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Woodswoman
Woodswoman III: Book Three of the Woodswoman's Adventures
Educated woman, really cared for the Adirondack Mtn area. Lived simply. The book lets the reader see the changes in the environment and people in this part of NYS as well as the viciousness of the people that felt otherwise from her views. Just a good read.
250 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1997
5 people are currently reading
544 people want to read
About the author
Anne LaBastille
24 books89 followersAnne LaBastille was an American author and ecologist. She was the author of more than a dozen books, including Woodswoman, Beyond Black Bear Lake, Woodswoman III, Woodswoman IIII, Assignment:Wildlife, and Women of the Wilderness. She also wrote more than 150 popular articles and over 25 scientific papers. She received her doctorate degree in Wildlife Ecology from Cornell University in 1969. She also had an M.S. in Wildlife Management from Colorado State University (1961), and a B.S. in Conservation of Natural Resources from Cornell (1955).[2][3] She was honored by the World Wildlife Fund and the Explorers Club for her pioneering work in wildlife ecology both in the United States and in Guatemala. She was a contributing writer to the Sierra Club, and National Geographic as well as many other magazines. LaBastille became a licensed New York State Guide in the 1970s and offered guide services for backpacking and canoe trips into the Adirondacks. She gave wilderness workshops and lectures for over forty years and served on many conservation organizations in the Adirondack Mountains of New York, including 17 years on the Board of Commissioners of the Adirondack Park Agency. She traveled around the world and worked with many non-profit organizations to study and alleviate the destructive effects of acid rain and pollution on lakes and wildlife. LaBastille was also a noted wildlife photographer and her work appeared in many nature publications.
LaBastille was born in Montclair, New Jersey, and died at a nursing home in Plattsburgh, New York.
LaBastille was born in Montclair, New Jersey, and died at a nursing home in Plattsburgh, New York.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
July 19, 2016
Ah, the third book in the Woodswoman series, and as expected, I devoured it! I can't quite pinpoint what it is about these books or Anne LaBastille's story that draws me in. Perhaps it's a combination of her writing, her story and the romance of living life as part of nature. Whatever it is, I love everything about reading the Woodswoman books. ....Ok, that is not entirely true, there is one thing I don't like about reading these books...I hate to finish them! You don't need to be a feminist, environmentalist, naturalist or dog lover to appreciate these books. I think most everyone can be lured in, on some level, by living in a cabin in the woods - even though it's something most of us would never opt to endure in this day and age! I wholeheartedly recommend the Woodswoman series to all readers!
January 14, 2011
As much as I enjoyed the first two books in this series of four Woodswoman memoirs by Anne LaBastille, giving both high marks, there is a distinct dip in quality of copy in this third book. Woodswoman III is the first in the series that LaBastille has published herself, under the same name with which she refers to her wilderness cabin—West of the Wind. Indeed, a disproportionate part of this story is about her venture in self-publishing and very little about wilderness living.
The Woodswoman series is about, or described to be about, the wilderness life of Anne LaBastille, who more or less built her own log cabin in the Adirondacks after a divorce. She was in her 20s at that time, and each of the first three books spans a decade of her life, with the final installment covering five years.
For those who have read the first two, the third is hardly worth the bother. There are sections that are almost verbatim the same as in previous books. It is as if the author is running out of new things to say about living in wilderness … and, truthfully, it seems to be a bit of a stretch by now to call it wilderness. Black Bear Lake, the name the author has given the lake on which she built her cabin, is fictional in order to protect her exact location from overly curious fans. Once again, LaBastille complains about intrusions, yet on the other hand, she herself has become quite the social butterfly by this installment.
Woodswoman III is about her adventures in starting her self-publishing business, obstacles she must overcome in marketing, setting up shop in her garage—and, oh yes, she now has one! as LaBastille has purchased a second residence, a traditional farmhouse, where she seems to spend more and more of her time rather than at her wilderness cabin. It is also a story of a woman who truly loves her dogs.
Since LaBastille’s day, self-publishing has changed immensely, so her insights are no longer relevant today, if only as a kind of history as how such things were once done. So much of her time is spent making rounds of bookstores in the Adirondack and surrounding area that the reader who first read the Woodswoman books for a vicarious experience of living close to nature will have to look elsewhere for nature writing.
From an editorial standpoint, the story suffers as well. For all of the author’s complaining about difficult editors at big publishing houses, this installment could very much have used an objective editorial hand. There are typos, yes, and grammatical errors, but mostly, expert cuts would have much improved the storyline and perhaps even saved it. Like it or not, an author is one’s own worst editor. We lack the fresh eye on our own work, and we certainly lack objectivity. A persistent and committed writer might, over repeated readings, catch most errors, but those painful cuts—painful to the author only—often need to be done by another’s hand. There is a reason editors exist, and it is a good one.
