A Place in the Woods

If you love hearing about the following types of things, as I do, then you will probably love this book as much as I did. It's a book I will treasure forever. And the illustrations by her husband are very sweet.

The things that make the struggle of daily survival worthwhile:

* Waking up to being patted on the face by an injured Ermine (white weasel) you've been feeding and who curls up to sleep in the soft dirt of your potted begonia!
* Caring for Mrs. Mouse, whose hind quarters are paralyzed. She's a nursing mother. Where are her babies????
* Cute Little Bear with his fat tummy and funny little tail.
Meeting a full grown bear on a bridge.
* The squirrel and the typewriter!!!

Helen and her husband, Ade, gave up their Chicago life in 1954 to show more live in a rustic cabin in the North Woods of Minnesota on the shores of Gunflint Lake.

Granted, these were the days before internet and Netflix so they had a much easier transition than any of us would today. Ha ha.

Along with being entertained by adorable animals, there are, of course, many hardships and challenges. The struggle just to stay warm and dry would probably send me running back to the City. They have NO electricity and I forget if they had running water or not. I don't think they did. Would YOU want to get up every two hours to make sure the wood fire stove was keeping the smelly baby chicks warm enough in your kitchen?

Thank God her husband, Ade knows how to DO stuff and BUILD stuff and knows all about how stuff WORKS.

I can't wait to read the other books she wrote, especially the follow up, [b:The Years of the Forest|3221118|The Years of the Forest|Helen Hoover|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1375768400l/3221118._SX50_.jpg|3255144], which covers 17 more years of their lives in the woods with the magical creatures.

I'll leave you with a quote:

It had been a good day--and our tomorrows were waiting. What kind of days they would be depended on us.

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A thoroughly enjoyable memoir of the early days of a couple's escape from city life and their first few years living in a remote northern woods area.
Replete with vignettes of interactions with the flora and fauna surrounding them, and of their endeavors to either conquer or acquiesce with the travails of their abode and surroundings.
Written in the 1960's regarding their experiences making the lifestyle transition in the 1950's, from the reader's perspective this presents some passages to which I had to read two or three times to achieve the cadence and phrasing that made sense but that sense of the construction of those passages then became more endearing. From a perspective of someone who has spent time in rural or remote areas such as show more described by the author this is an attractive foray into a way of living that was and is increasing distant from many people. show less

I picked this up at least a year ago at a book sale at the church I used to work at. I finally got around to reading it on vacation in Ely.

Written in the late 1960s, A Place in the Woods is Ms. Hoover's account of the first year she and her husband spent in their new home in the north woods of Minnesota, in 1954.

I have to admit I didn't know how lovely the book was going to be. I expected it to be full of dated opinions on nature and women's roles. I was happily surprised to learn that Helen Hoover had been an accomplished metallurgist, and that her views on nature and animals were similar to mine.

During our vacation I poked into a used bookstore in town, and found two more of her books, which I can't wait to read. I'm finding Helen show more Hoover to be a fascinating person. show less

One of my favorite books - hilarious and excitingly fun!