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The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary…
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The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit (edition 2017)

by Michael Finkel (Author)

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1,7931129,446 (3.94)84
"For readers of Jon Krakauer and The Lost City of Z, a remarkable tale of survival and solitude--the true story of a man who lived alone in a tent in the Maine woods, never talking to another person and surviving by stealing supplies from nearby cabins for twenty-seven years. In 1986, twenty-year-old Christopher Knight left his home in Massachusetts, drove to Maine, and disappeared into the woods. He would not have a conversation with another human being until nearly three decades later when he was arrested for stealing food. Living in a tent even in winter, he had survived by his wits and courage, developing ingenious ways to store food and water, to avoid freezing to death. He broke into nearby cottages for food, clothes, reading material, and other provisions, taking only what he needed, but terrifying a community never able to solve the mysterious burglaries. Based on extensive interviews with Knight himself, this is a vividly detailed account of the why and how of his secluded life--as well as the challenges he has faced returning to the world. A riveting story of survival that asks fundamental questions about solitude, community, and what makes a good life, and a deeply moving portrait of a man who was determined to live his own way, and succeeded"--Publisher description.… (more)
Member:23points
Title:The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit
Authors:Michael Finkel (Author)
Info:Vintage (2017), 226 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:****
Tags:2019, audiobook, biography, woods, maine, loneliness

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The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel

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» See also 84 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 112 (next | show all)
Interesting and well researched and quite an extraordinary tale. ( )
  simonpockley | Feb 25, 2024 |
Christopher Knight walked into the woods when he was 20 years old and nobody really saw him again for 27 years. He spent most of the time in one small, hidden, clearing and ventured out to forage (often from nearby unoccupied vacation homes) in the dark of night and left no footprints.

What drives a person to do this? How can he be successful? Could this even be true? How did they finally catch him? What happened next?

Finkel answers those questions as best he can in this easy to read book. I was fascinated from the moment I started to read it.
( )
  hmonkeyreads | Jan 25, 2024 |
I enjoyed Michael Finkel's most recent bestseller The Art Thief so much I had to try the rest of his work. The book displays a lot of why I loved the Art Thief: stranger-than-fiction source material, a natural weaving of outside opinion, and a conspicuous personal touch that makes his work so report-like while not being too proud. This was easy and enjoyable, though lacked the intensity of the Art Thief--our main man Knight here is so much more of a normal guy that it all just feels a bit... ironic an entire book ( a medium already by its nature exalting) tries to encapsulate... just a guy who wants to be left alone. Still recommend though, it's made me want to get into meditation! ( )
  Eavans | Jan 24, 2024 |
Absolutely fascinating. Can one man really survive on his own, in the Maine woods, for almost 3 decades? It seems the answer is yes. I'm in awe of Chris Knight and kept wondering how well I would do in the same situation. Probably not well. 😉 ( )
  GordCampbell | Dec 20, 2023 |
Not as good as Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. ( )
  megacool24 | Dec 18, 2023 |
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Michael Finkelprimary authorall editionscalculated
Bramhall, MarkNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Epigraph
How many things there are that I do not want.
 - Socrates, circa 425 B.C.
Dedication
In memory of
Eileen Myrna Baker Finkel
First words
The trees are mostly skinny where the hermit lives, but they're tangled over giant boulders with dead fall everywhere like pick-up sticks.
The Kennebec County Correctional Facility permits a maximum of two meetings per week with an inmate, each lasting one hour. (A Note on the Reporting)
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And anyway, when was a journal ever honest? "It either contains a lot of truths to cover a single lie," he said, "or a lot of lies to cover a single truth."
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"For readers of Jon Krakauer and The Lost City of Z, a remarkable tale of survival and solitude--the true story of a man who lived alone in a tent in the Maine woods, never talking to another person and surviving by stealing supplies from nearby cabins for twenty-seven years. In 1986, twenty-year-old Christopher Knight left his home in Massachusetts, drove to Maine, and disappeared into the woods. He would not have a conversation with another human being until nearly three decades later when he was arrested for stealing food. Living in a tent even in winter, he had survived by his wits and courage, developing ingenious ways to store food and water, to avoid freezing to death. He broke into nearby cottages for food, clothes, reading material, and other provisions, taking only what he needed, but terrifying a community never able to solve the mysterious burglaries. Based on extensive interviews with Knight himself, this is a vividly detailed account of the why and how of his secluded life--as well as the challenges he has faced returning to the world. A riveting story of survival that asks fundamental questions about solitude, community, and what makes a good life, and a deeply moving portrait of a man who was determined to live his own way, and succeeded"--Publisher description.

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