Coast Range: A Collection from the Pacific Edge

by Nick Neely

Coast: the edge of land, or conversely the edge of sea. Range: a measure between limits, or the scope or territory of a thing. Coast Range, the debut collection of essays from writer Nick Neely, meticulously and thoughtfully dwells on these intersections and much more. The book's title refers to the region in which these essays are set: the California and Oregon coastal ranges. In deeply moving prose equal parts exhilarating and pensive, each essay explores an iconic organism (a few geologic), so that, on the whole, the collection becomes a curiosity cabinet that freshly embodies this Pacific Northwest landscape.

But the book also employs a playful range of forms. Just as forest gives way to bluff and ocean, here narrative journalism adjoins memoir and lyric essay. These associative, sensuous, and sometimes saturnine pieces are further entwined by the theme of "collecting" itself--beginning with a meditation on the impulse to gather beach agates, a semiprecious stone. Another essay follows the journey of salmon from their "collection" at a hatchery through a casino kitchen to a tribal coming-of-age ceremony; a third is a flitting exploration of hummingbirds.

Genres: Essays, Nonfiction, Nature, Native Americans

200 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 17, 2016

Reviews

[Jenny (Reading Envy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up in Oregon, so reading these essays was like revisiting places and experiences I have had but through new eyes. I appreciated how the author alternated between essays that wove together research and experience in a straightforward narrative (such as "the carcass toss" or "homestead") with more lyric essays that were more playful with words and phrasing (like "a guide to coyote management" and "chanty.")

I was not aware of the journey an agate makes, I only have memories of filling jars with them during summer vacations at the beach. I had no idea they were considered hard to find just 10-20 years later.

I can't really quote from these since I have a review copy and it might not be the final version (let's hope they cut at least one "undulating") but here's a line from the beginning of "chanty" that gives a sense of the way Neely is able to play with what he knows about nature:

"Lift this cup and drink the scent of apricot and mud....."

Thanks to the publisher for giving me a review copy, and to Oregon for being the most beautiful place a child can grow up.

[Ted · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting essays.. Somewhere between John McPhee & Gary Snyder.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strong book of nature essays and I learned a lot. Reviewed for the Missoula Independent.

[Lizzy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not finished, so won’t count for yearly total.

Got pretty far in, but while some essays were actually quite good, many were uninspired or pretentious. Usual drivel about looking at roots of words and making tenuous poetic connections between concepts. Over admiring salt of the earth working folks in a condescending way. Over analyzing and looking down on people to make it fit into the theme of the essay.

Some essays were good and had interesting facts, beautiful prose, and new perspectives.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another science poetry book of essays set in the Pacific Northwest. The tone is a little funny— he’s youngish maybe but old-sounding? Something deeply crafted and maybe not 100% firmed up and authentic in the tone, but: so what. He wanders around aimlessly pondering and observing, and I learned some about the Rogue River, the earth-nutritious value of decomposing salmon, about newts, agates, hummingbirds, modern gold panning, chanterelles. What’s not to love.

[connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a difficult review to start. I'm torn between a 3 and 4 star review for this volume, which may be partially unfair. I just finished a Wendell Berry essay collection before reading Coast Range, and Berry is nearly untouchable - poignant, incisive, highly analytical, poetic in his prose. I came into Coast Range hoping for a similar experience, but everything fell just short of that hope.

I expected this book to be a nuanced and curious reflection on life on the Pacific Coast - the flora, fauna, cultural oddities and historical minutia of the region. Having grown up here and currently living in the Bay, my hopes may have been too high. Some of the essays were touching and quite unique ("The Afterlife", "A Guide to Coyote Management"), but most of the others came across as reflections on thesauri, disjointed, and notably apart from the whole. The essays never meshed together for me, which is a disappointment given the potential of the Pacific Coast as a subject and muse. Neely is clearly a skilled writer and deep thinker, but this collection just didn't vibe. Hoping to find some others that reach my expectations!

[Elyssa Dekker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Growing up in Oregon and living both on the central coast of California and in the Bay Area gave me an appreciation and nostalgia for the subject matter, and led to my enjoying this collection of essays more than I think I otherwise would have. The tone of the essays varied greatly across the book, and didn't largely mesh together well. Because of this, I enjoyed some essays more than others, but overall thought this was a fun read about a large variety of subject matters. Neely is a skilled writer, and a lot of his stories and ideas have a lot of potential.

