Rating: 
Summary: Not What I Expected...But Still Okay
Review: This is the second book by Heinrich that I have read. The first, Ravens in Winter, I found very enjoyable. (see review) Based on the title and a review written on the book's back cover, I expected the book to be about Heinrich's year alone, except for his pet raven, Jack. With this in mind I thought we'd learn about his discoveries in nature and also his understanding into his own thoughts as he pondered life in seclusion. This was not a book about living in the wild woods of Maine in seclusion. Heinrich often went into town and ate, met with neighbors, had family visit, and at one point he had a number of students over for a couple of weeks. Was this bad...no, but not what I expected based on the review on his book's back cover. Heinrich has a gift in sharing information about nature. His curiosity and excitement for the natural world is contagious. In this respect I wasn't let down. He did go on quite a bit about the various things he noticed, sometimes sharing too much information, but I would just skip the paragraph and move on. I think what appeals to me most are the times he is in seclusion and reflects on nature and his own life. He endures an amazing amount of cold...below zero, doesn't have running water, and the inside temperature in his cabin dips down below freezing on several occasions. I would enjoy many of the aspects of living in the location he speaks of but I would do it with a few extras...insulation in the walls, and electricity are two that come to mind! Overall I did enjoy the book and I hope you do too!
Rating:
Summary: Not What I Expected...But Still Okay
Review: This is the second book by Heinrich that I have read. The first, Ravens in Winter, I found very enjoyable. (see review) Based on the title and a review written on the book's back cover, I expected the book to be about Heinrich's year alone, except for his pet raven, Jack. With this in mind I thought we'd learn about his discoveries in nature and also his understanding into his own thoughts as he pondered life in seclusion. This was not a book about living in the wild woods of Maine in seclusion. Heinrich often went into town and ate, met with neighbors, had family visit, and at one point he had a number of students over for a couple of weeks. Was this bad...no, but not what I expected based on the review on his book's back cover. Heinrich has a gift in sharing information about nature. His curiosity and excitement for the natural world is contagious. In this respect I wasn't let down. He did go on quite a bit about the various things he noticed, sometimes sharing too much information, but I would just skip the paragraph and move on. I think what appeals to me most are the times he is in seclusion and reflects on nature and his own life. He endures an amazing amount of cold...below zero, doesn't have running water, and the inside temperature in his cabin dips down below freezing on several occasions. I would enjoy many of the aspects of living in the location he speaks of but I would do it with a few extras...insulation in the walls, and electricity are two that come to mind! Overall I did enjoy the book and I hope you do too!
Rating: 
Summary: Tedious, Read a textbook instead
Review: A combination diary and ecology lesson, A Year in the Maine Woods focuses on trifling details of the author's mundane existence and scientific observations in and around his cabin in central Maine. I'll summarize a typical day: got up early, made coffee, listened to the birds, went out to observe the ravens, went for a run or a walk, drove into town for dinner, bought a six-pack, drove back to the cabin and went to bed. The book seems contrived and 'forced'. The focus of the author's work is research on the behavior of ravens, to which he continuously feeds bovine carcasses. Through his research, he has acquired a strong attraction to the raven, which the reader is unlikely to share. Lacking the excuse of living off the land, the author's eccentricity is confirmed by casual eating of caterpillars, grubs, ants, and mice. I bought this book because of the title and some favorable reviews on Amazon. I was disappointed, but I did learn a few things and the prose is well written.
Rating:
Summary: Real Life, Simple Life
Review: A must for any outdoor and simple living buff who have forgotten that the simple life does not also mean the easy life. But this life does produce its rewards and that is made evident here. An enjoyable book that deserves a second reading.
Rating:
Summary: A delightful book.
