Book Description
A chronicle of a solitary year spent on a Cape Cod beach, The Outermost House has long been recognized as a classic of American nature writing. Henry Beston had originally planned to spend just two weeks in his seaside home, but was so possessed by the mysterious beauty of his surroundings that he found he 'could not go.' Instead, he sat down to try and capture in words the wonders of the magical landscape he found himself in thrall to: the migrations of seabirds, the rhythms of the tide, the windblown dunes, and the scatter of stars in the changing summer sky. Beston argued that, 'The world today is sick to its thin blood for the lack of elemental things, for fire before the hands, for water, for air, for the dear earth itself underfoot.' Seventy-five years after they were first published, Beston's words are more true than ever.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful Lines in a Wonderful Book.......2007-09-23
Note: I made some Mormon reader angry over my negative reviews of books written by Mormons out to prove the Book of Mormon, and that person has been slamming my reviews.
Your "helpful" votes are appreciated. Thanks.
On The Outermost House: Henry Beston's account of his year on Cape Code in the 1920s is a classic. It's worth reading just for the poetic lines. Here is an example:
"For a moment of night we have a glimpse of ourselves and of our world islanded in its stream of stars--pilgrims of mortality, voyaging between horizons across eternal seas of space and time."
Highly recommended!
The Outermost House: A Yeaar of Life on the Great Beach of Cape Cod.......2007-01-05
I particularly enjoyed this book as it is set in an area that has a large simularity to where I grew up and I particularly liked the lonliness and bleakness that I identified with.
Beston is without a doubt the best!.......2006-10-03
I wouldn't dream of heading for the Cape without this book--Henry Beston captures the Cape more beautifully than any other author. THE OUTERMOST HOUSE is one of those enchanting books which improves with each rereading.
Customers interested in this title may also be interested in ..........2006-08-04
Since Amazon hasn't provide a link between Outermost House, by Beston, and The Winter Beach, by Charlton Ogburn (ISBN 068809418X), I would like to suggest here that, if you like Outermost House, you will almost certainly enjoy The Winter Beach, as well. From the jacket description: "A naturalist and man of rare wisdom shares with you his journeys along the Atlantic shore."
Bird-watching the Soul.......2005-11-13
There's an H.G. Wells story (in Bloom's anthology for children) called "The Remarkable Case of Davidson's Eyes"; the title character is struck by lightning and undergoes a visual hallucination in which he believes he sees a desolate island, or as he puts it, "Dark sea and sunrise! And yet I'm sitting on a sofa in old Boyce's room!...God help me!" I didn't think much of the story at the time I read it, but now, on reading "The Outermost House," I find it a remarkably excellent and relevant critique of American nature writing. Surrounded by friends and family, Davidson's gaze is turned inward-or rather projected far outward-to a pristine setting that becomes a horror to the reader.
I'm surprised I didn't like Beston's book better. The introduction makes comparisons to Whitman, which drives me crazy. There is no triad of selves; in fact, I didn't find the author good company, with his external, concrete eye. The objective details never gain in implicit resonance like those in Hemingway's "Great Two-Hearted River," for example, in which concrete actions assume ritualistic meaning. The book is a quick read, and it's a good thing, because there's only so much I can take of foam, little birds, wind direction, and dunes. (There's something passive about the narrator; I'm trying to remember something Bloom wrote about Robinson Crusoe in this context.) Perhaps it's a matter of temperament; I mean, I'm as introverted as they come, but I was lonely reading this book, and I kept waiting for augmenting meanings; perhaps it appeals to a more concrete, introverted type, a bird-watcher in other words.
The prose is beautiful in places, but it's not exactly Proust on the ocean, either. It's always so curious to me that American writers, to get elemental or visionary, go to nature, while Europeans still get to enjoy culture. I guess we don't have a Bois, like Proust, with which to associate feelings of longing, nor do we have earthy peasants or Duchesses whose very names carry traces of soil. And isn't there something ultimately selfish in the isolated nature-observer? Maybe that's part of the appeal-the freedom from the demands of family and culture-the illusion of primal interconnectedness. In any event, not Whitman! Matthew Arnold, sure! Ironically enough, I felt Arnold's "melancholy, long, withdrawing roar" every other paragraph. Ultimately, this is a thoroughly PAGAN book in which the soul-less thrumming of cold insect life is celebrated, the sun is worshipped, and human sacrifice (in the form of deaths and drownings at sea) is required. Have we progressed no farther in the past millennium or so? Cold comfort.