[Andrew Benesh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Coast Range is a series of reflective essays by Nicholas Keeley, written about his experiences and observations living in the mountains of Oregon. The essays broach a wide range of topics, from the ecology of salmon reproduction and farming to the historical trends in underwater gold mining. The essays also vary greatly in style; some are documentary while others are more poetic or metaphysical. As an avid consumer of natural history writing, and fan of authors like Annie Dillard who bridge natural history with more abstract ideas, I was very excited to get this book.

Despite my excitement, I found the essay collection itself uneven and unsatisfying. In each essay the ember of the author’s ideas glows brightly, but in most it never blossoms into flame. Instead the essays often seem to wander aimlessly, or get snagged in wanting to over-explain particular phenomena. At other times the author introduces ideas or conflicts that seem deeply relevant to the essay (particularly relating to the thoughts of native children), then drops them abruptly, leaving the reader to wonder why they were included at all.

There are a few essays that do really shine in this collection, and when they do they do so brilliantly. The Garden of Earthly Delights, which explores the dynamics of human interactions with the madrones trees provides a fascinating humanization of nature and meditation on the inevitability of change. The terminal essay, on newts and fire, was particularly poetic and moving. Other stories felt like they could be excellent if given more editorial attention; the stories on the coyote, steelhead recycling, and mushroom structures felt unpolished but potentially profound.

Ultimately, this essay collection left me feeling unsatisfied and wishing the author had spent more time refining his ideas. I hope to see more work from him in the future to showcase his growth!

[bookinglibrarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing collection of writing about my home territory of the Klamath/Siskiyou bioregion with fresh perspectives on topics from agates to gold dredging, from the Rogue River to the Table Rocks, from hummingbirds to coyotes to chanterelles and the management and celebration of salmon - I can't wait to read more from this awesome young writer.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully designed book that is as good as it looks. Neely's essays cover newts, chanterelles, a Native American salmon ceremony, and my favorite, Homestead, the same artist's residency on the Rogue River that John Daniel writes about. He mixes vivid description with meticulous detail.

[Alexa · Rating 2 out of 5]

A collection of nature essays that managed to be highly pretentious and mostly uninteresting at the same time. I enjoyed a few of the essays, but I should have known from the start that this writing style is ultimately not for me.

[Rachel Pawlitz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book, and it did have a certain appeal in it's descriptive writing style, but it just didn't hold my attention and I couldn't finish it. Probably still worth a read if essays are one of your favorite writing styles.

[Ted · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book of essays.. on things Oregonian...

[Space Person Spiff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the essays were a good read, but nothing to inspirational or exciting. Quite a few essays were kinda boring.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a goodreads win. I entered because of the title. I've owned property in three different coastrange communities: first Fieldbrook and Honeydew in northern California and now over 20 years in Deadwood, Oregon.

Our Deadwood home is a private in-holding inside Siuslaw National Forest about 20 miles inland from the beach at Yahachts that is a center theme of the first essay. That piece nearly put me off reading the book. It has way too many references to all the people you study in college. There is something really enjoyable about hunting agates on the beach, but my eyes glazed over with the references to Emerson, Galileo, Yeats, Theophrastus, Dewey, Aeneas, Pliney the Elder, Jung, Elizabeth Taylor and a few more I'd never heard of.

But keep going. It does get better. I liked the more reporter type pieces best--the workings of a fish hatchery, a tribal feast, or a few days in the lives of some suction dredge miners. While I prefer policies that favor native wild fish and ban suction dredge mining, I enjoyed learning more about the workings of fish hatcheries and the people who fight so hard to keep suction dredge mining.

Toward the end Neely describes spending 6 months at the Boyden Residency. Having read Rogue River Journal: A Winter Alone by John Daniel I was already familiar with that remote setting. Daniel is of my generation and lives in a rural area about an hour from my Deadwood home so his experiences spoke to me. Younger people with a different background will probably find that Neely speaks to them.

[Kate Belt · Rating 4 out of 5]

CHPC book group folks who heard me talk about my participation in the Omaha Public Library book selections - this is one of my successful contributions. I liked the writing and especially enjoyed the stories about the history of the Rogue Valley and Rogue Wars, some of which I knew and some of which I didn't, and some of which I probably did and forgot. For example: when salmon die after spawning & decompose near the river bank, they provide nutrients for the trees, which keeps humans alive. We are all part of an independent ecosystem that money can't buy.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Any fan of writing as it relates to nature, especially the West Coast of America, will greatly enjoy this! In the current political climate, it reminded me of the fragility of our ecosystems and how important science and stewardship ("The carcass toss" especially) are to our environment. Some impatience on my part and perhaps some lack of narrative drive( I found myself looking for the end of one essay and the beginning of a new) prevented me from giving a higher rating. "Discovering Anna" was another favorite.