The Call of the Allagash Wilderness
by Alexander H. ter Weele
A fascinating collection of stories. The reader will find them quick and easy to read, yet none are the same. "Survival" contains the flavor of the wild; "Sweet Deborah," that of the high life of New York; and "A Strange Tale" —hunting in the mountains of Bolivia. (Well, not really about hunting at all. Read the story and decide for yourself what it's about.)
The Call of the Allagash - Thoreau camped in Maine's north woods in 1857. Alexander ter Weele fished, hiked, and canoed much of the same terrain in the 1960s and again in the 1980s and 1990s. Anyone who has camped in the Maine Wilderness will find themselves reliving the wonder of their experiences as they read "Canoeing the Allagash," "The Great North Woods," and other stories in this collection about experiencing—and surviving—the great outdoors. If you have never camped in the Maine Wilderness, you will immediately begin planning a trip there!
The potpourri of stories appeals to a broad variety of tastes, as they range form the wilds of Maine to the city streets of New York; from pastoral descriptions of nature's beauty to unsettling philosophy; from hunting to loving; from the coast of Turkey to the jungles of Bolivia. These well-crafted stories can seem to be simple tales on the surface—getting lost in the woods, or losing a love, or losing at cards—but all hold deeper meanings.
The author plays around with narrative form as well. One story is a one-act play; another is an internal monologue, a young woman's stream of consciousness. Readers will also enjoy comparing the author's "The Maharajah and the Devil" to Steven Vincent Benet's "The Devil and Daniel Webster" (1936) and Washington Irving's "The Devil and Tom Walker" (1824).
These stories bring alive myriad experiences and raise disconcerting issues. Easy to read, easy to enjoy, always thought-provoking. A must read!
Where to Buy
Book Details
Hardcover Edition
- 222 pages
- Publisher: Piscataqua Press
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1950381404
- ISBN-13: 978-1950381401
- Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 8.5 inches