Book Description
An irreverent, absorbing, and insightful tale of one man's adventures following the great 7,000-mile osprey migration across two continents
One September, after writing about ospreys on Cape Cod for years, David Gessner impulsively decided to follow the birds on their annual migration. Each fall these graceful raptors, with wingspans of up to six feet, cruise over the eastern United States, then soar over Cuba and winter in South America, returning north with the spring. In 2004, Gessner went along for the ride, traveling illegally into the mountains of Cuba and deep into Venezuela as he competed with the crew of a BBC documentary to be the first to follow the full migration, trailing the birds by car, boat, foot, and plane. He called his favorite osprey Fidel.
Soaring with Fidel is about the exhilaration of migration, but it is also a deeper meditation on the nature of human happiness. In describing the thrill of travel, the antics of these swashbuckling birds, and the cast of characters he meets (and drinks with) along the way—including scientists, students, tour guides, and an online group of birders—Gessner gives us a profound lesson in the importance of following what you love.
"From the tidal marshes of Cape Cod to jungle lakes in Venezuela, David Gessner lets nothing—not language barriers, not empty pockets, not steely-eyed Cuban bureaucrats or American embargoes—stop him from following the migration of the osprey. Just reckless enough to be lucky, Gessner wins over everyone he meets. Soaring with Fidel has wings."
—Scott Weidensaul, author of Living on the Wind
"Because of its robust passion and focus, Soaring with Fidel would have probably been a favorite of Teddy Roosevelt's. It's Gessner's finest book, unpredictable in the best way, and funny, too; an adventure book and much more—a book of contact, written by a writer who quickly becomes an audible and visible presence. Soaring with Fidel demonstrates that you can 'pick up one thing and find the rest of the world hitched to it.' If you've experienced a passion that you failed to follow—or that you did follow—then this is your book."
—Clyde Edgerton, author of Solo
"Exhilarating, hilarious, tender, this is David Gessner at his best. Call it whatever you want—osprey lust, wanderlust, migratory unrest—but when Gessner decides to follow the birds he loves from Cape Cod to Cuba to Venezuela and back north, over thousands of miles of mountain, swamp, and sea, we all benefit."
—James Campbell, author of The Final Frontiersman
"Equal doses of Jack Kerouac and Roger Tory Peterson promise to enshrine Soaring with Fidel in the pantheon of great travel writing and natural history."
—Keith L. Bildstein, author of Migrating Raptors of the World
"Gessner's account is filled with nitty-gritty details about the days and nights of an itinerant birder and beautifully detailed descriptions of ospreys in action. When actual observations were not possible, he imagined what the ospreys were doing and writes intelligently…A grand adventure, not just for birders and nature lovers." —Kirkus, review in the January 15th issue
"Soaring with Fidel is a grand and cheering journey on the wings of one of nature's most sociable predators. It's impossible to watch an osprey hovering above a crystal calm bay and not envy the great bird's freedom. Now, thanks to David Gessner, we are invited to follow."
—Carl Hiaasen, author of Nature Girl
"Gessner's travels are filled with small delights. He has a great gift for conveying reverence without sanctimony, and even at his most sardonic and self-deprecating, his sense of wonder at the osprey never falters. As he stands on a rock above Cuba's Sierra Maestra, watching ospreys rocket past, we wish we could be up there beside him, binoculars in one hand, a cold beer in the other." —OnEarth
"An engaging, lyrical guide to osprey migration, Cuba, and a common humanity. On his impulsive journey, Gessner meets other devotees of this magnificent raptor, and experiences the thrill of following what he loves."
—Orion Magazine
"Gessner seldom sets out deliberately to be funny, as Bill Bryson does, but his deadpan, self-deprecating humor ("I had vast experience in not seeing birds") makes him an ideal traveling companion and guide. Soaring With Fidel lets you hover for a while in the thermals of fine language, seeing the same old world from a fresh and invigorating altitude."
—Wilmington (NC) Morning Star News
"This probing investigation of the migratory flight of the osprey embraced several unexpectedly, exciting adventures . . . I found Gessner's book a most interesting read."
