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Man in the Woods
"A smart, haunting thriller with bass reverb and a pounding heart." —Jayne Anne Phillips, author of the National Book Award finalist Lark and Termite.
Scott Spencer, the acclaimed author of Endless Love and A Ship Made of Paper, reaffirms his storytelling mastery with Man in the Woods—a gripping psychological thriller about a carpenter at loose ends and the crime of passion that radically reorders his world. Rudy Wurlitzer lauds Man in the Woods as a stunning work that offers "heartbreaking insights into the dark frailties of human nature," and which he calls, "a page turner from beginning to end." And New York Times bestselling author Francine Prose hails its achievement, writing, "In this brilliant novel, Scott Spencer further expands his range."
Scott Spencer, the acclaimed author of Endless Love and A Ship Made of Paper, reaffirms his storytelling mastery with Man in the Woods—a gripping psychological thriller about a carpenter at loose ends and the crime of passion that radically reorders his world. Rudy Wurlitzer lauds Man in the Woods as a stunning work that offers "heartbreaking insights into the dark frailties of human nature," and which he calls, "a page turner from beginning to end." And New York Times bestselling author Francine Prose hails its achievement, writing, "In this brilliant novel, Scott Spencer further expands his range."
320 pages, Hardcover
First published September 14, 2010
81 people are currently reading
1338 people want to read
About the author
Scott Spencer
15 books254 followersScott Spencer (b. 1945) is the critically acclaimed, bestselling author of ten novels, including Endless Love and A Ship Made of Paper, both of which have been nominated for the National Book Award. Two of his books, Endless Love and Waking the Dead, have been adapted into films.
He has taught at Columbia University, the University of Iowa, and Williams College, and Bard College's Bard Prison Initiative. Spencer is an alumnus of Roosevelt University. In 2004, he was the recipient of a John S. Guggenheim Fellowship. For the past twenty years, he has lived in a small town in upstate New York.
Spencer has also worked as a journalist. He has published in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine, GQ, O, The Oprah Magazine, and he is a regular contributor to Rolling Stone.
He has taught at Columbia University, the University of Iowa, and Williams College, and Bard College's Bard Prison Initiative. Spencer is an alumnus of Roosevelt University. In 2004, he was the recipient of a John S. Guggenheim Fellowship. For the past twenty years, he has lived in a small town in upstate New York.
Spencer has also worked as a journalist. He has published in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine, GQ, O, The Oprah Magazine, and he is a regular contributor to Rolling Stone.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 281 reviews
February 10, 2022
It is 1999 and the terror of Y2K is on the horizon. Paul is a carpenter, capable, reserved, who is living in a New York suburb with Kate, a recovering alcoholic, recent convert to Christianity and newly published author of a best-seller about her recovery and conversion. They have a lovely life together, sexual, open, satisfying, and with the success of her book, comfortable. But when Paul, a good man, out in the park one day, interferes with a swindler who is beating his dog, things get out of hand and an inner rage takes over. Paul kills the man. He struggles to cope with his guilt about the act, with his need to confess his crime.
Scott Spencer - image from KCRW - photo by Elena Selbert
Man in the Woods is the story of how Paul and Kate cope with the aftermath of that event, how they try to do good, how they struggle with a need for honesty, how they try to figure out what God wants of and for them, and if there is a god at all. Both Kate and Paul try to fill the gaps created by losses in their lives. She finds comfort in religion. He takes comfort in his craft, but still longs for the father he lost long ago. Will the darkness of his act engulf them and blot out the good they both do in the world?
There are many religious references in the story. Aside from Kate’s front-and-center religiosity, there is her daughter Ruby seeing angel-like visions, a dog named Shep that may be shepherding Paul in a particular direction. A family member tells of Maronite Christians committing atrocities in the name of the Virgin Mary. AA membership brings in plenty of references to a Higher Power. Frequent deer sightings feel like spiritual tones as well, and there is serpent to boot.
