"Perfectly crafted. . . . [These] stories expand of their own accord, lingering in the mind the way intense light lingers in the retina." ...
read full description
reviews
Nov 07, 2010
Abigail
rated it: 
I discovered _Of Wolves and Men_ in high school, and read it until I could quote long passages. When I saw this little book by Lopez, I had to pick it up. _Winter Count_ is a book of essays that read like prose poetry. It is about American Indians and loss and mystery. Some of the essays are better than others, and some are kind of obtuse, but in the end, it does have coherent themes that hang together.
Something typical: I was going to criticize the author because he mentions lying on More...
Something typical: I was going to criticize the author because he mentions lying on More...
Jan 25, 2012
Jason
rated it: 
My good friend Paul recommended this book to me. Because he described Barry Lopez as a naturalist writer I initially expected this book to be completely non-fictional. Boy was I wrong! After getting involved in the stories I was shocked at the supernatural twists and turns they took. However, once I got used to this unexpected formula I found that I really enjoyed the stories. They possess a character and flair that I don't think I've ever seen before. The stories were very captivating. A couple
More...
Jan 02, 2009
Lani
rated it:
(currently re-reading)
I once had the pleasure of ghostwriting a speech introducing Barry Lopez, keynote speaker at a college commencement ceremony. I hadn't ever heard of him at the time, but was fascinated by what I learned as the friends, colleagues, and former students I contacted unanimously praised his tremendous talents and personality. I went home and promptly began reading everything of his that I could get my hands on.
"Winter Count" isn't his best known More...
I once had the pleasure of ghostwriting a speech introducing Barry Lopez, keynote speaker at a college commencement ceremony. I hadn't ever heard of him at the time, but was fascinated by what I learned as the friends, colleagues, and former students I contacted unanimously praised his tremendous talents and personality. I went home and promptly began reading everything of his that I could get my hands on.
"Winter Count" isn't his best known More...
May 04, 2010
Daniel
rated it:
thank you random customer for inspiring the research into this author and thank you jeffery for letting me borrow this book... i am a convert. barry lopez is extremely erudite and a masterful observer of nature. in this book, various anecdotes verge on the almost abstract, but are made succulently succinct via lopez's immense reservoir of naturalist (and/or all) knowledge & keen powers of prose reflections. weaving the personal into the mystical & then onto the even plain of science & history
More...
Jul 28, 2011
Jcat66
rated it:
I loved Barry Lopez's work when I was studying conservation in college, and I love his work now, more than 20 years later, for many of the same reasons: economical and evocative writing, intriguing and mysterious characters, and natural settings that deepen the reader's understanding without intruding on the pleasure of reading.
Jul 26, 2010
Derek
rated it:
Lopez has a gift for language and a unique sense of the natural world -- the resulting combination creates an unusual collection of stories. Like Borges, he blends fact/fiction with a mystical bent. My favorite is "The Orrery" about a mystic living in the desert who creates the cosmos with stones flying around him. Also really liked "Restoration."
Jun 15, 2010
David
rated it:
Some of these stories were very moving. I appreciate the author's trying to connect our lives to nature amongst all of the industrialization we have created that surrounds us and tries to remove us from it. This is my first Barry Lopez book , and I intend to read more.
Oct 05, 2009
Joshua
rated it:
A couple of these stories, perhaps the most affecting, involve historians/anthropologists who, after long study of their subjects stories and culture, are overtaken by the meaning underneath and can no longer remain objective, or even function well anymore.
Jul 14, 2007
Sara
rated it: 
Lopez shines when he's loosely writing about Native Americans. I was particularly struck by "Winter Count 1973" and "Buffalo"; even "Restoration". The stories are imbued with the trappings of scholarly research so that at times I couldn't tell if this was fiction or fact. The language is spare, yet sings off the page. His capture and command of natural imagery is nothing short of amazing. And then comes the story, "The Lover of Words." I sense what h
More...
Oct 30, 2010
Sheri-lee
rated it:
There is something I can't put my finger on that draws me to the beauty of these stories. Just beautifully written...smooth and fragrant like that perfect cup of coffee on a quiet morning.
Jan 05, 2009
melissa/missy
rated it:
My favorite story in this collection: "Winter Count 1973: Geese, They Flew Over in a Storm." I love this: "He wished for something to hold, something to touch, to strip leaves barehanded from a chokecherry branch or to hear rain falling on the surface of a lake. In this windowless room he ached."
Oct 18, 2007
Chris
rated it:
I prefer River Notes, but there are still glimpses of what makes Lopez one of my favorites. It's not the disappearing rivers or the sandstone held aloft, constellating in the wind or the other flourishes of magical realism (magical naturalism?. It's the simple, ineffable beauty of his imagery--flock of herons landing touching down on a snow blanketed NYC street, a man sweeping a patch of desert--that really blows my skirt up.
Jan 17, 2010
Gloria Erin
rated it:
Haunting and lyrical, Lopez once again took me on a journey of discovery and dreamscapes, an exploration of the mythic and the mundane brought forth by the delicate touch of his pen. A book to savor on winter nights, and to return to as a vacation for the mind.
Mar 05, 2008
Maggie
rated it:
This collection reads more like poetry and especially appealed to someone caught in between the East and West Coasts.
Lopez becomes more and more abstract as he goes along; he eases you into it.
My favorites were "Restoration" and "Winter Herons".
Lopez becomes more and more abstract as he goes along; he eases you into it.
My favorites were "Restoration" and "Winter Herons".
Jun 05, 2011
Mary
rated it:
Beautiful writing. I was loaned this book of short stories, but the timing wasn't right, so I returned it before finishing it -- I would like to get back to it someday.
Sep 10, 2007
dr
rated it:
there was one story about a book restorer guy who was working in north dakota -that was my favorite. the rest didn't grab me totally.
Jun 15, 2007
Sandra
rated it:
Spare, poetic. This collection is good for poets, I think. Very minimalistic stories that rely heavily on image.
Feb 11, 2012
Jan 26, 2012
Jan 17, 2012
Jan 12, 2012
Jan 01, 2012
