Nature Literature discussion

Please add your comments and feedback about At the Water's Edge: A Personal Quest for Wildness to this thread.

Thanks and happy reading!

How is everyone doing with this book? Do you want to extend this into November or should I start taking nominations for a new Book of the Month to start Nov. 1st?

Becky

I'm not doing so well with this one. Still in Chapter 1 after a week. I have not even figured out what I seem to dislike about it. :-(

I have read the first two chapters. Then got distracted by other books i needed to finish before. Aiming to get to it more this weekend

Reading it in fits and starts as I travel. I feel like I am waiting to get into the meat of it.

Finished it a few days ago. Review here

Thought that parts of the book were very well written, in particular when he was writing about the route he took, and the detail and wildlife that he saw. Was not particularly keen on when he got on his soapbox about certain issues, not because he wasn't right about them, just that it wasn't what I was expecting from the book.

I completely fell off with this book. Bought for my Kindle as I knew I would be traveling but never found good time to read it. I was in Colorado and driving back to VT through Kansas, Illinois, Iowa, etc. and got caught up in the history and landscape of those unfamiliar states. Reading O Pioneers (went to CO through Nebraska) and rereading Little House on the Prairie. Sorry group!

Hey, don't blame you at all. Perfect match on your trip and those books.

I have started it again but still just in chapter four. Wish he would tell me more than his feelings.

O Pioneers is one of my fave Cather novels, so I don't blame you, either! :)

Here is the cut and paste of my review of the book.

I did not like the first two chapters of the book but chapter three changed my mind. A constant theme of the energy of the sun and the origin of life is skillfully presented in the third chapter and Lister-Kaye returns to it constantly in the book. The chapter is done so well that I may use it in school for my classes one day. The author's stated theme is wilderness but I debate whether he presented that as artfully as he did the sun's power to give life.

The language of the book is lovely and my Kindle has dozens and dozens of highlights for vocabulary and beauty descriptions. I have also added many books to my "to-read" list that were mentioned. The natural observations were fewer than I am used to reading in nature books. The political discussion could have been deleted (but that would have betrayed the author's spirit) and I would have been delighted. But there is a point of view in this book that is unique and worth reading. I am glad I prevailed.

Glad that you liked it in the end Andree

You have inspired me to return to it this winter. Thanks, Andree!

The part about the Scottish wildcat is fascinating too, Pam. house cat size, not like our bobcats, lynx or catamounts. Wish we had them here.

Just saw a "coyote" that a farmer in Glover shot. I really thing it was a wolf...

probably was. the coyotes I see here are huge like German Shepards and are very shaggy. Maybe coywolf (which is what the state says they are, they claim no wolves here)