Paul and Kate are relatable characters. One can understand how they feel, why they feel that way, and one can empathize with their struggles. Their core event may exceed our quotidian experiences, but they wrestle with the same issues that many of us also confront.
That said, I would have liked a bit more of Paul and Kate’s back story. While I thought their characters were well developed, I felt that they could have been made even richer with more background. Also I thought there might have been a bit too much ink dedicated to the swindler who is killed.
Man in the Woods is a moving novel, one whose characters will draw you in, one that deals with adult themes and does it with top-notch literary style.
Review first posted in 2010
Scott Spencer - image from KCRW - photo by Elena Selbert
Man in the Woods is the story of how Paul and Kate cope with the aftermath of that event, how they try to do good, how they struggle with a need for honesty, how they try to figure out what God wants of and for them, and if there is a god at all. Both Kate and Paul try to fill the gaps created by losses in their lives. She finds comfort in religion. He takes comfort in his craft, but still longs for the father he lost long ago. Will the darkness of his act engulf them and blot out the good they both do in the world?
There are many religious references in the story. Aside from Kate’s front-and-center religiosity, there is her daughter Ruby seeing angel-like visions, a dog named Shep that may be shepherding Paul in a particular direction. A family member tells of Maronite Christians committing atrocities in the name of the Virgin Mary. AA membership brings in plenty of references to a Higher Power. Frequent deer sightings feel like spiritual tones as well, and there is serpent to boot.
Paul and Kate are relatable characters. One can understand how they feel, why they feel that way, and one can empathize with their struggles. Their core event may exceed our quotidian experiences, but they wrestle with the same issues that many of us also confront.
That said, I would have liked a bit more of Paul and Kate’s back story. While I thought their characters were well developed, I felt that they could have been made even richer with more background. Also I thought there might have been a bit too much ink dedicated to the swindler who is killed.
Man in the Woods is a moving novel, one whose characters will draw you in, one that deals with adult themes and does it with top-notch literary style.
Review first posted in 2010
May 2, 2020
i am having difficulty finding an angle to approach this book report. i felt very medium about this book, and i can't understand why.
this is a grown-up book. by which i think i mean "staid." there is nothing funny in this book. there is nothing surprising, or scary, or particularly dark. it does its business quietly and competently, but there is no real "oomph" to it. i really felt like it was one of those procedural shows i have on in the background while i chop vegetables or fold laundry.it told its story and then it left me and went about its business, and i don't think i had any reaction to it at all, like a wednesday-afternoon.
at its heart, it is an ethical dilemma: if a good man accidentally kills a bad man in the forest, does it make a sound? the "good" man in question is a carpenter (like jesus!!) named paul(because we are not finished with biblical allusions, not yet!) who has the love of a good woman and her child, and in every other situation, is self-sacrificing and just goes with the flow of life, not causing any ripples. the "bad" man is running from gambling debts, conning women and using a series of false identities to cover his tracks as he makes his way across the country. he has stolen a dog from one of his victims, and his mistreatment of it is what causes the fight that leaves him dead and paul struggling to justify why he is not going to turn himself in. but he does take the dog and names him shep. (yeah, like "shepherd.")
religion's role in the modern life is a huge part of this book. kate, paul's girlfriend, has made a name for herself as a recovering alcoholic, born-again christian writer and speaker, but the kind of christian who dispenses with inconvenient elements of the religion and has fulfilling intercourse with her boyfriend and makes a ton of money talking about her spiritual journey in person and on the radio.
