Letters from Cicely

One recent spring, for two months, the entire village of Cicely, Alaska (pop. 850), fell into a spell of insomnia. No one could say exactly what caused it -- sunspots are a leading theory -- but Cicelians were left with so much time on their hands that there was nothing better to do than drink, pick fights . . . and compose reams of letters to the outside, unaffected world. This middleweight book was an attempt to tie into the NORTHERN EXPOSURE adulation of the 1990's, and it generally succeeds by using the voices of "Cicely's" chief characters. Chris Stevens writes fond missives to his former honeys in distant towns. Maurice Minnifield, under cover of "Minnifield Communications," tries to drum up business for Cicely's (hitherto nonexistent) tourist trade, and he comes across as just as pompous and grasping as on TV. An increasingly lonely Joel ("putting the Alas back in Alaska") desperately tries to keep up with his professional contacts from the Lower 48; Shelley Tambo Vincouer reflects on the passing scene. But my favorite personality of all is Marilyn Whirlwind, who informs a hapless bulk mailer that her name is neither "Marilyn Whirl" nor "Marilyn Wind." Worth a shot if you have fond memories of this seminal TV show.

This is a fantastic collection of letters. Any fan of the series will really enjoy this book, and even someone who has never seen the show can get a feel for the characters and situations from reading these "letters." Very true to the stories but very clever in introducing new events and describing well-known events from a very personal point of view (sometimes from more than one point of view). Highly recommend for a quick read or a more leisurely perusal, one letter at a time.

If you are an NX fan, you have to read this......5 stars, standing ovation, my hands are sore from clapping.....loved it...took me back to my NX characters. It is not expensive, so just buy it. It is a wonderful read......very well done.So true to the tv series. I highly recommend to NX fans.

A must read for any Northern Exposure Fan! I thoroughly enjoyed every page. It is a shame it wasn't a script for a two hour movie.

Letters from Cicely is a great way to revisit those wonderfully eccentric Cicelians, especially now that the show has been relegated to the hinterlands of re-run TV. The premise of the book is that the whole town cannot sleep for months. The extra time on everyone's hands produces an out-break of letter writing. At first the strange sleeplessness produces no ill effects--no irritability, no loss of clarity. However, after a couple of months pulling all-nighters, things start to go hay-wire. Highly recommended for all who enjoy a good dose of art, philosophy, and a glimpse of life in a small Alaskan town.

After reading this book I am really homesick for the televisionseries. In the Netherlands N.E. wasn't popular at all, they didn't even show all of the episodes! So reading a book that gives the exact sensation of watching an episode was a very nice experience for me.