Far Appalachia: Following the New River North
by Noah Adams
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Book Reviews of Far Appalachia: Following the New River North
Book Review: A worthwhile trip down a wonderful river...
Summary: 4 Stars
Noah Adams follows the New River from its headwaters in North Carolina to its end in West Virginia. This is not a textbook of the river's history, geography or geological formation. Instead, it is a conversational documentary. The pace of the river seems to set the pace of the book. Some chapters sit still for a minute and gaze in detail at a plant or a fish. Some chapters offer glimpses of the residents and communities along the New River. Some chapters fly by with the the excitment and adrenalin rush of the whitewater rapids. Some chapters ponder the past, some ponder the future. It's a trip worth taking through Noah Adam's eyes, thoughts, and words.Book Review: Adventure and more!
Summary: 5 Stars
This rather thin book is chock full of things I never knew and was interested to learn! I grew up in Va. but had no previous knowlwdge of Mary Ingles--a fascinating true story. The book is far ranging ,from pioneer stories to a thrilling account of white water rafting (I'm wondering if a 56 year old couch potato dares try it!)Travel writing at it's best!Book Review: Major Disappointment
Summary: 2 Stars
This book was a surprising disappointment to me. I've enjoyed Noah Adams' work on NPR and expected a work of some substance, wit, and scholarship. Instead, "Far Appalachia" is a lightweight and superficial treatment of a subject with considerable human and ecological depth. Over a skimpy 235 pages, in type large enough for the visually challenged, Adams skips down this formidible and fascinating river with no eye for detail and little historical insight. For a "river" book of substance, I'd recommend William Least Heat Moon's outstanding "River Horse," or Richard Slotkin's "Abe," an excellent novel about Lincoln's early years and adventurous trips down the Mississippi.Book Review: Wrong Book
Summary: 2 Stars
If you caught Noah Adams talking about his book recently on NPR, you might think, as I did, that it talks about the early settlers who followed the New River from North Carolina into Virginia and what is now West Virginia (and then onward to Kentucky and Ohio and beyond, as his ancestors did, and mine; we grew up about 10 miles from each other). About their subsistence farming and forestry and mining. It does not. Much of it is about touristy white water rafting and canoeing, which has nothing to do with the people of that region. In the final chapter, in a couple of sentences, he says he "wondered" about those early settlers. So did I. That's why I bought the book. I was disappointed.Book Review: A powerful, meandering journey told by a master
Summary: 5 Stars
Noah Adams is a great story-teller - this much we know from his sure, relaxed style on NPR. That he has a knack for detail and a love of the outdoors is a welcome surprise. The result is a thoroughly engaging book about a part of the country that many don't know.The book borrows its pace from the river itself. In several passages, there appears to be no point: just a casual observation of a minor detail, told in many pages. Whether it's the point where he considers leaping a fence because the trail may or may not be closed, or it's the rich detail of the rapids ahead on the river, you feel as if you're on the journey with Adams every step of the way.
The strength of the book is that Adams tells it on his own terms: this book is an exploration of a part of *his* history. His people are from here, and he wants to learn more about the region that produced his ancestors. At one point he even traces his roots beyond Appalachia, back to England where his ancestors originated. These diversions, much like the tributaries of the New River, simply fill out the story and make your experience all the more complete.
A final note - I listened to this book, rather than read it. Since Noah Adams does the narration, it adds just a bit more to the overall experience. Because you already know his voice, you feel as if you're listening to an old friend tell you stories by the campfire. One can't help but hear the love of the river, and the outdoors in general, as Adams recounts his story. It's a wonderful experience.