Forty Years in the Wilderness: One woman’s adventures and struggles Homesteading in the Alaskan wilderness

The most exquisite piece of literary meat i’ve ever consumed. I stayed up late into each night, addicted to the story, hungering for the next chapter. It is not one of those carefully planned series of paragraphs stuffed to the brim with fancy and feathery words that tickle one’s ears to be heard in succession. It is something more real, more relatable. It is raw and full of genuine emotion. It is not a story you have to work hard to latch onto. You quickly become invested in the survival of the characters and as you progress through the book, as the children grow from young helpless things to skilled and capable adults you are right there with their mother shifting from praying for them to survive to wanting them to thrive as they ventured out into the world. You can feel the author’s fear of loss, saddness at the irreversible, hope for what remains, and pride at the incredible skills and personalities her children developed while being raised in the wild land she loves. There is a complicated family dynamic present, one which the author is very honest and forthcoming about. A truly skilled writer. Honestly, the best book i’ve ever read in my life. A unique and exciting experience to be able to witness the shift of a landscape, the aging of a group of people and animals, and the changing dynamic between them for a time period of 40 years. It is hard to fit 40 years into 1 book without feeling rushed or like you’re moving too quickly but this author does it beautifully and seamlessly to the point where it feels natural. If i had to choose a book to be stuck on an island with for the rest of my life, this would be it. Truthfully, the sample section of this book was the whole reason i enrolled in the audiobooks subscription in the first place. I knew i had to hear this story and boy howdy it didn’t disappoint. Narrator does different voices for each character speaking and has a very soothing and melodic voice. The volume and speed of her voice changes depending on the pace and undertone of the chapter she is reading. It really makes the experience.