Yet there are positives in this book, too. An occasional respite from her story of self-publishing reminds us of why we began reading this series in the first place. A refreshing occasional description of the wild woods, or the enchanting loons on the lake, never gets old. Her account of a camping trip with two rookie women campers is good fun. Survival of a fierce storm is exciting. And, LaBastille’s secondary storyline, about her ongoing battle to preserve the Adirondack environment, and to educate the reader about ecological matters, still shines.
Two reasons I would still recommend this book are LaBastille’s detailed descriptions of the effects of boating and other water craft on the ecological health of lakes and other bodies of water. No doubt most of us who enjoy being around water have little or no idea how much damage larger, faster boats can wreak on water and shorelines, including the wildlife that depend on that environment. Certainly I had little idea that the difference in speed and horsepower of a boat could be so detrimental. LaBastille writes about the pollution left behind by these inconsiderate boaters, but also the effects of ever larger wakes, eroding shorelines, drowning baby loons, even toppling over people in smaller boats such as canoes. There is room for compromise, as she makes clear, but her fight with big boaters on Black Bear Lake is valuable reading.
The second reason readers may enjoy this book is LaBastille’s writing about the aging woman, not just in wilderness, but in our society in general. She despises ageism, and encourages older women to embrace a healthy process of aging, rather than giving in to contemporary American society’s worshipping of youth. As a woman in my 50s, I can only applaud her views about women embracing our age, whatever it might be:
“There’s an excitement to aging. I wouldn’t go back a day. I like where I live, what I do, how I look, and what I know. The obsession with youth in our culture is sick. Over 50 and you’re ready for the ash heap. Baloney! Older women should tell people forthrightly, ‘This is what it looks like to be 57.’ (Or whatever your age is.) Let your hair go grey… Let your head be haloed with ‘silvery veils and white chiffon.’ It’s beautiful.” (page 221)
She goes on to encourage women to become environmental activists, because we are naturally nurturing, and then expands to our relationships, reminding us that we do just fine in solitude:
“Look at the facts. Older women command 60 percent of the wealth in this country. They’ve learned much and are free to study, travel, teach, and participate in anything they wish. Child-rearing is no longer a responsibility. Women live longer. Since we’re the natural care-takers in this world, I feel the greatest good that women can do is help the environmental movement. Women can save Earth’s creatures and the planet.
“To be effective, we must … stay persistent in our environmental concerns. We need to feminize ecology and bring on more grass-roots activism.
“… What about men in my life? I know and work with many. I have many close male friends. Yet the few I’ve truly loved are gone. I’m not the only woman in this situation. I scarcely know a woman over 50 who still has a man in her life. Indeed, half of all women in America over 40 live alone. Some keep looking for the right one; others don’t even want a relationship … Today, some men are angry at women and their independence. How else can we explain women being battered, gang-raped, victims of sexual harassment in the armed forces, the workplace, everywhere? … My feeling is that every woman should have a position of power in her later years … Every woman should do something that makes her important in her eyes …” (pages 222-223)
Let the reader decide if there is reason enough to pick up this third LaBastille book. If your motives are to enjoy nature writing, it falls short. If you are seeking encouragement to be a woman who is self-reliant, in or out of a relationship, you may well find it here. If you are a diehard LaBastille fan, allow her these shortcomings and read the book anyway. Having come this far, I am reading the fourth book now. On the other hand, you may do just as well to read the first two books and hang it up there. You won’t have missed much.
The Woodswoman series is about, or described to be about, the wilderness life of Anne LaBastille, who more or less built her own log cabin in the Adirondacks after a divorce. She was in her 20s at that time, and each of the first three books spans a decade of her life, with the final installment covering five years.
For those who have read the first two, the third is hardly worth the bother. There are sections that are almost verbatim the same as in previous books. It is as if the author is running out of new things to say about living in wilderness … and, truthfully, it seems to be a bit of a stretch by now to call it wilderness. Black Bear Lake, the name the author has given the lake on which she built her cabin, is fictional in order to protect her exact location from overly curious fans. Once again, LaBastille complains about intrusions, yet on the other hand, she herself has become quite the social butterfly by this installment.
Woodswoman III is about her adventures in starting her self-publishing business, obstacles she must overcome in marketing, setting up shop in her garage—and, oh yes, she now has one! as LaBastille has purchased a second residence, a traditional farmhouse, where she seems to spend more and more of her time rather than at her wilderness cabin. It is also a story of a woman who truly loves her dogs.
Since LaBastille’s day, self-publishing has changed immensely, so her insights are no longer relevant today, if only as a kind of history as how such things were once done. So much of her time is spent making rounds of bookstores in the Adirondack and surrounding area that the reader who first read the Woodswoman books for a vicarious experience of living close to nature will have to look elsewhere for nature writing.
