1 out of 4 stars
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2 Months in the Woods by Andrew Hamlin is an unedited journal about the author's life while working at a salmon hatchery in Alaska. With no cell reception and almost no contact with the outside world, Andrew Hamlin has time to unplug and think about what his future entails and the struggles he will have to face.
The authors time away from civilization promises insightful commentary on the challenges that are thrown his way. Where to next? Will there be a next stop? Does he want to settle down? Will his next job have a good Wi-Fi connection?
Unfortunately, while these questions were dealt with, it all fell flat. It was more a casual thought instead of a real struggle. The short 40-page read was mostly filled with the author's daily schedule at the salmon hatchery in Alaska; his love for Netflix and Wi-Fi; and a bit of thought on what he will be doing after leaving the hatchery.
The author’s personal struggles boil down to whether he’ll take a job that will give him access to a good Wi-Fi connection and whether or not he will farm and settle down or carry on with his adventures. Now, while this could have been expanded on and presented as the real struggle it is, it’s treated more like a quick ‘meh’ question. More time was used to talk about the mortality rates of the salmon than dealing with what the author is struggling with. Everything is straightforward, and I was constantly waiting for there to be more talk of feelings or the author’s personal struggles.
The open-ended ending fits with the story but there is not much in the way of insightful commentary. 2 Months in the Woods is just a journal containing the author's daily schedule.
2 Months in the Woods is stated to be an unedited journal but whether that refers to unedited thoughts or unedited text – I’m unsure. But I will report that 2 Months in the Woods is filled with errors from an overuse of commas to run on sentences.
I rate 2 Months in the Woods 1 out of 4 stars. I feel the blurb is misleading. It promises a much more contemplative story and it doesn’t deliver. The errors were distracting and while the title does say an unedited journal, I feel it should apply to the thoughts of the author and not the text. I couldn’t enjoy this book because it was not what it promised to be. I do not recommend this book.
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2 Months in the Woods
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