The Healing Woods | 
pickDespite my book clearly being written by Martha Reben, Litsy has her last name as Rebentisch. Apparently she changed it somewhere along the line?? Anyway. Martha was diagnosed with tuberculosis (her mother died of the disease) and was sent to various places in the 1920s to try "cures" and eventually ended up in the Adirondacks. After surgery, she was still an invalid, but she decided to take the bold path of hiring a wilderness guide & spending⬇️
TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) April-October living in a tent along Weller Pond, which is connected to Saranac Lake. According to Wiki, she did this for a total of six years - this book covers the first two years that she did it, slowly growing stronger, and learning so much about the woods, the lake, and the creatures that live there. Her guide was an elderly man named Mr. Rice (Martha is in her early 20s when the story is set) who is full of woodsy wisdom. This ⬇ 2y
TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) wasn't an exciting book or full of adventure, but it was a gentle and surprisingly engaging memoir that I ended up really enjoying. I think when most of us spend time outside - myself included - we tend to be DOING something, like hiking, but this book reminded me of how much enjoyment can be found just sitting in the woods and watching what happens. I was quite jealous of Martha's outdoorsy life. This book and its sequels (she wrote ⬇ 2y
TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) two more) are out of print and hard to find. My grandparents own this book and one sequel and are the ones who loaned it to me. If you can find a copy, I definitely recommend it. 2y
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TheAromaofBooks PS Martha did recover from tuberculosis and lived to be 58! 2y
psalva Wow! This sounds really great. I‘ll keep my eyes peeled for a copy. 2y
MemoirsForMe Fascinating! 2y
TheAromaofBooks @psalva @UwannaPublishme - I did find this article about the author that was pretty interesting. https://www.saranaclake.com/story/2015/08/martha-reben-staring-down-great-white-... - I'm really interested to read her second volume!! 2y