From an editorial standpoint, the story suffers as well. For all of the author’s complaining about difficult editors at big publishing houses, this installment could very much have used an objective editorial hand. There are typos, yes, and grammatical errors, but mostly, expert cuts would have much improved the storyline and perhaps even saved it. Like it or not, an author is one’s own worst editor. We lack the fresh eye on our own work, and we certainly lack objectivity. A persistent and committed writer might, over repeated readings, catch most errors, but those painful cuts—painful to the author only—often need to be done by another’s hand. There is a reason editors exist, and it is a good one.
Yet there are positives in this book, too. An occasional respite from her story of self-publishing reminds us of why we began reading this series in the first place. A refreshing occasional description of the wild woods, or the enchanting loons on the lake, never gets old. Her account of a camping trip with two rookie women campers is good fun. Survival of a fierce storm is exciting. And, LaBastille’s secondary storyline, about her ongoing battle to preserve the Adirondack environment, and to educate the reader about ecological matters, still shines.
Two reasons I would still recommend this book are LaBastille’s detailed descriptions of the effects of boating and other water craft on the ecological health of lakes and other bodies of water. No doubt most of us who enjoy being around water have little or no idea how much damage larger, faster boats can wreak on water and shorelines, including the wildlife that depend on that environment. Certainly I had little idea that the difference in speed and horsepower of a boat could be so detrimental. LaBastille writes about the pollution left behind by these inconsiderate boaters, but also the effects of ever larger wakes, eroding shorelines, drowning baby loons, even toppling over people in smaller boats such as canoes. There is room for compromise, as she makes clear, but her fight with big boaters on Black Bear Lake is valuable reading.
The second reason readers may enjoy this book is LaBastille’s writing about the aging woman, not just in wilderness, but in our society in general. She despises ageism, and encourages older women to embrace a healthy process of aging, rather than giving in to contemporary American society’s worshipping of youth. As a woman in my 50s, I can only applaud her views about women embracing our age, whatever it might be:
“There’s an excitement to aging. I wouldn’t go back a day. I like where I live, what I do, how I look, and what I know. The obsession with youth in our culture is sick. Over 50 and you’re ready for the ash heap. Baloney! Older women should tell people forthrightly, ‘This is what it looks like to be 57.’ (Or whatever your age is.) Let your hair go grey… Let your head be haloed with ‘silvery veils and white chiffon.’ It’s beautiful.” (page 221)
She goes on to encourage women to become environmental activists, because we are naturally nurturing, and then expands to our relationships, reminding us that we do just fine in solitude:
“Look at the facts. Older women command 60 percent of the wealth in this country. They’ve learned much and are free to study, travel, teach, and participate in anything they wish. Child-rearing is no longer a responsibility. Women live longer. Since we’re the natural care-takers in this world, I feel the greatest good that women can do is help the environmental movement. Women can save Earth’s creatures and the planet.
“To be effective, we must … stay persistent in our environmental concerns. We need to feminize ecology and bring on more grass-roots activism.
“… What about men in my life? I know and work with many. I have many close male friends. Yet the few I’ve truly loved are gone. I’m not the only woman in this situation. I scarcely know a woman over 50 who still has a man in her life. Indeed, half of all women in America over 40 live alone. Some keep looking for the right one; others don’t even want a relationship … Today, some men are angry at women and their independence. How else can we explain women being battered, gang-raped, victims of sexual harassment in the armed forces, the workplace, everywhere? … My feeling is that every woman should have a position of power in her later years … Every woman should do something that makes her important in her eyes …” (pages 222-223)
Let the reader decide if there is reason enough to pick up this third LaBastille book. If your motives are to enjoy nature writing, it falls short. If you are seeking encouragement to be a woman who is self-reliant, in or out of a relationship, you may well find it here. If you are a diehard LaBastille fan, allow her these shortcomings and read the book anyway. Having come this far, I am reading the fourth book now. On the other hand, you may do just as well to read the first two books and hang it up there. You won’t have missed much.
July 22, 2011
Mind you, I am a great fan of Dr. LaBastille and have nearly all of her books; most of them signed. However, this third installment of her career as a "woodswoman" seems achingly final. All three books are adventures in the North Woods, however, this one clearly shows how her writing has matured with her own experiences. With harsher stories of vandals, environmental scoundrels and the personal tragedies, she seems to counter it all with great stories of bravery, incredible freindships and profound people. She still endears the reader with magical stories of the woods, lakes and mountains. Marking her third decade living in the Adirondack wilderness, Dr. LaBastille's writing is more realistic, world-wary and sometimes achingly mature. Facing ageing, near helplessness at the pollution and noise on wilderness lakes, she still keeps her sense of humor with great dignity. A gracious gift or a book for your collection; she shares her life of passion.