Review: Bernd Heinrich a Zoology Professor at the University of Vermont has written many books on natural history or what is now called nature writing. This is the first I've read and have enjoyed it immensely. His style is a mixture of deep zoological knowledge of the animals and plants of the Maine woods and the pure love of being a human being who can appreciate and really live the surrounding natural world. This is what is needed by all people if they want to appreciate their world. Its a delightful book but does not possess the intensity of Jack Turner's "Abstract Wild" or Doug Peacock's Grisly writing. But its doesn't really need it, it is just a man living in the woods for a year through the beautiful summer pestered by black flies and the stunning autumn into a cold winter and the new life of spring. The book is also full of very well drawn animals and plants. The story starts with him driving to his cabin with his pet raven Jack who, being a raven, is independent minded and eventually leaves. Its too bad Jack was truly fascinating. There is much to do including the chopping of wood for the winter, taking care of his apple trees, raven watching to do. Its amazing how beautiful nature is when someone is watching with all his heart and mind. A delightful book.
Rating: 
Summary: 5 stars because this book is fantastic.
Review: Bernd Heinrich does a spectacular job of compliling his experiences of spending a year in the Maine woods into a book.
This professor shows you in his journal how he explores the woods of Maine around his cabin, which is not equipped with running water or electricity.
Mr. Heinrich mentions everything from the pet raven he partly-raised to his encounter with a majestic moose that crossed his path. Other birds, insects, plants and animals that he finds on his daily walks through the remote and beautiful Maine woods are also widely mentioned. He clearly describes the flute-like song of the Hermit Thrush, the chirping of the crickets, the eerie howling of the coyotes, and much, much more.
This book is interesting and easy-to-read for nature lovers and casual observers alike who enjoy serene nature with a touch of civilization here and there.
I recommend this book and hope that Mr. Heinrich will come out with another book as good as this one soon!
Rating:
Summary: A self-congratulatory ego trip
Review: Heinrich obviously wants us to think of him as the modern Thoreau, but his thoughts are far shallower and less interesting. Furthermore Thoreau saw no need to ostentatiously parade his specialized knowledge before his readers, as Heinrich does. The specifying of 6 different kinds of warbler calls heard on a particular morning does not add to the atmosphere or enjoyment for almost anyone - but it DOES impress you with how much Heinrich knows about bird calls. Much of the book is in the same vein - paragraph after paragraph written not to instruct or entertain, but to impress. There are better choices out there by writers who are more impressed with their surroundings and less impressed with themselves.
Rating:
Summary: A self-congratulatory ego trip
Review: Heinrich obviously wants us to think of him as the modern Thoreau, but his thoughts are far shallower and less interesting. Furthermore Thoreau saw no need to ostentatiously parade his specialized knowledge before his readers, as Heinrich does. The specifying of 6 different kinds of warbler calls heard on a particular morning does not add to the atmosphere or enjoyment for almost anyone - but it DOES impress you with how much Heinrich knows about bird calls. Much of the book is in the same vein - paragraph after paragraph written not to instruct or entertain, but to impress. There are better choices out there by writers who are more impressed with their surroundings and less impressed with themselves.
Rating:
Summary: Back to Nature
Review: Heinrich writes about his observations of Maine's animals and plants from winter silences to spring's new growth. It ranges from lyrical descriptions of wild flowers to more than you want to know about decaying carcasses attracting carrion eaters.
I enjoyed reading it while parked in an RV in a Maine campground. My little window on the woods was so limited, making me appreciate his insights and trained eye. Sometimes he is philosophical, and at other times mundane (justifying why he doesn't wash his dishes more often).
Rating: 
Summary: Unfocused but detailed look at northern Maine's natural life
Review: I read this book while on vacation in the approximate vicinity of the author's cabin. It was a good travel book, in that it gave me an understanding of the nature around me. However, many times the author seemed to get into a "nature-rut" and not know how to get out. Where a page or two of detail would do, Heinrich might go on for three or four. The black and white line drawings were too simple to serve as a guide, and so seemed more of a distraction than anything else. The author also seemed to jump around in time and space, so that a promising story line would just disappear into a fog. While the book started strong with a captivating narrative (travel with Jack, the author's raven), it ended very weakly. It seemed that Heinrich's year (of the title) was up, so he just stopped the book.
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