—NH Union Leader
"He gives an occasional nod to Henry David Thoreau, perhaps to assure us that, yep, he's read the masters, but his style—well, imagine Hunter Tompson gone birding, pen in hand." —Hartford Courant
David Gessner is the award-winning author of several books, including Return of the Osprey and The Prophet of Dry Hill (Beacon / 8568-5 / $19.95 hc). He is editor of the literary journal Ecotone and assistant professor of creative writing at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington. Each summer, Gessner migrates north to Cape Cod.
Customer Reviews:
Ospreymania .......2007-06-27
I wish the book had gone on longer. There just wasn't as much content as I like. The subject was great. We know so little about migration. I like his style but I just wanted more storyline. I like all animal books of any kind and especially birds. We just take them for granted and now they are disappearing. I would like another follow up book with Freddy coming to America to visit us again. He was such an interesting guy and you just wanted to climb that mountain with them.
This osprey season has been as sad and interesting as any I have ever experienced and I hope David had better luck in North Carolina. Osprey nests all over seemed to fail this year. Please travel some more and continue to write and I will read. Loyal fan, B. Kelley
Is Gessner the Indiana Jones of Birding?.......2007-05-13
Gessner ratchets up the action with this true-life adventure. He demonstrates that a very skilled writer on a shoestring budget is able to blend ornithology, international adventure, beer, smokes and derring-do into a terrific book that teaches the reader to devour life while pursuing knowledge. The combination is odd, but I found this page-turner exciting and informative. Both people and ospreys come under Gessner's neb as he breaks a few U.S. State Department rules about travel to Cuba to see for himself where thousands of Ospreys (and other birds) migrate. His interest focuses on a particular bird he follows from Cape Cod to Cuba's La Gran Piedra. Achieving this, he risks life and limb to travel to Venezuela where kidnappings and murders are not quite as numerous as the ospreys he so adores, and borrows money to consummate his passionate quests. I reluctantly set this book aside to run an errand that took me across the Megler Bridge over the Columbia River through an estuary near Astoria, Oregon. As if on cue, an Osprey plunged into a mud flat and arose with a small flounder less than 50 yards from the highway. Had I not been reading this book, I would have missed the event, but Gessner's memorable descriptions of Osprey behavior are enriching my life. I now see ospreys all the time. Gessner's books have given me my wings, my vision is sharpened and I think I may be turning into an osprey magnet, I really think so.
Average customer rating:
- BEST EDITION AVAILABLE, BY FAR
- A Cape Cod Walk with Thoreau
- Great Humor
- Leave your brain at the door.
- Cape Cod is the ultimate desert island beach book.
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Cape Cod (Nature Library, Penguin)
Henry David Thoreau
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
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Similar Items:
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The Outermost House: A Year of Life On The Great Beach of Cape Cod
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The Enduring Shore: A History of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket
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The Salt House: A Summer on the Dunes of Cape Cod
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The Maine Woods (Penguin Nature Library)
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The Nature of Cape Cod
ASIN: 0140170022 |
Book Description
Thoreau's compelling account of Cape Cod is here presented in the complete and definitive text. His trips to the Cape, he wrote, were intended to afford "a better view than I had yet had of the ocean." In the plants, animals, topography, weather, people, and human works of Massachusetts' long projection into the Atlantic, he finds "another world." Encounters with the ocean dominate the book, from the fatal shipwreck of the opening episode to the late reflections on the Pilgrims' Cape Cod landing and reconnaissance. Along the way, Thoreau relates the experiences of fishermen and oystermen, farmers and salvagers, lighthouse-keepers and ship-captains, as well as his own intense confrontations with the sea as he travels the land's outermost margins. Chronicles of exploration, settlement, and survival on the Cape lead Thoreau to reconceive the history of New England and to recognize the parochialism of history itself.
Download Description
Our way to the high sand-bank, which I have described as extending all along the coast, led, as usual, through patches of Bayberry bushes, which straggled into the sand. This, next to the Shrub-oak, was perhaps the most common shrub thereabouts. I was much attracted by its odoriferous leaves and small gray berries which are clustered about the short twigs, just below the last year's growth. I know of but two bushes in Concord, and they, being staminate plants, do not bear fruit.