"what god wants/expects of man" is considered, religious atrocities invoked, there are superstitions and rituals and a literal snake invades what seems to be paradise. add to this mix a sensitive and disturbed but possibly visionary child, and call it a book.
i don't know.
this is such an adolescent comment, but it can't be helped: these characters were annoying. i know. but paul's across-the-board (except for that one splinter) goodness and kate's bitchy jealousy, and paul's sister's overall disapproval of all things and misplaced protection of her husband and general judginess is irritating. the female characters, specifically, were all pretty shady - with their public vs private faces. except for the stereotypical friendly lesbian carpenter. i just didn't really care about what happened to them, good or bad. and i wasn't really interested in the "should good people be allowed to get away with bad things" argument. but then, i would be a terrible god. i don't think anyone should ever be allowed to get away with anything. especially litterbugs. there is a special place in my hell for them...
and that's what i have. a "meh" review for a "meh" book.
i guarantee this review will bore those of you who only like me for my porny reviews. sorry, friends...
the writing is solid, but i didn't really walk away from this book with anything more than "i have read another book."
tepid reading makes for boring book reports. i sorry.
come to my blog!
this is a grown-up book. by which i think i mean "staid." there is nothing funny in this book. there is nothing surprising, or scary, or particularly dark. it does its business quietly and competently, but there is no real "oomph" to it. i really felt like it was one of those procedural shows i have on in the background while i chop vegetables or fold laundry.it told its story and then it left me and went about its business, and i don't think i had any reaction to it at all, like a wednesday-afternoon.
at its heart, it is an ethical dilemma: if a good man accidentally kills a bad man in the forest, does it make a sound? the "good" man in question is a carpenter (like jesus!!) named paul(because we are not finished with biblical allusions, not yet!) who has the love of a good woman and her child, and in every other situation, is self-sacrificing and just goes with the flow of life, not causing any ripples. the "bad" man is running from gambling debts, conning women and using a series of false identities to cover his tracks as he makes his way across the country. he has stolen a dog from one of his victims, and his mistreatment of it is what causes the fight that leaves him dead and paul struggling to justify why he is not going to turn himself in. but he does take the dog and names him shep. (yeah, like "shepherd.")
religion's role in the modern life is a huge part of this book. kate, paul's girlfriend, has made a name for herself as a recovering alcoholic, born-again christian writer and speaker, but the kind of christian who dispenses with inconvenient elements of the religion and has fulfilling intercourse with her boyfriend and makes a ton of money talking about her spiritual journey in person and on the radio.
"what god wants/expects of man" is considered, religious atrocities invoked, there are superstitions and rituals and a literal snake invades what seems to be paradise. add to this mix a sensitive and disturbed but possibly visionary child, and call it a book.
i don't know.
this is such an adolescent comment, but it can't be helped: these characters were annoying. i know. but paul's across-the-board (except for that one splinter) goodness and kate's bitchy jealousy, and paul's sister's overall disapproval of all things and misplaced protection of her husband and general judginess is irritating. the female characters, specifically, were all pretty shady - with their public vs private faces. except for the stereotypical friendly lesbian carpenter. i just didn't really care about what happened to them, good or bad. and i wasn't really interested in the "should good people be allowed to get away with bad things" argument. but then, i would be a terrible god. i don't think anyone should ever be allowed to get away with anything. especially litterbugs. there is a special place in my hell for them...
and that's what i have. a "meh" review for a "meh" book.
i guarantee this review will bore those of you who only like me for my porny reviews. sorry, friends...
the writing is solid, but i didn't really walk away from this book with anything more than "i have read another book."
tepid reading makes for boring book reports. i sorry.
come to my blog!
August 2, 2011
Really wasn't too happy with this book. After 'The Event' in the woods,I was preparing for a cat and mouse game between police and Paul, girlfriend and Paul, anyone and Paul. It just went nowhere. Some reviewers tossed this book on a pedestal. Throughout the entire novel, I was questioning why. I didn't care about the characters. I didn't care about the plot. I didn't care about anything. I was almost 3/4 of the way in when I realized this book was going nowhere. I thought I better finish it. Just a warning, there are a lot of better books out there to read. I'm sorry that I wasted my time on this one.
