and scream 'grow up!' to. He's a really nice guy, a bit of a slogger and plodder' Hey, he's a guy, and I can't help wonder if they are all a bit like this. He is also a thinker, a friend, a traveler, a helper, a victim, a man open to life. One who seemingly holds no prejudices or anger, but is at the same time devoid of huge swings of excitement and passion...in this book, that is. He does have one wonderful trait, he is steady, constant.
Schoolhouse displays nothing provocative and reads without excitement or wonder, seems a bit dull at times, and yet the flow of language, the breadth of knowledge, the ever-present teacher on the page, the many stories in this story held my attention. In Schoolhouse, Marc captures his family background and in it his quest to understand his immediate family so extensively that I marvel at his research. (He has braided well.)
The consummate teacher appears when he discusses his own professor drawing an arc on the board at Iowa, not unlike the teacher I had that summer at Iowa when Marc drew an arc on the board to illustrate the 'momentum' of a story. The traveler appears when he discusses his life in Italy, the friendships he made during that time. Do we all drag around the souls of our friends from the different periods in our lives?
This memoir is the story of Marc, the young man who had an affair with an older woman. That's the tickler to entice you. She laces through the memoir until he untangles himself from the affair that had no chance of lifelong permanence.
Marc lived in an old schoolhouse in the middle of an Iowa corn field, a city boy armed with curiosity about nature, a guy who easily made friends, a guy who had lived a bit before undertaking the rigors of Iowa at that time, a passionate reader, a guy comfortable in his own skin. He recused himself from society to experience life. One should be so lucky.
For any student writing a memoir this book is a model.
Through the many layers of this memoir the one that resonates with me the most is the story of a humble guy just trying to live life. Lucky the woman who ended up with him.
June 29, 2017
If books were celebrated simply because of beautiful writing, Schoolhouse would be enjoying a stellar view from the top of the charts. I feel certain of it. I met author, Marc Niesen, last month in Siglufjörður, Iceland. Upon hearing Niesen read only a few lines, I was hooked. And my first impression was correct. Niesen has written is a poignant love story, a story of self-discovery and peace and strength, the story of man interacting with and learning life lessons from nature, our greatest teacher. Schoolhouse reminded me of one of my favorite books, Gift of the Sea, by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. It’s that beautiful, that haunting, that good. Schoolhouse is the story of his year spent living in an old, one room schoolhouse in Iowa while working toward a writing degree and struggling to get over a May-December romance. This book includes all the things I enjoy—writing that sings, nature, journey, reflection. And I especially like the way the chapters are divided into school lessons such as Spelling, Reading, Anatomy, etc.
March 20, 2018
As the front cover says "woven from whispered secrets...a true gem of the memoir form", Schoolhouse : Lessons on Love and Landscape is one of those slow and quiet memoirs that is still unflinchingly beautiful, honest and at times gut-wrenching. Chronicling Marc Nieson's one year stay in an Iowa school house built in 1912 as he attends the esteemed Iowa Writer's Workshop, this book is a portrait of inner and outer landscapes, and isn't shy to say that sometimes nature can't teach us everything. Nieson has run away from a lot of things in his life - from true attachment to another person, from pain and from grief. This book is partly about writing, partly about paying attention, but mostly about Nieson's need to come to grips that he is running away as opposed to running towards something. Some readers may find the book's ending--and Nieson's conclusions--infuriating, as despite the haunted feeling the book conjures up, most of its revelations are quite small. But perhaps that is the way life is too. I finished this book in two huge bursts, and it crept into my dreams. One of those books to take slowly. I was lucky enough to find Schoolhouse at the right time.
