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Summary: If you don't think you rely on Safeway, think again....
Review: If you don't think you rely on the consumer goods supply system for your survival - think again. One of the main characters of this book is the national supply infrastructure, conspicuous by its absence. The premise of this book is that two teenage sisters have their plans for the future eliminated by, initially, a lack of reliable electric power. Their mother dies of a preventable illness, because the drugstore isn't getting deliveries. Their father dies trying to cut down a tree, because the house has no heat. No electricity means no internet study and no Harvard acceptance letter. No electricity means no cd-music and no ballet practice, therefore no San Francisco Ballet auditions, no career. This beautifully written first novel gave me a real chill when I realized that I, too, have only a three-day supply of food in the cupboard. Read it!
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Summary: Superb account of the human spirit
Review: Due to an unexplained apocalyptic event, two young sisters must survive in a woodland cottage. Their intelligence and love for one another enable them to master woodlore, human and bear attacks, and the friction of living close to the edge. An absorbing tale for either gender, any age. Kathleen T. Choi, book reviewer HAWAII CATHOLIC HERALD
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Summary: Everything we need is in nature.
Review: A gorgeous, rich novel with a thought-provoking and insightful narrative. Like a lot of people it seems, I was a bit uncomfortable with the ending, but it does work and is anything but weak. This is one of those books that gives the reader a new appreciation of life and the world. Thoreau would be proud.Note: if it's not already too late, do *not* read the Kirkus review on this page, as it gives away the entire story from beginning to end. I don't know why they post those things.
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Summary: Good premise, bad ending
Review: This is an enjoyable read, with an intruiging premise. I had high hopes for the book, especially given it's publishing history. Unfortunately, the ending was silly and the feminist overtones too much.
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Summary: Don't Miss This One!
Review: I really enjoyed this fast paced and interesting story of two teenage girls who must find a way to survive as the world around them collapses. True, the ending is a little weak but it didn't stop me from reading the book in one evening.
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Summary: powerful and unique female "coming of age" story
Review: This is a very powerful, and uniquely female, coming of age story involving two sisters who are alone in an apocalyptic time. They can survive only if they love each other and learn to love the Earth. I don't read "sci fi" and this is not your typical futuristic tale. Best book I have read in a long time.
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Summary: Overall, an excellent book, but the ending wasn't believable
Review: The primary strength of Into the Forest is its depiction of the way in which the modern way of life drifts away, rather than disappearing as the result of a cataclysmic event. The two sisters, Nell and Eva, are unable to grasp that what is happening is permanent--at least for the foreseeable future. They wait, and continue to think about the day that everything returns to normal and Nell will go off to Harvard and Eva will become a dancer. Gradually, they learn to accept that they must find a way to survive on their own. The baby that is born, as the result of a rape, threatens to tear the girls apart, but is ultimately the vehicle that brings them together and forces them to take charge of their situation as best they can. Hegland uses the natural environment and the "pharmacy" of the forest very well. It is one of the elements that made the book so entertaining and compelling. My only quarrel with the author is the ending, which fell a bit flat, hence my rating of 8. I believe she could have made the same point without the unrealistic resolution. The writing is wonderful and the characters well crafted, and the overall effect makes this book a real page-turner. The single flaw should not keep readers away.
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Summary: Overrated.
Review: Our book club just finished discussing this book. None of the 7 members thought much of it, though it was a fast and easy read. The best that can be said about it is that it made us think about other things, like our profligacy, and how much we would miss chocolate. It also made us reminisce about other books we'd read which handled the subject better (like Memoirs of a Survivor by Doris Lessing). Much of the story was gratuitous: the lesbian episode, the rape and subsequent pregnancy. There were a lot of loose ends and unfinished directions. The ending (not to give too much away) was unsubstantiated. Most irritating of all, perhaps, was the sucking up to current political/multicultural correctness. The white-girls-being-saved-by-Indian-lore is old hat. Just so you don't think we're a bunch of sour pusses... Our book club's most recent favorites: A Fine Balance (Mistry), and, also a first novel, Behind the Scenes at the Museum (Atkinson). -- The Vulcan Foundry Book Club
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Summary: not to be missed
Review: This wonderful first novel tells the tale of two orphaned teenaged sisters who find themselves alone in their house in the forest after civilization as they knew it has crumbled. 32 miles from the nearest town, with no electricity and gas and little food, the sisters bury their father and find themselves frozen, waiting for things to improve. When they don't, they find they have to rely on their wits, their strengths, and their love for each other. After their food supplies get low, and they realize that no one is going to rescue them, they find that their resiliancy, their brains, and their grit will have to suffice. And the forest, which was once their playground, becomes their salvation. Don't be scared off by the label of science fiction for this novel. It is a book that all lovers of good fiction will enjoy. This first novel, written through the eyes of one of the sisters, is a moving, evocative tale of redemption. I found myself wondering if I would survive and prosper nearly as well as these two sis
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Summary: What if the world ends, not with a bang, but with a whimper?
Review: Haven't you always wondered how great civilizations fell apart? How did great pyramids and whole cities just disappear in jungles and sand drifts?
For most of our lives, we've lived with the threat of nuclear holocaust, and the fear of "dropping the big one." But what if that's not the way it goes?
And what if it's started already....
Fill the water jugs, trim the wicks, and settle down for a good read. Everything looks a little different after you finish this book
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