February 28, 2012
Scott Spencer's Man in the Woods is a novel that chronicles the life of Paul Phillips, a man who has been on his own since he was sixteen years old. Paul is both a simple and a complex man - simple because he has relied on good luck and good looks to open many doors, and complicated because he is an artisan of deep convictions that he is unwilling to compromise. He is not a man to say very much but a lot goes on in his mind that does not come out in words. He creates beautiful furniture, crafts, and remodels with wood. Each type of wood speaks to him in its own way. He has never given a lot of thought to his life. Where he is and what he's doing have a way of simply falling into place. He has traveled around a lot, living in Alaska, South Dakota, Colorado and currently in rural New York State.
As the book opens, Paul is living with Kate Ellis, a character from Scott Spencer's previous book, A Ship Made of Paper. Kate has become quite famous recently for her book, `Prays Well With Others'. She is also sought after for speaking engagements and radio and television appearances. Her book is a best-seller and Kate considers herself a liberal Christian who believes deeply in the power of Christ and the lord. She is also a very sensual woman and her love for Paul is unconditional and unwavering. She wishes Paul would marry her but he seems to have an aversion to cementing the relationship though it is monogamous and committed. Kate's book and talks are about the day to day things in her life that she believes make her an `every woman' and also bring her closer to God. She is raising a daughter, Ruby, as a single mother with a mostly absentee father. Paul's relationship with Ruby is good though he does not try to substitute as her dad.
As the book opens, Paul has gone to see about work in Manhattan and is not thrilled about the quality of the job he is being asked to do. He is reticent to accept the contract. Money does not play a huge part in his life though he makes more than enough to get by. With Kate's success, money is the very least of his problems and Kate is happy enough to support them both. On his way back home, he stops in a park near Tarrytown to sit and think, to ponder his life and his reasons for being so strongly opposed to the possibility of the work he was just offered. Though Paul thinks he is alone, he soon realizes that there is someone else close by, a man and his dog.
The man with the dog is Will Claff, though that is not the name he goes by anymore. He has traveled from his home city of Los Angeles around the country, changing his name in each place he stops. His modus operandi is that he usually meets a woman who takes pity on him and will put him up for a while. Will tells the woman that he has traveled to her community to take a job but the person who offered him the job committed suicide right before Will arrived. Thus, he is without work and without means. The truth is that Will has about five thousand dollars in gambling debts and he is paranoid that the people he owes money to are out to get him and surely will kill him once he's found.
Will has just finished jogging, and as the paths of these two men cross, Paul witnesses Will being cruelly sadistic to his dog. This is not an act that Paul can tolerate and, impulsively, he acts in a way that will change his life forever. This can be a theme in Spencer's books - the idea of one impulsive act forever creating a changed and damaged life - and is observed in A Ship Made of Paper and Endless Love.
From this day onward, Paul wonders about himself, about his core essence and how civilized he truly is or isn't. He questions whether he is feral, an animal at the core and not a good man. The book is beautifully written and dramatically unfolds. It is deep, thrilling, and unbearably difficult to read at times. Spencer has created a gem, a modern look at good and evil. While he provides the questions, the answers and judgments rest in the hands of the reader.
As the book opens, Paul is living with Kate Ellis, a character from Scott Spencer's previous book, A Ship Made of Paper. Kate has become quite famous recently for her book, `Prays Well With Others'. She is also sought after for speaking engagements and radio and television appearances. Her book is a best-seller and Kate considers herself a liberal Christian who believes deeply in the power of Christ and the lord. She is also a very sensual woman and her love for Paul is unconditional and unwavering. She wishes Paul would marry her but he seems to have an aversion to cementing the relationship though it is monogamous and committed. Kate's book and talks are about the day to day things in her life that she believes make her an `every woman' and also bring her closer to God. She is raising a daughter, Ruby, as a single mother with a mostly absentee father. Paul's relationship with Ruby is good though he does not try to substitute as her dad.