Customer Reviews:
BEST EDITION AVAILABLE, BY FAR.......2007-06-13
This hardcover edition from Peninsula Press is unquestionably the best available edition of Thoreau's Cape Cod, for these reasons:
1) While all other editions are based on Thoreau's journal entries from only his first three visits to the Cape, this edition includes an epilogue compiling Thoreau's notes from his fourth and final visit, in which he traveled south to Chatham and Monomoy.
2) This is the only edition to translate the many, many Greek and Latin phrases Thoreau includes throughout the work, and it is also the only edition to provide illustrations, maps, and sidenotes in-text.
3) This is the only indexed edition ever created.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for fans of both Cape literature and Thoreau in general.
A Cape Cod Walk with Thoreau.......2006-08-05
Thoreau visited Cape Cod in 1849, 1850, and 1853. These trips formed the basis for a series of essays, several of which Thoreau published in magazines. After Thoreau's death, the essays were gathered together and published as "Cape Cod" in 1865.
Thoreau's "Cape Cod" is different in tone in theme from his earlier books. The tone is leisurely and light. Instead of solitude or the wild woods, the picture that remains with me from this book is that of a long walk, or, as Thoreau puts it, a "ramble" through the sand and dunes of Cape Cod. The book is picturesque, full of humor and wry observation. Thoreau unforgettably describes the ocean, in its storms, vicissitudes, and moments of peace, the fish and the fishermen, the sands, birds, plants and lighthouses of Cape Cod, and the people. I have visited portions of the Masachusetts coast, but I have never been to Cape Cod. Thoreau took me there in his book.
The book is arranged into ten chapters. It opens with a description of the shipwreck of the St John on a rock off the Cape. Thoreau then describes a ride by coach across the Cape. But the heart of the book lies in the following chapters in which Thoreau with a companion walks the 30 mile beach from Nauset Harbor to Provincetown with many stops and diversions along the way. I felt the salt air and saw the fishermen and the sandy beach as I walked with Thoreau.
The most vivid characterization in the book is in the chapter "The Wellfleet Oysterman", as Thoreau describes a grizzled, taciturn, and ancient native of Cape Cod and his family who offer him hospitality for the night. Another memorable chapter involves the description of the Highland Lighthouse, no longer standing, and its keeper. The stops with the Oysterman and the Lighthouse punctuate Thoreau's long walks through the day over the beach and his meditiations about and descriptions of what he finds there.
Thoreaus walk ended at Provincetown, on the northernmost portion of Cape Cod, with its wood walkway, shanty houses, and ever-present scenes of fishermen, boats, and drying fish. Thoreau offers what I found an affectionate portrait of these hardy fishermen and their families. Following a description of what he found at Provincetown, Thoreau offers a great deal of historical background on the exploration of the Cape, from the Pilgrims reaching back to earlier French, Icelandic, and English explorers.
Thoreau's "Cape Cod" is a worthy companion to his books describing his experiences inland, on Walden Pond and on the rivers and woods of New England and Maine. It is beautifuly written with unforgettable descriptive passages. It made me want to get up and go from my life in the city, and over 150 years after Thoreau wrote, wander and walk for myself along the dunes and sands of Cape Cod.
Great Humor.......2006-07-18
This book details the flora, fauna and people that Thoreau found in Cape Cod in the 1850s. Thoreau organizes the book around a single trip to Provincetown, although much of the material that he uses in the book came from various visits to the Cape, and to the ocean in general. He starts with a description of a shipwreck at Cohasset, then a stagecoach ride from Plymouth, then a walking trip with a companion along the outer shore to Provincetown. Along the way, he describes not only the plants and animals he encountered, but also the people who he met. The book finishes with a lengthy academic historical account of the discovery and mapping of the Cape.
I found this to be the most humorous of all Thoreau's work. The character sketches he provides in this book, sharpened with his trained eye for observation of natural phenomena, are legendary. The cultural description of the Cape and its environment is quite fascinating for those interested in the history of daily life in 19th century Massachusetts. As Thoreau describes the desolate, treeless desert that made up the far reaches of the Cape, one begins to comprehend what it meant for an economy to be based on wood and whale oil for fuels. Thoreau stresses how valued driftwood was for residents of the Cape, as one of their main sources of heating and cooking fuel. Doubtless, he would not recognize the Cape today with its lush new forests. Or its Wal-Marts--switching to an oil economy has brought mixed blessings for the Cape. For those who think Thoreau to be a humorless didactic philosopher, this book shows a very different aspect of Thoreau as a writer.
