Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
Return to Wake Robin: One Cabin in the Heyday of Northwoods Resorts
Five generations of Marnie O. Mamminga’s family have been rejuvenated by times together in Wisconsin’s Northwoods. In a series of evocative remembrances accompanied by a treasure trove of vintage family photos, Mamminga takes us to Wake Robin, the cabin her grandparents built in 1929 on Big Spider Lake near Hayward, on land adjacent to Moody’s Camp. Along the way she prese...more
Hardcover, 200 pages
Published
May 21st 2012
by Wisconsin Historical Society Press
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
224)
I found myself laughing and crying as I read this book. My family had a similar cabin in the north woods of Ontario - my great grandfather having traveled up there, loved it, and built a cabin that has stayed in the family. So many of the stories from Wake Robin are the same ones that are in my own family's mythology and collective stories - future spouses taken to the lake to see if they are worthy, crashes on gravel roads, visiting bears at the dump, and the joy of visiting town for treats. Bu...more
This book made me think of all the times I've spent in the north woods, the friends I've made, the fun I've had, the restful, relaxed feeling that washes over me every time we head north. There is beauty, serenity, tradition, comfort. My kids would tell you that "up north" is one of their favorite destinations - and they have learned that you don't need water parks full of screaming kids and cranky parents, or shopping malls and fancy restaurants for real fun. You need a dock, a boat, a fishing...more
This is charming book of remembrances of the authors summer home in Wake Robin near Hayward, Wisconsin. She mostly concentrates her memories on her own childhood and summers at Wake Robin. She also writes of her father's and grandparents summer times on Spider Lake,with a few references to her own children and grandchildren's summer trips "up North" She gives the background of her family, the founding and beginning visits of her grandparents, and her father and mother. What is most wonderful abo...more
Closer to a 4.5 for this memoir of a lake cabin and its family, spanning nearly a century in the northwoods of WI. If lake cabins could speak...
Author Marnie Mamminga introduces us to the five generations of her family who've called the family cabin, named Wake Robin, "home" in their hearts. We also meet friends and neighbors who were part of the bygone era of the traditional lake resort. Lodge meals, square dances, guided fishing, organized picnics, and lazing on the dock are all part of this m...more
Author Marnie Mamminga introduces us to the five generations of her family who've called the family cabin, named Wake Robin, "home" in their hearts. We also meet friends and neighbors who were part of the bygone era of the traditional lake resort. Lodge meals, square dances, guided fishing, organized picnics, and lazing on the dock are all part of this m...more
Where to begin? Such charming and quaint stories lie within the pages of this book. Stories that tap old memories of loved ones who have since passed, along with friends and families one sees too infrequently. It reminds you of your youth, when the most important thing was putting on your bathing suit and running out to the lake for the day. Or the neighbor girl who would come calling "ding bell" to help kick off the day. Not to mention, traipsing through the woods in search of wild animals or s...more
3 likes
·
like
· see review
I like the topic since the northwoods of Wisconsin are special to me as well. It was an easy read. The pictures added to the experience although some were just too difficult to see what was going on (too dark or light). I was bothered a bit by how the book is organized; it felt like with each chapter I was going back in time to that era of whatever the chapter is about and then we moved forward so this caused a lot of discontinuity for me. Not sure if this book could have been done in a sequenti...more
This was "Chicken Soup for the Northwoods' Soul". The author reminisces about the cabin on Big Spider Lake near Hayward, Wisconsin that has been in her family for 83 years. Although times have changed, the simplicity of cabin life holds dear to all the the people who have spent time at 'Wake Robin'. You can smell the pine, hear the dinner bell, feel the cool water during an early morning dip and heave a sigh of pure satisfaction.
This is a feel good nonfiction story that is told in vignettes about several generations of a family's stay in a Northwoods Resort. Each chapter is a different topic/detail of the resort! It makes you long for a simpler life and relish the time you spend 'away from it all'. Mamminga's writing is often poetic, tugging at your heart strings along the way!
Return to Wake Robin is a wonderful memoir written by Marnie Mamminga. Marnie and her family have traveled to their cabin in the Northwoods of Wisconsin for five generations.Writing chronologically with a few backslips, Marnie brings to life the day to day and year to year adventures of her own family as well as a cast of characters who vacation and work at the other cabins and resorts on the shores of Big Spider Lake.
Much to her families delight, Moody's Camp, an American Plan Resort on the...more
Much to her families delight, Moody's Camp, an American Plan Resort on the...more
This is a quiet memoir of summer vacations on a Wisconsin lake and it leaves you nostalgic for a lost way of life. Marnie has done a great job describing what has been and continues to be an important part of summers in her family's lives.
Made me want to drive north and find a log cabin to vacation in! Of course then I remember that I don't really like bugs, or lakes, or the smell of mildew, so probably rustic lake life is not for me. Still, it sounded quaint and delightful!
What a fabulous book! As a child and even today, I spend summers at the lake in Wisconsin. I could relate to every word and every memory. I recommend it to all my family and friends who spent time with us at the lake.
What a wonderful read for a trip down memory lane and how things used to be. I wish I could have been on those summer vacations!
Thank you for sharing your family's history and stories.
Thank you for sharing your family's history and stories.
Overall an entertaining book about a time gone by. It evoked memories of my own childhood summers spent in the north woods as well as the north woods vacations we have taken with our own children. I hope their memories are as fond as I remember them. Loved the pictures in the book.
Great summer read...takes you back to the days of summer cabins, fishing on the lake, and jumping off the dock!
I don't usually care for books that are this "nice," but this one kept me engaged. Not sure if it was the setting (Hayward) or mood (nostalgic) that got me, but I recommend giving it a try if you've ever had an enjoyable no-frills lake vacation.
Charming memoir about a charming place.
pretty good.
Incredibly enjoyable read.
I chose to read this book because I also grew up going 'Up North to the cabin'. I found many things that I could relate to and so many similarities between my time at the cabin and the authors. This is a special story and if you've spent anytime 'Up North', a book worth reading.
Return to Wake Robin is a love letter to the Northwoods. I loved reading Marnie's story, along with the photos of her childhood. It's a must for anyone who loves cabin life.
I bought the book for my Dad for Father's Day, he and his Dad have a long history going to cabins in the northwoods of Wisconsin. I've heard wonderful things about the book, making it high on my list to read! It lived up to my expectations -not an easy task, very relatable read for anyone who's spent time vacationing next to a lake, summer holidays in a cabin.
Loved it!
Such a delightful reminisce of days gone by in the heydey of northwoods resorts. I highly recommend this book for anyone who has ever loved the call of loons, the sparkling waters of northern lakes and the slam of a wood screen door. Cherish these memories of days long gone.
Enjoyable book of stories of five generations of a family that spent summers in a cabin in Wisconsin. This was easy summer reading about simple outdoor pleasures.
I couldn't get to the Northwoods this July, but reading this made it feel as if I was making the trip :) Delightful stories told with a poignant voice. Loved this!
2 likes
·
like
· see review
My mother-in-law's book debut!!!! I was lucky enough to read it in draft form and can't wait for the final edition to be published.
Cute.
(take that however you want to).
(take that however you want to).
May 19, 2013
Susan Mardele
marked it as to-read
May 15, 2013
Sharon
marked it as to-read
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Jul 17, 2012 08:59am