As the book opens, Paul has gone to see about work in Manhattan and is not thrilled about the quality of the job he is being asked to do. He is reticent to accept the contract. Money does not play a huge part in his life though he makes more than enough to get by. With Kate's success, money is the very least of his problems and Kate is happy enough to support them both. On his way back home, he stops in a park near Tarrytown to sit and think, to ponder his life and his reasons for being so strongly opposed to the possibility of the work he was just offered. Though Paul thinks he is alone, he soon realizes that there is someone else close by, a man and his dog.
The man with the dog is Will Claff, though that is not the name he goes by anymore. He has traveled from his home city of Los Angeles around the country, changing his name in each place he stops. His modus operandi is that he usually meets a woman who takes pity on him and will put him up for a while. Will tells the woman that he has traveled to her community to take a job but the person who offered him the job committed suicide right before Will arrived. Thus, he is without work and without means. The truth is that Will has about five thousand dollars in gambling debts and he is paranoid that the people he owes money to are out to get him and surely will kill him once he's found.
Will has just finished jogging, and as the paths of these two men cross, Paul witnesses Will being cruelly sadistic to his dog. This is not an act that Paul can tolerate and, impulsively, he acts in a way that will change his life forever. This can be a theme in Spencer's books - the idea of one impulsive act forever creating a changed and damaged life - and is observed in A Ship Made of Paper and Endless Love.
From this day onward, Paul wonders about himself, about his core essence and how civilized he truly is or isn't. He questions whether he is feral, an animal at the core and not a good man. The book is beautifully written and dramatically unfolds. It is deep, thrilling, and unbearably difficult to read at times. Spencer has created a gem, a modern look at good and evil. While he provides the questions, the answers and judgments rest in the hands of the reader.
August 1, 2016
Quite randomly my recent audio book selections have had a lot to do with faith. But also, in this case, meaning and justice. I've recently learned the expression condign justice (from another audio book actually, took a while to figure out the spelling), the subject of it has fascinated me long before this vocabulary expansion. And so if a good man commits one terrible wrong (although I'm sure some would find it practically justifiable under the circumstances) and a great many good deeds...what is just? What is the moral flexibility on murder or more appropriately manslaughter? Like all the best books this one doesn't merely entertain, it also makes you think. It's a book about a crime, but not a crime book. In a way of Crime and Punishment, this deals with repercussions of a crime. How easy it is for a life to change, how one can enter the woods a happy man with much going on and leave the woods a murderer, oppressed by guilt and paralyzed by fear. How much one forgiveness and understanding one can hope for from their loves ones. How much one might do to try to achieve some sort of balance again. I enjoyed this book very much, wasn't quite sure how the author was going to handle the ending, but I see why he did what he did. The characters were great, complex, engaging, compelling in their search for grace, the narrative moved along with ease and confidence. The audio reader did a terrific job, I haven't listened to him before, it was a treat. And always a pleasure to discover a new author, Man in the Woods being a very auspicious introduction. Recommended.
October 15, 2012
make up your mind, do you want to talk about love, religion, family, murder, conscience, what???? the whole mystery thing, whodunit didn't add up and didn't make sense. not a good read!
January 16, 2011
While not categorized as a "crime novel," Scott Spencer's "Man In The Woods" is populated by characters who dwell in souls slowly corroded by crime compounded by time.
At its troubled heart lies a simple yet complicated question: Is it really better to get away with murder?
The irony in whatever the answer may be is that the murder in this book isn't really murder ... but, after a series of decisions that the principal characters find at first impossible to live with, and then horribly easier to reconcile, it sure as hell LOOKS like murder.
Spencer, a literary novelist who specializes in feelings too impossible to contain in the socially acceptable ways, is less interested in tracking the crime than he is in tracking the erratic travels of the hearts, minds and souls of his decent but flawed characters.
With tender insight and dialogue that artfully dances around the problem, Spencer shows how deeply we can fool ourselves into thinking we can stuff the bad stuff too big to contain into trunks of memory and drop them deep into the well of our souls. We all play games with ourselves and our secrets, no matter how good we think and know ourselves to be, and even when we win — or think we win — we really lose. Because those secrets change us, and rarely for the better, even when we make ourselves believe they haven't.