March 31, 2012
Just finished this, though I milked it and milked it. I've been sad since Anne passed away last summer of 2011. No more new books from such a vibrant soul. It was heart-wrenching to read in places about how she wanted to come back to her cabin for many, many more years and live to her 90's like her friend, Rodney. Not to be.
So many memorable passages that are from such a wise woman like on pg. 222, how to be single/alone and healthy and proud in one's 50's and 60's. She's an inspiration.
And her tales of birds, and trees and ecology are more like from a poet than an ecologist, and I mean that in all the right ways. You get to learn about her fire, vandalism, sabatoge to her truck, her sweet dogs, fighing for the parks and having to finally step down.
I'm sad she's gone, and I'm sad I can't read Woodswoman IIII. But according to Amazon, it's like $70 and up. There must have been a very small printing.
Other times, this book is amusing, like her descriptions of "technology" are so DATED and cute that they read like a page of history: fax machines, copy machines, landlines, you have to remember it was written in the late 90's.
I'm so sad she's not with us anymore. If anyone has Woodswoman IIII that they'd sell for a reasonable price, I'd take it off your hands.
So many memorable passages that are from such a wise woman like on pg. 222, how to be single/alone and healthy and proud in one's 50's and 60's. She's an inspiration.
And her tales of birds, and trees and ecology are more like from a poet than an ecologist, and I mean that in all the right ways. You get to learn about her fire, vandalism, sabatoge to her truck, her sweet dogs, fighing for the parks and having to finally step down.
I'm sad she's gone, and I'm sad I can't read Woodswoman IIII. But according to Amazon, it's like $70 and up. There must have been a very small printing.
Other times, this book is amusing, like her descriptions of "technology" are so DATED and cute that they read like a page of history: fax machines, copy machines, landlines, you have to remember it was written in the late 90's.
I'm so sad she's not with us anymore. If anyone has Woodswoman IIII that they'd sell for a reasonable price, I'd take it off your hands.
May 6, 2018
I love reading about Anne's life, but there were a number of unsettling things that happened to her in this book so overall it was a bit sad to read. The order of the book is also not chronological which broke momentum for me. There were highlights, it was nice to read about her work as a nature guide and it was interesting to read about her work as a book peddler. But by the end, it left me thinking about what's wrong with the world.
February 29, 2024
I love reading through Anne's eyes and her rich descriptions of Adirondack life. Some day I'd like to go back through and annotate. Her message of compassion, self reliance, and determination are so inspiring.
October 3, 2024
Not as good as Woodswoman 1 and 2, but still readable.
October 27, 2023
the urge to go to the mountains is so real after reading anything by anne labastille
June 11, 2017
I really enjoyed the first 2 books but I had a hard time getting through the last half of this one. The first half was good but then there is only so much I can read about someone's dogs. The subject was exhausted fast in my opinion.
December 11, 2008
Still readable, but not nearly as compelling as the first two parts of Anne's autobiography about her life in a log cabin in the Adirondacks, NY.
December 26, 2025
Once again, Anne invites the outside world into her quiet, Adirondack existence, which grows increasingly more complicated as technology, the nature of her work, a second home, and the growing number of tourists encroaches on her way of life. By allowing us to peer into her captivating world, we are invited on a picturesque journey full of controversy, loss, growth, conflict, German Shepherds and, of course, the environment. Whether one agrees with Anne’s environmental stances or the incredibly controversial APA, we are given a unique invitation to respect her passion and commitment to caring for the world around her. As usual, Anne’s beautiful way with words creates an empathy in her readers in a way that is so incredibly rare and powerful. She manages to reach a place that we didn’t know could be reached. Through her troubles, loss, and heartbreak, we find a woman who is not only a powerhouse for the earth, but also deeply human and still figuring out this thing called “life”. As always, the third Woodswoman book lures us into a world of beauty, death, and life, and teaches the tough lessons through the simple art of Adirondack living. If you loved the first two, don’t hesitate to pick up Woodswoman III. You won’t be disappointed.
August 16, 2019
Anne LaBastille continues to face the rigors of the Adirondack wilderness which is increasingly assaulted by more and more environmental issues: acid rain; unthinking waste disposal; “big boaters”; etc. Additionally, she is personally forced to face rage from those opposed to the land use controls imposed by the Adirondack Park Agency. Incidents involving verbal confrontations to arson and breaks of her properties are detailed in this, her third book accounts her life in the Adirondacks.
November 18, 2021
Its gotten to the point on every book I read from Anne what's going to happen to her this time.....
December 27, 2023
I am so enjoying Anne LaBastille's life journey. I find her dedication to environmental issues, wilderness living, and community engagement inspiring.
June 25, 2017
Loved it Beautiful book will read it again, Love Anne LaBastille's books!!!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews