"Mitchell weaves history, natural history, culture, environmental issues, myths, folklore, religion—in powerful, dynamic ways, all while visiting intimate Beaver Brook. I have not read another book that so intimately ties together so many strands so effectively. Mitchell takes these strands and braids a beautiful book."—Sean Prentiss, author of Finding Abbey: The Search for Edward Abbey and His Hidden Desert Grave
"Mitchell's writing about the natural world, one that he accesses from the back door of his house—the birds he hears, the family of muskrats and otters he encounters, the quietness of this landscape in winter while he skates through it—is remarkable."—Amy Seidl, author of Finding Higher Ground: Adaptation in the Age of Warming