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Summary: A must read for Earth's Caretaker's
Review: I also could not put this lovely book down.I felt I had to write, in response to some of the comments above. I believe the "loose ends" were intentional, as was the vagueness of the cause of the areas' breakdown. The focus was as it should be - on the relationships between Nell & Eva & the forest - and their ability to heal & sustain each other. As for the ending, those of you who have spent time in a successful wilderness survival situation know how real that ending is, it is the most comforting choice. I think this book would especially appeal to sisters & those of us who live the woods.
Rating:
Summary: excellent reading
Review: Didn't know what to expect from this book, but was delighted on the presentation, form and story that just unfolded, and I could not put the book down. The Sisters in the story were so ill equipped to go on without their parents, though they evolved, learning what they must do to survive. It was truly a learning experience, though somewhat scary, and makes one want to stockpile food and survival necessities, as this is something that could actually happen in this Country (or world).
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Summary: Weeks later and I'm still thinking about this book!
Review: Hegland absolutely captures the readers attention from the first page. The theme continues to haunt me as I am now so much more aware of a taken for granted commodity...electricity. The story is also available as a book on tape (6 hrs), and I highly recommend it for one of those long boring car trips...the time will fly.
Rating: 
Summary: Overated, but an entertaining read.
Review: Into the forest held my interest, but I was disapointed, as the book did not live up to the high reviews it has received. The characters were not well-developed, and the plot relied too heavily on feminist and new age cliches. I felt that the lesbian scene was gratuitous.
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Summary: Margaret Atwood meets Ayn Rand
Review: This is a mildly feminist account of post-apocalyptic sylvan survival. Stress is less on the apocalypse itself than on self-sufficiency and self-realization. Poetic prose, very enjoyable read, fades a little when you think about it afterwards.
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Summary: An amazing, all-consuming novel
Review: "Into the Forest" is the first novel in many years that I've been compelled to read in a single day. Jean Hegland's story of two teenage sisters facing the end of the world as we know it is told in a style that's as natural and ultimately mysterious as the redwood forest that surrounds their home. The descriptions of the gradual breakdown of civilation have a terrible fascination to them -- like news reports of a natural disaster that one doesn't want to see, yet can't turn away from.Though the novel does contain feminist themes, this shouldn't deter men from reading and enjoying this novel completely. The book is for anyone interested in apocalyptic fiction or stories about survival in hardship, the loss of dreams, and the tenuous bonds linking families and society together. Nell and Eva's progress from dependence to desperation and ultimate self-sufficiency left me both frightened for my reliance upon the modern world and grateful for what I have and e! njoy. This novel would make an excellent choice for a well-known talkshow host's book club -- and Hegland certainly deserves the recognition it would bring. Don't wait for the movie (which will surely be on the way soon). "Into the Forest" is a powerful end-of-the-millennium read -- and I suspect the images and emotions in it will stay with me for years to come.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't it always seem to go , that you don't know what .....
Review: Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you got till it's gone....This incredible book relates that revelation as well as any could! An inspirational journey for any reader and a marvelous work of fiction that is all too realistically portrayed to be dismissed as fantasy. This book celebrates the best of womankind, the strength and love that has brought our species to the present day and hopefully will lead us into the future
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Summary: A beautiful, truly uplifting reading experience
Review: Well, the praise this book has been given by everyone else on this page is well-deserved. A thought-provoking, beautiful novel that really illuminated to me how helpless I would be in a similar situation. The voice of the central character, Nell, is particularly compelling and coupled with the beautiful imagery contained in this novel, I was completely seduced. An essential read, especially for teenage girls, for feminist overtones are very uplifting.
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Summary: A Chilling Yet Uplifting Page-Turner
Review: Jane Hegland's "Into the Forest" is a first rate comming of age novel about survival, self reliance, and love. The protagonist, Nell, and her older sister Eva, find themselves alone in the Redwood forest after a world war puts an end to electricity, gas, food deliveries, civilization as we know it. (There is no more Internet!) We follow as Nell and Eva come to grips with the realitites of their situation, and we share their struggle to learn how to survive by themselves in this unfamiliar and frightening new world armed with an old set of encyclopedia. Hegland's prose is lyrical and her insights into the hearts and souls of these young women ring true. In reading this novel I was struck by how ill-equiped I am to survive this type of scenario! There is plenty of food for thought in this novel for all of us. Two other exceptional novels of this ilk are: "Alas, Babylon" by Pat Frank, and "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Attwood.
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Summary: ABSOLUTELY EXQUISITE NOVEL!!!!
Review: this is a definite high '10' in my book!!!! what an incredibly delicious unusual story...fabulous setting just a few miles north of my home....and, of course, a must adjunct to this book would be reading the 3 part series that the san francisco chroncile carried last week on the making of this book....trials and tribulations in bringing this book to the publishers (both 1st and 2nd ones)...well worth the effort to get and read the articles! i read this book a couple of years ago when it 1st came out and absolutely fell in love with it...bought several copies to give to friends and told everyone who'd listen to me allllll about this marvelous new find.....jean, all those years you spent writing this awesome book and all those years trying to get it published was well worth it, eh? just read your readers' reviews to see how much everyone loves this book....will your next book due out later this year be a continuation???? thanx for such a beautiful & verrrrry different reading experience!!!!!
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