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North Woods


A daring, moving tale of memory and fate from the Pulitzer Prize finalist and ...
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Which of its residents would you have liked to spend more time with?

Created: 10/19/23

Replies: 14

Posted Oct. 19, 2023 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
davinamw

Join Date: 10/15/10

Posts: 3442

Which of its residents would you have liked to spend more time with?

Which of its residents (permanent or temporary) would you have liked to spend more time with?


Posted Oct. 19, 2023 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
oelw's Gravatar
oelw

Join Date: 04/22/23

Posts: 9

RE: Which of its residents would you ...

I’m not sure I would necessarily want to spent more time with any of the residents, unless it was the North Wood Indians, I would definitely like to spend more time in the North Woods of the 1760s. Frankly, the characters were never developed fully enough for me to become attached to anyone particular. The stories of the people inhabiting the house were fragmented and incomplete. It was difficult to get a real feel for any of them. The land, the North woods and environs was much easier for me to grasp and latch onto with a desire to get to know the “place” itself and understand the changes in that place through the ages.


Posted Oct. 19, 2023 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
lorrained

Join Date: 12/04/20

Posts: 151

RE: Which of its residents would you ...

While each resident was unique and definitely interesting, I can't say that I'd like to spend time with any one of them. Perhaps I am too fond of survival?


Posted Oct. 20, 2023 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
helenp

Join Date: 12/16/21

Posts: 39

RE: Which of its residents would you ...

I enjoyed the story of the night maid and how she coped with being captured. I also enjoyed the black mother fleeing slavery but the spinster sisters riveted me. Their story was complex, maybe even toxic; and the way their relationship ended shocked me!


Posted Oct. 20, 2023 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
Anne C.

Join Date: 10/09/14

Posts: 66

RE: Which of its residents would you ...

My favorite person is the first Charles Osgood, who discovered the wonderful apple that would only grow in that location. I wish I could taste that apple, which seemed almost magical!
If he had not been killed in the revolution, perhaps his daughters would have married and had children, and the yellow house would have been a happy home passed down to subsequent generations.


Posted Oct. 21, 2023 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
christine

Join Date: 05/30/11

Posts: 41

RE: Which of its residents would you ...

Charles Osgood. He reminded me of stories my father told me about our family land and relatives in Wisconsin.


Posted Oct. 22, 2023 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
jenny

Join Date: 04/08/23

Posts: 17

RE: Which of its residents would you ...

I wish there’d been more development of the story of the woman escaping slavery. She seemed to show up briefly but then again…
Generally I rarely re-read a book but North Woods might end up an exception because I feel I missed something about this woman.


Posted Oct. 23, 2023 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
deeh

Join Date: 03/03/12

Posts: 251

RE: Which of its residents would you ...

I would like to know more about the unnamed woman who ran off with her lover and built the original cabin. Did she ever regret the choices she made? How long did she live alone there in the woods?


Posted Oct. 24, 2023 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
juliep

Join Date: 04/07/12

Posts: 265

RE: Which of its residents would you ...

Charles Osgood seemed to be a unique individual who was dedicated to his dream of the “perfect apple” and made it a reality, all while including his daughters. More time with him might be interesting, unless all he talked about was apple husbandry! And the original woman who fled to the land with her lover - would be good to get to know her more. She was definitely brave and didn’t seem to care for consequences.


Posted Oct. 28, 2023 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
katherine s

Join Date: 07/24/11

Posts: 3

RE: Which of its residents would you ...

I liked Charles Osgood.
He was drawn to the land and home and had purpose & a dream.
And he was loyal to his roots... though flawed in preferring one daughter over the other.
Most of the other residents all either landed at the home by mistake or happenstance or running away from their lives.
I listened to this tale and his part was read by Simon Vance who was wonderful.


Posted Nov. 02, 2023 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
josephinej

Join Date: 05/11/15

Posts: 100

RE: Which of its residents would you ...

While I'm not sure I would like to spend too much time with any of them, I agree with many others that Charles Osgood was a very interesting man, and it was good to see him again at the end.


Posted Nov. 02, 2023 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
LM

Join Date: 11/02/23

Posts: 7

RE: Which of its residents would you ...

I was most interested in the runaway slave, in her journey to Canada. I’ve read enough other books about the slaves that settled in Nova Scotia and wanted more of what happened to her!


Posted Nov. 02, 2023 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
Molly Mae

Join Date: 02/12/22

Posts: 46

RE: Which of its residents would you ...

I would have liked to spend more time with William Henry Teale, the landscape painter. I know nothing about painting, or art in general, but I was fascinated by his descriptive depictions of his social interactions, his craft, and the woods surrounded the house. He had an entertaining and perceptive view of the world, so I wanted to hear more of his thoughts.

As a side note, I had no idea what to make of the lusty beetles!


Posted Nov. 09, 2023 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
judyg

Join Date: 04/20/11

Posts: 72

RE: Which of its residents would you ...

I was intrigued by the sisters who continued caring for the orchard after their father failed to return with such great dedication. They remained in the house after death and learning why they stayed would be very interesting.


Posted Nov. 14, 2023 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
taking.mytime's Gravatar
taking.mytime

Join Date: 03/29/16

Posts: 443

RE: Which of its residents would you ...

the "lovelorn painter" not much was said about him. I would ahve liked to see his explored more.


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