Leave your brain at the door........1999-06-24
You will forget about the outside world when you read this; nothing but sand, wind, and water. Plus some natural history, local folklore, a few shipwreck tales. Typical Thoreau; he finds beauty, interest, detail in the wilderness. The desolate landscape will help to clear your mind. Highly recommended.
Cape Cod is the ultimate desert island beach book........1997-01-31
Each year, in preparation for a week's retreat to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, I go in search of a book that would be perfect for a sojourn on a desert island. Of course, the Outer Banks are hardly deserted--the locals have printed up Wege's infamous photograph of a packed stretch of Coney Island with the caption "Nags Head, circa 2000 A.D."--but there we are on an island for seven days, my husband experiencing near death in the waves while I read. Sometimes we stop these pursuits and prowl the beach. Mostly we live as if we're the last two people on earth (which is easier in the off-peak season).
I've learned that not every book is right for this way of life. The perfect desert island book has to celebrate the place you are in, not transport you. It should offer a tinge of society, because, after all, a human is a social animal, but it should not make you yearn achingly for what has been left behind nor should you be so repelled by it that you will never fit in again when you leave the island (you always leave the island). It should have some narrative sweep to withstand the competition of the seascape. It should make you think, at least a little: you want the stress to wash out to sea, not the little grey cells.
Cape Cod by Henry David Thoreau is the benchmark by which I've chosen beach material for several years. it is the quintessential celebration of littoral life. If you are on the beach, you appreciate it all the more; if you are not, well, at least you know vividly what you are missing. There is drama, as in the specter of villagers racing to the shore at the news of a shipwreck. There is information, as in what part of the clam not to eat, how the Indians trapped gulls for food, how a lighthouse really works. There is Thoreau's contagious respect for solitude, his occasional crankiness, and that magic trick of his that can suck in high school sophomores and get them through his books without so much as a whimper.
There is one flaw to Cape Cod: brevity. It lasts about a day and a half on the Robinson Crusoe plan. This is not to say that it does not withstand re-reading, it does, but at some point after you have committed it to memory, you may wish for the collected works of Shakespeare and move onto the Bard's beach play, The Tempest.
Book Description
A well-known Cape naturalist, geologist, and public educator has written the first comprehensive natural history of the area, describing life and natural processes in its varied environments, from ocean beach to cranberry bog to deep woods. The Nature of Cape Cod provides maps and narrative descriptions of 50 sites that invite exploration; it will take the reader to hidden gems and reveal new aspects of favorite places.
Generously illustrated with drawings and maps, the book can be used by anyone wanting to go beyond the paved roads: walkers, paddlers, and nature lovers of all sorts. It should appeal to year-round and seasonal residents alike, and also to the thousands of short-term visitors who wish they had a guide to the nature of Cape Cod.
Customer Reviews:
A Complete Cape Cod Guide.......2003-10-28
We like this very comprehensive guide to Cape Cod because it has everything in one book that we and our friends need to explore the Cape. The author begins with the fascinating story of how the Cape was built as the Ice Age came to an end and leads into the environments, plant life, animals and birds of the Cape. Especially valuable to those wishing to explore and 'savor' their surroundings, are the 50 sites that represent the natural environments of the Cape. Details about access, geology, history, beaches, what to see and do, and unique features of the sites are available along with maps for hikers and paddlers. The clear illustrations of plant and animal life are helpful, as well as the lists of birds commonly seen on the Cape. What a treasure this book will be for Cape Cod dwellers and nature lovers of all sorts!
Review: The Nature of Cape Cod.......2002-10-02
The new book , The Nature of Cape Cod, by seasoned geologist/naturalist and first-time author, Beth Schwarzman, is informative, beautifully finished with clear detailed maps, and has a writing style that blends important lessons on living in harmony with the natural Cape system with interesting information and facts about the Cape from its geologic beginnings at the end of the Ice Age up to the present day. This book is a welcome addition to the libraries of all who love exploring and appreciating Cape Cod.
