North Woods: A Novel
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR
A WASHINGTON POST TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR • FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD AND THE MARK TWAIN AMERICAN VOICE IN LITERATURE AWARD
A sweeping novel about a single house in the woods of New England, told through the lives of those who inhabit it across the centuries—“a time-spanning, genre-blurring work of storytelling magic” (The Washington Post) from the Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of The Piano Tuner and The Winter Soldier.
“With the expansiveness and immersive feeling of two-time Booker Prize nominee David Mitchell’s fiction (Cloud Atlas), the wicked creepiness of Edgar Allan Poe, and Mason’s bone-deep knowledge of and appreciation for the natural world that’s on par with that of Thoreau, North Woods fires on all cylinders.”—San Francisco Chronicle
New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice • A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: Time, The Boston Globe, NPR, Chicago Public Library, The Star Tribune, The Economist, The Christian Science Monitor, Real Simple, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Bookreporter
When two young lovers abscond from a Puritan colony, little do they know that their humble cabin in the woods will become the home of an extraordinary succession of human and nonhuman characters alike. An English soldier, destined for glory, abandons the battlefields of the New World to devote himself to growing apples. A pair of spinster twins navigate war and famine, envy and desire. A crime reporter unearths an ancient mass grave—only to discover that the earth refuse to give up their secrets. A lovelorn painter, a sinister con man, a stalking panther, a lusty beetle: As the inhabitants confront the wonder and mystery around them, they begin to realize that the dark, raucous, beautiful past is very much alive.
This magisterial and highly inventive novel from Pulitzer Prize finalist Daniel Mason brims with love and madness, humor and hope. Following the cycles of history, nature, and even language, North Woods shows the myriad, magical ways in which we’re connected to our environment, to history, and to one another. It is not just an unforgettable novel about secrets and destinies, but a way of looking at the world that asks the timeless question: How do we live on, even after we’re gone?
A WASHINGTON POST TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR • FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD AND THE MARK TWAIN AMERICAN VOICE IN LITERATURE AWARD
A sweeping novel about a single house in the woods of New England, told through the lives of those who inhabit it across the centuries—“a time-spanning, genre-blurring work of storytelling magic” (The Washington Post) from the Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of The Piano Tuner and The Winter Soldier.
“With the expansiveness and immersive feeling of two-time Booker Prize nominee David Mitchell’s fiction (Cloud Atlas), the wicked creepiness of Edgar Allan Poe, and Mason’s bone-deep knowledge of and appreciation for the natural world that’s on par with that of Thoreau, North Woods fires on all cylinders.”—San Francisco Chronicle
New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice • A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: Time, The Boston Globe, NPR, Chicago Public Library, The Star Tribune, The Economist, The Christian Science Monitor, Real Simple, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Bookreporter
When two young lovers abscond from a Puritan colony, little do they know that their humble cabin in the woods will become the home of an extraordinary succession of human and nonhuman characters alike. An English soldier, destined for glory, abandons the battlefields of the New World to devote himself to growing apples. A pair of spinster twins navigate war and famine, envy and desire. A crime reporter unearths an ancient mass grave—only to discover that the earth refuse to give up their secrets. A lovelorn painter, a sinister con man, a stalking panther, a lusty beetle: As the inhabitants confront the wonder and mystery around them, they begin to realize that the dark, raucous, beautiful past is very much alive.
This magisterial and highly inventive novel from Pulitzer Prize finalist Daniel Mason brims with love and madness, humor and hope. Following the cycles of history, nature, and even language, North Woods shows the myriad, magical ways in which we’re connected to our environment, to history, and to one another. It is not just an unforgettable novel about secrets and destinies, but a way of looking at the world that asks the timeless question: How do we live on, even after we’re gone?
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Readers say *North Woods* is a beautifully written, unique novel that explores time, nature, and human connections through a house as a central charac...
Didn’t like this book, a hodge podge of dysfunctional characters, seemed superficial and sensationalistic at best
Not recommended. I was sorely disappointed by this book. It had been so highly recommended and on the list of "best books for 2023" Whatever were these people thinking? I hated it especially after reading about Mary and Alice, the Osgood sisters. I almost stopped reading then and wish I had. What a true waste of time this book was. It was macabre and weird. I kept thinking it would get better, but it did not. The stories are interconnected and I thought it would be like Cloud Atlas, the Hours, or other cleverly written books where everything makes sense in the end. The characters are not likeable and do some strange, bizarre things. There are grisly murders, schizophrenic delusions, and even a mother who contemplates a lobotomy for her son!
In this book, a home is the main character! It's brilliantly written and I really enjoyed the passage of time and the character development that gave humanity to a dwelling. Old houses steal my imagination and Mason brings that to life!
Really good book, very unique perspective. Then you get the twist about 1/3 of the way through and the storyline takes a completely different angle (which made it a little harder to follow at first and occasionally later on, but more enjoyable).
I like the idea of this book more than the book. First, it was nothing like what I expected and, while I love a great ghost story, the metaphysical aspects of the novel were a big surprise. The layering of time, of what is taking place on earth alongside the ether, and the central character nature plays are all very interesting parts of this work. That said, what Mason decides to tell us about — meaning which people and which ghosts — seems so uneven. Ultimately, the stories do weave together beautifully, but many of the chapters are very drawn out and boring and spend so much prose extolling the virtues of the forest’s flora and fauna that it left me wanting it to end. I understand his intent to illuminate the transience of time, space, and species, but the description of nature as not unlike Kimmerer’s much too long and rambling Braiding Sweetgrass. Proceed with caution unless you loved Braiding Sweetgrass and The Overstory.
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