And nowhere is this hard truth more powerfully in evidence than in the final pages of "man In The Woods," with a gut-punch of an ending that makes perfect sense — and carries with it, one suspects, the potential for a more perfect peace for the people of the story.
This is a wonderful book, and another triumph for Spencer, in his ninth novel over a 34-year career. I'm dinging it a star only because he starts down the road of this story with procedural POVs from the perspectives of others connected to the death — and then mysteriously abandons them. One, involving a likely suspect, is strangely shoehorned into the final act, and I found myself wishing he'd been introduced earlier and that his story had continued later. It makes for a slightly uneven reading experience.
On the whole, however, "Man In The Woods" is highly recommended, not just for lovers of literary fiction, but for genre crime readers who like a little (or a lot of) thoughtfulness with their thrills.
At its troubled heart lies a simple yet complicated question: Is it really better to get away with murder?
The irony in whatever the answer may be is that the murder in this book isn't really murder ... but, after a series of decisions that the principal characters find at first impossible to live with, and then horribly easier to reconcile, it sure as hell LOOKS like murder.
Spencer, a literary novelist who specializes in feelings too impossible to contain in the socially acceptable ways, is less interested in tracking the crime than he is in tracking the erratic travels of the hearts, minds and souls of his decent but flawed characters.
With tender insight and dialogue that artfully dances around the problem, Spencer shows how deeply we can fool ourselves into thinking we can stuff the bad stuff too big to contain into trunks of memory and drop them deep into the well of our souls. We all play games with ourselves and our secrets, no matter how good we think and know ourselves to be, and even when we win — or think we win — we really lose. Because those secrets change us, and rarely for the better, even when we make ourselves believe they haven't.
And nowhere is this hard truth more powerfully in evidence than in the final pages of "man In The Woods," with a gut-punch of an ending that makes perfect sense — and carries with it, one suspects, the potential for a more perfect peace for the people of the story.
This is a wonderful book, and another triumph for Spencer, in his ninth novel over a 34-year career. I'm dinging it a star only because he starts down the road of this story with procedural POVs from the perspectives of others connected to the death — and then mysteriously abandons them. One, involving a likely suspect, is strangely shoehorned into the final act, and I found myself wishing he'd been introduced earlier and that his story had continued later. It makes for a slightly uneven reading experience.
On the whole, however, "Man In The Woods" is highly recommended, not just for lovers of literary fiction, but for genre crime readers who like a little (or a lot of) thoughtfulness with their thrills.
November 13, 2010
This book had me worried right up until the very end. Paul accidentally kills a man in the woods on his way home one evening. The guy had it coming, though. He was viciously abusing a dog. (Yes, I realize that's not enough of a reason to kill someone). I cringed when I read those passages--it was so graphic.
Paul never gets over the fact that he's done something so horrible. It eats at him. Kate, his partner, is so in love with him and so desperate to keep the bit of happiness she has with him that she becomes an accomplice after the fact.
As the story unfolds, you experience the viewpoints of a number of the book's characters: the police investigating the murder, Kate and her success as a writer/radio personality, the landlord of the victim. All the while, wondering if Paul will get away with it because he's really not a bad person.
The end draws near, and I think, Yes, he got away with it, and they'll move overseas and leave their problems behind. As a romance writer, I wanted these two to have a happy ending, even though I knew Paul should have gone to the police from the beginning and explained what happened. A happy ending was not to be. Spencer ripped the rug from under me at the last minute, and my heart plummeted when the police arrived.
There were times I felt the book slowed too much for my taste. If you're looking for constant excitement, it's not a book for you. However, overall, I felt it was a good read. Spencer has a beautiful way with words that draws you in and creates vivid pictures in your mind. I enjoyed the book so much I picked up the one published before it, A Ship Made of Paper. I can't wait to see what he does in this one.
Paul never gets over the fact that he's done something so horrible. It eats at him. Kate, his partner, is so in love with him and so desperate to keep the bit of happiness she has with him that she becomes an accomplice after the fact.