My favorite Cape Cod field guide.......2002-09-27
As a hiker, canoe & kayaker, birdwatcher, guide book collector and Cape Cod resident I feel qualified to say that I'm in love with this book. Moreover, as someone who managed a local bookshop on Cape Cod for 12 years, I'm quite aware of how far above the pack "The Nature of Cape Cod" is. As much as I like to collect field guides, I only want to carry one in the actual 'field' and this is definitely my choice for the one detailing plants, trees, flora & fauna, with the geology it all sits upon and environments it creates. It's also a treasure trove of secluded sites richly described and beautifully mapped.
Customer Reviews:
birds of cape cod and the islands.......2007-03-07
Loved the photos, I have lived on cape cod for many years and have not seen many of the birds Mr. Everett has described, but will keep looking. Also would have liked more indepth description of the various birds. However I highly recommend this book!!
Product Description
Henry Beston, whose Outermost House is generally considered an imperishable classic of nature writing, was a poet who just happened to write prose. He was a meticulous observer, an early (and unsung) conservationist, and a prolific writer of letters, essays, and poetry, as well as books. Here, selected by his wife, Elizabeth Coatsworth (no mean writer herself), is a selection of his best from The Outermost House to lengthy pieces from Northern Farm, Herbs and the Earth, and American Memory (one of the first studies to give the proper perspective on the role of the American Indian). The last section, "North of Maine," contains portions of The St. Lawrence, one of the most memorable of the "Rivers of America" series. Beston was as close as this past century came to Henry David Thoreau. Anyone involved with nature, its protection and its celebration, should know his work.
Average customer rating:
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Cape Cod and the Islands (America series)
Tanya Lloyd Kyi
Manufacturer: Whitecap Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1552858626 |
Book Description
Cape Cod is known first and foremost as the paradise that greeted the eyes of Pilgrims at the end of their long Atlantic crossing 1620. Landing in Provincetown they drafted the Mayflower Compact, and a dream of America was born.
About the America
series:
As expansive as America itself, this outstanding series captures outstanding views of panoramic landscapes, brilliant city skylines, and picturesque communities. Each volume focuses on a city or state and features 96 pages and 70 stunning images by internationally renowned photographers, plus descriptive captions.
Book Description
This book is an ambitious and highly successful guide to many regions of Cape Cod as they were once traveled over by Henry David Thoreau. Each section is designed in such a way as to suit the needs of a variety of hikers, those who choose the long trails, and those who prefer the shorter walks. Liberally sprinkled with Thoreau's observations, the book goes into closely followed descriptions of its various routes and of their historic significance. It is a challenge for all of us to leave the highway and the car, and to get out and walk over these many trails and side roads leading to new discoveries of a landscape constantly reinvigorated by the sea.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful Book.......2006-02-05
Many people come to Cape Cod every summer, but so few know much about the cape. I'd recommend that if you're one of the many people who rent a Cape house in the summer... bring this book along with you. You'll love it and you'll see the Cape differently and perhaps... find yourself walking in the footsteps of Thoreau.
Awesome Cape Cod Journey.......2005-10-27
I live on Cape Cod and have been working my way through Thoreau's footsteps chapter by chapter - what a fun time and an absolutely fascinating read. Thank you Adam, you have captured the Cape in a way most visitors and locals only dream of experiencing.
It's not just a guidebook, but personal journey with Thoreau.......2003-10-07
By reading and using this book, not only you'll know each footsteps that Thoreau took in Cape Cod, but you'll discover his personal experience and the growth that took in Cape Cod. If you are living in Cape Cod, this book is a MUST HAVE book. You will be able to discover the beauty and richness of your land. And with this book, you can take a profound journey with Henry David Thoreau that will refresh and recreate your life. Buy this book and take a trip with Thoreau!
Book Description
The Salt House is a beautifully observed and written memoir of a long summer's stay on the back shore of Cape Cod. Each chapter is like a prose poem, shedding increasing light on the challenge of finding "home" without the illusion of permanence, a quest based not on ownership but on affinity and familiarity with an area and its people. Cynthia Huntington expands her theme through images of the landscape, the shack, the new marriage.