June 1, 2020
There's a lot going on here-- the end of a long affair and the coming-of-age journey of moving on from that; becoming a writer, or at least going to grad school to learn about craft; a return to nature/ simplicity narrative; a city boy in the country; the death of a best friend-- and I'm not sure it comes together for me in a way that made sense, of felt distinct. The "move from NYC to flyover country" thing struck me as particularly uninsightful, as Nieson's speaker goes on Thoreau-ish "woodswalks" and learns the names of bird and bushes. But I also didn't quite understand the mechanics of the relationship with Sylvia or why and how it ended, and the death of his friend, while moving, felt like maybe it belonged in a different book. The fact that most of the stories here happened twenty years previously gave them an amber glow I'm not sure they earned.
There are parts of this I liked-- the section on riding a horse worked for me, for some reason. The Venice sections, whichever time period we were in, worked well. But a lot of this felt like, I don't know, material that wasn't fully transformed into art yet.
There are parts of this I liked-- the section on riding a horse worked for me, for some reason. The Venice sections, whichever time period we were in, worked well. But a lot of this felt like, I don't know, material that wasn't fully transformed into art yet.
July 10, 2017
This is a unique and beautiful read. Part memoir, part coming of age story, several love stories, and an homage to the natural world--first love, lasting love, love of landscape. To make a prairie, Emily Dickinson suggests, requires bees and reverie, and reverie will do. This book will spark reverie and contains a natural and human world within its pages. Thank you Marc Nieson for this reading experience.
October 4, 2018
This book made me realize I've been missing out on so many beautiful things in the world: the unique little gifts our midwest environment has to offer, the craft of writing (and how difficult it really is to be a self-aware, feeling writer), and the idea that letting go is a natural (albeit difficult) part of life. The story is timely, the words are beautifully poetic and inspiring. Put your phone away and read this, or better yet, read this, throw your phone away forever, and LIVE.
June 23, 2017
Great memoir about how life changes us in many ways and how we must learn to create our own paths to follow our own dreams. Real characters with real emotions that teach valuable life lessons.
January 29, 2019
Captivating
This book will lead to self reflection and appreciation. The writing style captures a mood...didn't want it to end. Anxious to read more from Marc Nieson
This book will lead to self reflection and appreciation. The writing style captures a mood...didn't want it to end. Anxious to read more from Marc Nieson
Did Not Finish
January 31, 2026DNF
June 9, 2023
I give Marc Nieson 4.7 stars out of 5 for Schoolhouse: lessons on love and landscape. (I hate the star system, actually.) A young man navigates love and secrets. He vividly describes his surroundings, wildlife, and love life. Within a sea of landscape, he drops a heartbreaking reality, which might make a future reader go, “Oy, ohhh, ouch.” And from that, he makes his character truly human.
The organization of the chapters is unique, fun, and the perfect idea to relay his time in Iowa. My issue in not giving it a perfect 5.0 is that I felt parts of a couple of the early chapters were slow and maybe not needed. For what comes later in the book, I wish he had spent more time earlier showing his relationship with the friends he made in Venice.
He uncovers interesting family history.
He shares tender moments between friends.
He manages to find a rainbow and with it portrays a message of hope.
Congratulations, Marc Nieson!
The organization of the chapters is unique, fun, and the perfect idea to relay his time in Iowa. My issue in not giving it a perfect 5.0 is that I felt parts of a couple of the early chapters were slow and maybe not needed. For what comes later in the book, I wish he had spent more time earlier showing his relationship with the friends he made in Venice.
He uncovers interesting family history.
He shares tender moments between friends.
He manages to find a rainbow and with it portrays a message of hope.
Congratulations, Marc Nieson!
April 21, 2017
This quiet, lovely, captivating memoir entered my world after my husband did an interview with the author. Nieson, a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and a faculty member of the MFA program at Chatham University, demonstrates a finessed love of language and nature, and presents vulnerability in the best -- and strongest -- sense of the word.
His lyrical writing style is tangible, nuanced, comfortable. There's a zen quality to his examination of surroundings and emotions - no tricks, just real connection. Rare. I look forward to more of his work.
His lyrical writing style is tangible, nuanced, comfortable. There's a zen quality to his examination of surroundings and emotions - no tricks, just real connection. Rare. I look forward to more of his work.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews