Word: sojournings
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...turns out, Island Sojourn is nothing so interesting as that, nothing more than somebody else's account of moving out into the wilderness, where there are fewer telephones and the roads aren't as good. As if she sensed the reviewer's disappointment, the agent sent along a press kit; the enclosed bibliograhpy promises that the book is more than a "wilderness journal, it is a modern day Walden, and a reflection of Arthur's personal journey from innocence to experience...
...some real big truths. The Harper and Row people sent around a list of suggested questions for interviewers to ask. Number two ("do you feel that society as a whole is a good thing?") is certainly interesting, but number five is obviously the biggie: "The general theme of Island Sojourn is that all human attempts to control the world must ultimately fail. Can you discuss how you arrived at this philosophy and how it is reflected in your book?" The point, apparently, is that Arthur found that the power of nature, both human and mother, kept her from molding...
...seems a bit cruel to take Arthur this seriously, though she and her press agent invited it, with their constant references to the father of American wilderness writing. Island Sojourn is actually fairly well-written, a sort of Swiss Family Robinson with interpersonal relationships, recommended reading for those planning on building a cabin in a cold-weather climate. And the accounts of Indian heigh-bors are as sensitive and revealing as any other account. But on her own lofty terms, Arthur's book is a failure of mission and accomplishment. Perhaps this quote from Kirkus--Jack and Jill for librarians...
This spectacle provided a dazzling finish to the opening ceremonies of Dartmouth's biggest weekend in four years--Harvard's quadrennial sojourn north for the playing of a football game...
NONFICTION: Abroad, Paul Fussell American Dreams: Lost and Found. Studs Terkel ∙ China Men. Maxine Hong Kingston ∙ Island Sojourn, Elizabeth Arthur-Lyndon. Merle Miller ∙ The Soul of the Wolf. Michael Fox ∙ Walter Lippmann and the American Century, Ronald Steel