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A review by heather01602to60660
Walden, or Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau
2.0
Naturally, I've read excerpts from Walden many times, but thought that it was time to actually sit down and read the whole thing. What a mistake.
I may be labeled as a heretic and expelled from Massachusetts, but... meh. There are some enjoyable moments and lovely descriptions of nature, but for the most part I just found the whole thing too self-congratulatory to stomach.
In a twist of good timing, I mentioned this to a friend who had very recently read a piece in the New Yorker that does a MUCH better job explaining my reaction to this book than I could:
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/10/19/pond-scum
I had been so timid in daring to admit I wasn't perfectly enthralled with Walden that I can't share what a relief it was to, after finishing the work, go back and read that article and laugh/nod/cheer each step of the way.
I may be labeled as a heretic and expelled from Massachusetts, but... meh. There are some enjoyable moments and lovely descriptions of nature, but for the most part I just found the whole thing too self-congratulatory to stomach.
In a twist of good timing, I mentioned this to a friend who had very recently read a piece in the New Yorker that does a MUCH better job explaining my reaction to this book than I could:
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/10/19/pond-scum
I had been so timid in daring to admit I wasn't perfectly enthralled with Walden that I can't share what a relief it was to, after finishing the work, go back and read that article and laugh/nod/cheer each step of the way.