The Pine Barrens by John McPhee Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Pine Barrens
Book Review: Another Treasure from McPhee
Summary: 5 Stars
This time John McPhee turns his hand to one of those
anomalous natural treasures that has survived in
spite of intense urbanization. The Pine Barrens are
two-thirds of a million acres-an area the size of
Yosemite that sit beside a major artery of the most
developed region in the country. With the New Jersey
Turnpike to the west and bustling, chintzy Atlantic
City to the East, it's hard to imagine that this great,
weird wilderness could be so little known.
McPhee is the perfect guide to the Pines. He is as
sensitive to the natural history as he is to the
culture. He has a sympathetic ear for both the natives
and the outsiders who wander in from time to time. He's
a writer who can focus on a detail-a threatened fern or
the quality of water and then pull back to the big picture.
A thoroughly entertaining book.
--Lynn Hoffman, author of THE NEW SHORT COURSE IN WINE and
the novel bang BANG. ISBN 9781601640005
Book Review: Anything by John McPhee
Summary: 5 Stars
I have read many of John McPhee's works. They are all excellent and captivating. He writes on so many subjects, it is amazing that they are all great. No wonder he teaches at Princeton, or did as I remember.Book Review: Best book on the subject to date! A Folksie delight
Summary: 5 Stars
just recently re-read this book after owning it for years and was motivated to come online and order a few copies of the latest edition for friends. I live in Hollywood now, but remember fondly childhood hikes into the Barrens where we all heard spooky stories about The Jersey Devil and looked with awe upon the dozens of subspecies of orchids that exist only in this vast expanse of wilderness right under the noses of City dwellers. One can never hope to explain the Pine Barrens to a stranger but McPhee has managed to do just that and to do it by recounting the truths about the Barrens in the voices of local "Pineys". He singlehandedly captures your imagination and dispells the myths that still prevail about the alleged prevelance of "degeneracy" amongst the "pineys". One reads this book and comes away with an overpowering urge to buy a really good map, pack up some camping supplies and head off into the Pines. However, as one who has done that, I highly advise against it since it is ridiculosly easy to get severely lost on the sand roads. Pick up this book instead! Read it, cherish it, give it to friends. Then.. educate yourself a little before going on your first adventure in the Pines, but do GO eventually. Local Boy Scout troops are your best resource since they frequently use the Pines for Survival Skills training. After that.. Check out McPhee's other books which are equally engrossing and just as respectful of their subject matter as this book. Rereading McPhee's book made me long to be back amongst the forgotton orchids,abandoned iron towns, and hidden cranberry bogs. The Barrens are a unique place in America and this book a unique description of their charms. You won't regret buying this book and no doubt will return to it many times in your life if you are a lover of the Jersey wilds as am I.Book Review: Charming and Informative
Summary: 5 Stars
This is not the kind of book I normally read but, since it is being promoted by the NJ Library Association and the NJ State Library as the One Book New Jersey selection for 2004, and I am a New Jersey librarian, I felt I ought to. Having said that, and having read the book, I must say that those librarians who lobbied for The Pine Barrens, certainly chose wisely. The book is utterly charming. Mr. McPhee's prose style is elegant in an unshowy way and thoroughly engaging. I felt as if I was gliding through the book and picking up the most interesting information about the Pine Barrens and its inhabitants along the way. I can't imagine anyone not liking this book.Book Review: Fascinating topic; elegant, yet sparse prose.
Summary: 5 Stars
Ecological, both natural and social, books abound these days, but that wasn't the case back in 1967 when this book was first published. Hopefully in the intervening years, McPhee's elegant but spare prose has helped remove or at least, temper the damage done early in the Twentieth Century to the reputation of the Pine Barrens and its denizens by well-meaning, if arrogant, social scientists. The Barrens is truly a glorious piece of nature and those who dwell there have their own unique charm and grace. McPhee, a consummate raconteur, reveals both with intelligence and a warm empathy. It's still hard to believe that the Barrens exist, mere miles from the rambunctious urbanity of Philadelphia and New York City, but McPhee's book, still vital and relevant after all these years, truly makes you want to visit and maybe even stay.