As the story unfolds, you experience the viewpoints of a number of the book's characters: the police investigating the murder, Kate and her success as a writer/radio personality, the landlord of the victim. All the while, wondering if Paul will get away with it because he's really not a bad person.
The end draws near, and I think, Yes, he got away with it, and they'll move overseas and leave their problems behind. As a romance writer, I wanted these two to have a happy ending, even though I knew Paul should have gone to the police from the beginning and explained what happened. A happy ending was not to be. Spencer ripped the rug from under me at the last minute, and my heart plummeted when the police arrived.
There were times I felt the book slowed too much for my taste. If you're looking for constant excitement, it's not a book for you. However, overall, I felt it was a good read. Spencer has a beautiful way with words that draws you in and creates vivid pictures in your mind. I enjoyed the book so much I picked up the one published before it, A Ship Made of Paper. I can't wait to see what he does in this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 22, 2011
This book is a good one to discuss with a friend or in a book club. There is a lot to talk about and the writing is beautiful. I admire the literary value, although I do not care for the atmosphere Spencer creates in this book. Spencer wrote some beautiful passages that give very good insight into the interior life of his characters. The plot broods along, heading to its logical end. The mood reminds me of sepia photos of a cold autumn dusk. Spencer touches on themes that have to do with faith, destiny, predisposition, grace, mercy, penance and justice. The beauty of the writing is that although Spencer touches on so many heavy concepts the novel doesn’t get bogged down with diatribes or metaphysical discourse. The concepts are a part of the characters’ personality, giving insight as to who they are and how they view themselves in this world.
I really can't talk about it any more without giving plot points away.
I really can't talk about it any more without giving plot points away.
December 12, 2010
Scott Spencer is an amazing writer, no doubt about it. I love the style of his prose: succinct, clever and often jaw-droppingly precise. His words evoke an almost physical reaction. You can feel cold where there is cold, warmth where there is warmth. Despite this, Man in the Woods, about an otherwise “good” man who does a terrible thing, was at times slow for me. I understood what the author was trying to do, show the gray areas of human behavior (and, let’s be honest, a gray kind of character is more interesting to read) but at times the plot dragged. It felt like most of the story happened at the very start of the book and at the very end. Several of the characters felt ancillary. That said, you really can’t go wrong with this caliber of writing and the last quarter/conclusion was extremely compelling.
March 9, 2011
Well I read this book because I saw it on a list of the best books of 2010. Meh. It’s a kind of decent premise: a man meets another man by chance in a park and in a matter of minutes one dies and the other’s life is altered forever. The story is about the aftermath. The characters seem interesting enough on the surface, a simple carpenter, the woman who loves him and is a recovered alcoholic/religious spokesperson but no longer believes, her strange young daughter, a lesbian carpenter’s assistant, and so on. The problem is that I didn’t like any of them or care what happened to them. There were several hanging threads and characters that contributed little or fizzled out altogether. I felt the story dragged all the way to a conclusion that I saw coming a mile away. Pretty weak in my opinion.
October 2, 2011
This books seemed to be touted as psychological fiction. More like psychological Ambien. It's pretty much just boring. Paul has a violent encounter with a "man in the woods," and most of the book is the aftermath of that event. The problem is that the characters are just annoying. Paul himself seems to be set up as pretty much a perfect man--talented, sensitive, etc. His girlfriend is a born-again recovering alcoholic, who now makes a fortune from a book she wrote. Her daughter Ruby appears to be mentally ill, but nobody notices. I kept waiting for someone to either think, speak, or act realistically, and it just never happens. Skip this one.
March 28, 2012
I'm sure Spencer has some fans. My review has less to do with his lack of skill than my lack of interest. I found myself actually wincing at some of the dialogue. The religious nut broke the proverbial camel's back. I liked the idea of a man who worked with wood and I get all the meanings of Man in the Woods. I really liked the central problem--mistakenly killing a man--and can see how this could be an interesting core to a story. But there were too many inconceivables and too many boring people and everything just seemed over for me.
