The Nature Notebooks

This is an extremely well-written book that will both entertain and challenge the reader. Mitchell uses three different female voices to tell a complex story of eco-terrorism at Mt Mansfield, VT. While I did enjoy exploring the substantive moral and ethical issues raised by Mitchell's narrative, I most enjoyed the storytelling - the form of it, the back and forth, the masterful use of three distinct female voices, the slow build to a dramatic ending - this is a must read for anyone who loves a good book.

While the issues of conservation vs. development are timely, the impressive achievement of Mitchell's book is the narrative. He cleverly tells his story Roshomon-style through the "nature notebooks" of three women who are all in the same nature writing class. The different perspectives offer an unfolding understanding of a series of events culminating in a tragedy. The pleasure comes in the new level of comprehension provided by each of the three narratives. You'll want to keep flipping back to compare the earlier accounts.Very engaging.