The shack, named "Euphoria," is built as a house set on stilts above the sand, to take the wind under it. Only a partial shelter, it is inhabited for only one season a year, yet it endures. The outer cape has the feel of a place for migrants and drifters -- for birds and other wildlife, and for people such as artists, fishermen, and coast guardsmen. A place where "year-round" often means several addresses. Similarly, her narrative describes improvised, fragile beginnings: a new marriage, learning to be at home in the world, becoming intimate with the natural world, without the necessity of settling down. The Salt House shares a world that is less natural history or memoir than it is neighborhood exploration -- the process of learning a place and becoming native to it.
Customer Reviews:
Tangy and Alive.......2005-09-19
After meeting Cynthia at a writers' program, and finding her to be a lovely person, I decided to read her account of a summer on Cape Cod. I've always longed for such an escapade myself, so this was a vicarious experience of sorts.
"The Sand House" is a joyous and often times humorous telling of the author's days in a small cottage near the Atlantic shoreline. The book focuses on the beauty of her surroundings--the plants, the wildlife, the birds--and on the realities of life in a constricted space with a loved one. The book's title is evocative, tangy and alive, romantic yet earthy. It suits Cynthia's writing perfectly. She is a poet of prose. Her words linger and dance, like cool breezes over the surf. She conjures wonderful images and ideas. She is abstract in her thinking, yet she grabs intangible concepts and wraps them in the sweaty language which humans understand.
If you're looking for quick reading and plot-driven stories, look elsewhere. If, however, you long for tales of lazy summer days told in lyrical language, "The Salt House" is not to be missed.
This is a classic........2002-09-13
This book is destined to become a classic not only in the rich field of Cape Cod writing but in nature and memoir in general. Huntington's prose is simple and pure, evoking not only the outer landscape, but the inner landscape of a woman's mind. What a pleasure it is to be in a mind so generous, open, and curious about the world! This is a book I will read over and over.
Too perfumy........2001-12-01
You can tell that the author is also a poet because this book is very, very perfumy. Very, very detailed. A whole chapter almost on the trails that a sea gull makes. Beautifully written but very little context. Should have instead been made into a 5 page short story. Would love to meet this person and be friends with her though. She would make a great next door neighbor it seems! :) If you like Barbara Kingsolver style writing you will probably love this book but if you prefer the Memoir style writing of Joan Anderson of A Year by the Sea (also taking place on Cape Cod) this isn't the book for you.
I was inspired!.......2001-02-25
This is one of the best books I have read in a while. I have been on a nonfiction kick for a few months. As a college student I don't often have much time to devote to "reading for pleasure" but since I'm on vacation I've had a little time. Reading this book in February brought me right back to June and July. It's descriptions were wonderful and reminded me why I love the beach. The author's reflections on her relationships seem to echo my own feelings that I can't express. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves the beach and enjoys being there by themself or with a loved one!
Breathtaking. Profound........2001-02-18
I cannot believe how wonderful this book is. I've read it twice, and it's even more amazing the second time around. This is one of those books you'll want to revisit again and again. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Huntington's work.
Book Description
Cape Cod Wildflowers, the only comprehensive, Cape-specific wildflower book, is back in print, with a new preface by the authors. In the little more than a decade since the book's original publication in 1989, development has increasingly encroached on the rich indigenous flora of the Cape, eliminating purple milkweed and yellow thistle there, and lending this guidebook ever greater relevance and poignancy.
Cape Cod Wildflowers features stunning color illustrations of each Cape wildflower, grouped by habitat and complemented by appealing and informative narrative entries. Those who have never experienced the untrammeled Cape Cod lauded by Thoreau and Beston, and those who have witnessed the more recent and rapid degradation of the Cape's moors, sandplain grasslands, and barrens, will delight in this celebration of Cape Cod wildflowers. The authors address the knowledgeable as well as the novice reader who is always appreciative of, interested in, and willing and able to rise to the defense of native plants. As they wrote in their introduction to the first edition, Cape Cod Wildflowers "is an appreciation, a guide, and a plea for protection." This book is a must for Cape residents, tourists, naturalists, botanists, and wildflower enthusiasts everywhere.
Customer Reviews:
Lovely and informative.......2004-01-12
This beautiful book should be in the library of anyone who loves the open spaces on Cape Cod. It is packed wiht information that can't be found elsewhere. And that information is authoritative--the authors are botanists who really do know what they are talking about.
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The Big House: A Century in the Life of an American Summer Home
An Unfinished Marriage
