The Nature Notebooks (Hardscrabble Books)

By Don Mitchell

Three Vermont women enroll in a nature writing class, only to find themselves drawn into a plot to commit an act of destruction in the name of the environment. Though Lauren Blackwood, Marianna Finch,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1584653574
• ISBN13: 9781584653578
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: University Press of New England
• Length: 244 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.8" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

journal writing novel at its best

This is an extremely well-written book that will both entertain and challenge the reader. Mitchell uses three different female voices to tell a complex story of eco-terrorism at Mt Mansfield, VT. While I did enjoy exploring the substantive moral and ethical issues raised by Mitchell's narrative, I most enjoyed the storytelling - the form of it, the back and forth, the masterful use of three distinct female voices, the slow build to a dramatic ending - this is a must read for anyone who loves a good book.

Eco-terrorism in Vermont.

While the issues of conservation vs. development are timely, the impressive achievement of Mitchell's book is the narrative. He cleverly tells his story Roshomon-style through the "nature notebooks" of three women who are all in the same nature writing class. The different perspectives offer an unfolding understanding of a series of events culminating in a tragedy. The pleasure comes in the new level of comprehension provided by each of the three narratives. You'll want to keep flipping back to compare the earlier accounts.Very engaging.