“It was the rough edge of the world, where the trees came smack down to the stones.”

Reading about the majestic trees in the northwest corner of the country in The Overstory made me want to learn more about the history of the relationship between the ancient trees and the new settlers who lived and died by the forests. Annie Dillard focuses on the years between 1855 and 1897. Rough, unpredictable, and ruthless describe the landscape and the pioneers in this story. Their survival requires strength and luck in equal measures. Many died. This is not a sentimental novel.  Instead, it is invigorating and intimate.  It forces us to look at the astonishing price people paid to live.

Dillard, Annie. The Living: A Novel. HarperPerennial, 1992, p. 3.