Name: Emily C Peterson's review of The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel
Item: The Stranger in the Woods
Rating: 3
Author: Emily C Peterson

Michael Finkel

"For readers of Jon Krakauer and The Lost City of Z, a remarkable tale of survival and solitude--the true story of a man who lived alone in a tent in the Maine woods, never talking to another person and surviving by stealing supplies from nearby cabins for twenty-seven years. In 1986, twenty-year-old Christopher Knight left his home in Massachusetts, drove to Maine, and disappeared into the woods. He would not have a conversation with another human being until nearly three decades later when he was arrested for stealing food. Living in a tent even in winter, he had survived by his wits and courage, developing ingenious ways to store food and water, to avoid freezing to death. He broke into nearby cottages for food, clothes, reading material, and other provisions, taking only what he needed, but terrifying a community never able to solve the mysterious burglaries. Based on extensive interviews with Knight himself, this is a vividly detailed account of the why and how of his secluded life--as well as the challenges he has faced returning to the world. A riveting story of survival that asks fundamental questions about solitude, community, and what makes a good life, and a deeply moving portrait of a man who was determined to live his own way, and succeeded"--Publisher description.

The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit

The Stranger in the Woods

Emily C Peterson

Colton Ray

This is definitely a compelling story, but as a few others have pointed out, the behavior of the author is questionable, especially during the last chapters where Knight (the hermit) makes it painfully clear all he wants is to be left alone, and Finkel insists on trying to get in touch with him to the point of mild stalking. 

Regardless, I found Knight a fascinating subject because he was just so... ordinary. If it was up to him, he would have lived and died with nobody knowing his name or story. He doesn't believe he is some mystic, he doesn't try to justify his many thefts and burglaries, he doesn't even offer up any clear reason for why he chose to live alone for 27 years. The best thing about this story is that there are no easy answers, no true conclusions we can draw. 

The ending where Knight is trying to reacquaint himself with modern society is fascinating; it's as if the man stepped out of a time machine (he went into the woods in 1987.) I sincerely hope he has found some sort of happiness in life.

A good small story. It will find its way to me again in the future, I suspect.

Ash Ponders

I can't quite explain why, but this book marked me on a deeply personal level. It's excellent and thought-provocative and it entirely jumpstarted my love for audiobooks!

Andreea Bobaru

The unforgettable true story of Christopher Knight, who found refuge from the pressures of modern society by living alone in the Maine woods for twenty-seven years.

Celeste Richardson

What a fascinating story. Can you imagine just up and leaving civilization one day, without telling anyone or bringing anything with you? Now take that a step further, and live in a stolen tent for 27 years while subsisting entirely on whatever you can steal from surrounding cabins. That was actually Christopher Knight’s life. Talk about truth being stranger than fiction. I can’t imagine how trapped he must’ve felt when he was finally caught and arrested for right around 1,000 counts of theft. While the story was incredibly interesting, there was something about the author that rubbed me the wrong way. I doubt Finkel was trying to capitalize on someone else’s misery, but I felt a bit of that. And the ways he describes himself as pursuing Knight was borderline creepy. Knight himself was such an enigma, and I would love to know more about how his mind works. Because throughout the book, one of the most interesting elements to Knight’s decision to leave civilization was that he had no reason. There was no catalyst; he just walked into the woods one day and didn’t come back out until he was forced out by authorities. 

This book is short, fast paced, and unflaggingly interesting. It’s an easy nonfiction read that is definitely worth your time.

Random side note: I love Knight’s view on Ulysses. He thinks it’s drivel, and “refused to be intellectually bullied into finishing it.” This sentence just made me feel vindicated in my hatred of Ulysses.

I appreciate the story of Knight but the author is a stalker and harrassed him.

Kerri McDonald

Interesting book, but I honestly started getting angry with the author by the end. This book was written about a man that valued privacy and isolation so much that he disappeared into the woods for decades. So what did the author do once he was discovered and forced back into a society he wanted no part of? Basically stalked the man. For the most of the book, I understood: he was a reporter gathering information on an interesting story. But when he continued to show up unannounced and unwanted after the story had basically been resolved? That's when the anger showed up. Leave the man alone!! Cripes...

Still, an interesting story about isolation and the lengths one man went to get it.

*THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER* Could you leave behind all that you know and live in solitude for three decades? This is the extraordinary story of the last true hermit - Christopher Knight. 'This was a breath-taking book to read and many weeks later I am still thinking about the implications for our society and - by extension - for my own life' Sebastian Junger, bestselling author of The Perfect Storm 'A wry meditation on one man's attempt to escape life's distractions and look inwards, to find meaning not by doing, but by being' Martin Sixsmith, bestselling author of Philomena and Ayesha's Gift 'Not all heroes wear capes. My latest one is a man called Christopher Knight – a silent idol for anyone who has felt the urge to just sack it all off and live the life of a hermit' Lucy Mangan, Stylist 'An extraordinary story about solitude, community, identity and freedom' Guardian 'A meditation on solitude, wildness and survival. It is also, unexpectedly, a tribute to the joys of reading' The Wall Street Journal In 1986, twenty-year-old Christopher Knight left his home in Massachusetts, drove to Maine, and disappeared into the woods. He would not speak to another human being until three decades later when he was arrested for stealing food. Christopher survived by his wits and courage, developing ingenious ways to store food and water in order to avoid freezing to death in his tent during the harsh Maine winters. He broke into nearby cottages for food, clothes, reading material and other provisions, taking only what he needed. In the process, he unwittingly terrified a community unable to solve the mysterious burglaries. Myths abounded amongst the locals eager to find this legendary hermit. Based on extensive interviews with Knight himself, this is a vividly detailed account of his secluded life and the challenges he faced returning to the world. The Stranger in the Woods is a riveting story of survival that asks fundamental questions about solitude and what makes for a good life. Above all, this is a deeply moving portrait of a man determined to live life his own way.

The extraordinary story of the last true hermit

Krystal Campbell 

Amazing! Favourite books of the year so far! Whenever anyone asks me my last 5 stay read this is the book I think of. Just so real!

Emily C Peterson &
The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel

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