Leaning Into the Wind: A Memoir of Midwest Weather

Toth's reflections on Midwestern weather, and the way it seals and enriches memory for the people who live in it, are astute, poignant, and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny. No one who has experienced the ambivalent thrill of the eerie calm before a tornado, the grand spectacle of clouds gathering on the prairie sky, the hush of a newfallen snow, or the cleansing effect of a walk by the water on a windy day, will fail to appreciate this book. And those who haven't may well be intrigued that a subject often considered mundane is able to inspire such a fascinating combination of personal memories and deep, universal insights. The epigraphs that introduce each essay are an elegant reminder that Toth is continuing a fine tradition--the Midwestern writer standing in awe of the power, drama, and extraordinary beauty of nature as it unfolds before our eyes.

An Anglophile myself, Susan Allen Toth first came to my attention with her three 5-star travel narratives about England (MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH ENGLAND, ENGLAND AS YOU LIKE IT, ENGLAND FOR ALL SEASONS), and then her reminiscences of growing up in Iowa (BLOOMING) and off to college (IVY DAYS). LEANING INTO THE WIND comes across as a stream of musings about the rest of her life, all given unity by their strong or loose association with Midwestern climatology.Many of Susan's weather references are symbolic, as alluding to the "storms" that troubled the eleven years of her failed first marriage to Lawrence, or equating Life in general to the "storm" into which we all must step. Indeed, many of the author's insights come from the philosophical viewpoint of one in the autumn of life. Born in the early 40s, if Susan isn't already sixty, she closing on it fast. There are numerous sentences prefaced with "I used to feel", "over my lifetime", "as I've grown older", "when I was young", and "these days". For that reason, LEANING INTO THE WIND will perhaps not appeal to younger readers. One might have to be of "that certain age", or a die-hard Toth fan.Having lived in Southern California, where the climate is monotonously temperate 24/356, for fifty of my fifty-four years, I can't relate to Susan's description of weather's excesses. I've never personally seen a frozen lake, or had to take refuge in a storm cellar, or experienced eight inches of rain in as many hours. But the beauty of the author's prose is that I can immediately empathize when our experiences do intersect, as when she talks of leaping into an ice-cold pool from cement broiling under the July sun. Or, as sensitive to mosquito bites as she is, listening with dread to the drone of the summer pest in a dark room. Or reveling in the green, cool lushness of an English spring garden. Or smelling burning leaves in fall's nippy air. Toth brings it all back, no matter at what age I experienced the original. For the rest, of which I know nothing, I happily go along for the ride and trust in my guide.LEANING INTO THE WIND is perhaps not the author's best book; its twelve chapters, though all under the Midwestern weather umbrella, are disparate from one another. And, at only 124 pages, it's overpriced in the hardback format. However, Toth has previously provided me with many hours of congenial reading, so I'll not be too begrudging. Love ya, Susan!

I LOVED THIS BOOK. Toth writes with such color, poignancy and humor that I feel like I am also experiencing the storms, heat, and calms in her life. Toth uses weather as markers for different times and events in her life. The stories of often tempestuous and unpredictable midwest weather unfold into even larger pictures of this fasinating woman's life and experiences. Her tone is unassuming and welcomes me directly into her life. Like a close friend I watch pieces from her life evolve: a troubled first marriage, motherhood, and eventually a happy second marriage.Because Toth's style is so unassuming and unpretentious, at first you might overlook the fact that this woman really knows how to write. Her language is intelligent and musical, and brimming, like the weather she writes about, with quiet intensity. I HIGHLY recommend this book.

A wonderful use of weather as metaphor. These personalized essays have universal appeal as it relates the time of the year with changes in one's life. Toth's style allows the reader into her world. This intimate essays are touching, warm and funny. This book is an engaging journey through the always changing Midwestern weather and the ups and downs of life. I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to everyone.