November 3, 2010
I was very disappointed in this book and I forced myself to finish. Except for the pivotal happening re: the death in the woods, there is no plot. And even if the exploration of guilt and/or good vs. evil were themes, I didn't find Spencer delving into these themes with enough depth. I thought the plotting was stagnant, meandering into uninteresting asides, and found little depth in the charachters.
September 28, 2010
This book ambled along, finally finished and left me feeling like I had gained nothing from reading it. I didn't need for it to charged along with twists and turns but I did not understand why i was spending all of this time with these characters. It did not seem to go anywhere.
December 26, 2011
This is not a complicated book, but deals with a complex moral issue. How does one cope with taking another's life. What if punishment may not happen in this world? I enjoyed the writing and look forward to reading another of Scott Spencer's work.
February 1, 2011
I love Scott Spencer's total involvement in the mind of man; why people do the things they do. Good story here....gets bogged down a bit. But, what happens if you do something...and no one knows?
May 26, 2012
I really enjoyed this book. I thought it described how, due to an impulsive act, life can change forever.
December 15, 2010
A man pulls into a state park to get some fresh air before a long drive home and encounters another, more sinister, man beating his confused and frightened dog. Reason escapes and soon enough the first man has savagely beaten the second to death. Thus is the action that sets the stage for Scott Spencer’s MAN IN THE WOODS.
MAN IN THE WOODS uses the idea of extreme circumstance to generate a conversation about character and consequences. The primary subjects of this study are Paul Phillips and Kate Ellis, the killer himself and his devoted girlfriend, respectively. Paul is an old-fashioned type, a carpenter who works with his hands to make a living, needles of modern day creature comforts and harboring an unflinching live-and-let-live worldview. While Paul is somewhat straightforward in character, Kate is more complicated. As a recovering alcoholic, Kate has found fame and fortune by publishing a bestseller about her experiences. She has found God and religion in the recovery process, but harbors no illusion that she is now a pious aficionado of faith. She and Paul live simply and serenely in upstate New York, up until the moment Paul commits his crime.
After the killing, the novel transitions into an examination of consequences, much in the grain of Dostoevsky’s CRIME AND PUNISHMENT. First, because his guilt is undetected, Paul is forced to reckon with the consequences of killing another human being in a world that is wholly indifferent to such an act. Paul reacts by alternately easing his conscience with good deeds and then convincing himself that because he saved a dog in the process, his deed must have been positively received by the cosmos. Throughout each reaction, however, Paul is ultimately left empty, hinting to the reader that Paul’s fate has not yet been decided.
In his analysis of Kate, however, Spencer allows himself to examine the crime from a different vantage point. As a recovering alcoholic, Kate understands the atrocities the human species is capable of. In fact, throughout the novel Kate recalls her own painful lows while assisting her fellow AA attendees with their demons. The net result is a psyche that is preconditioned to the terrible act her beloved companion commits and the comparative grace with which she handles the situation does not come without precedent. Kate’s struggle then is not how to love the person who has committed the crime, as she is well-trained to hate the crime, not the criminal. Instead, Kate struggles with protecting Paul, the man she loves, from both himself and the law.
Overall, MAN IN THE WOODS is a highly recommended to lovers of suspense who are looking for a little more depth in a novel. In fact, once the flawed and mysterious William Claff has taken his last breath the action of the novel essentially ceases; however, the end result is a fascinating read.
MAN IN THE WOODS uses the idea of extreme circumstance to generate a conversation about character and consequences. The primary subjects of this study are Paul Phillips and Kate Ellis, the killer himself and his devoted girlfriend, respectively. Paul is an old-fashioned type, a carpenter who works with his hands to make a living, needles of modern day creature comforts and harboring an unflinching live-and-let-live worldview. While Paul is somewhat straightforward in character, Kate is more complicated. As a recovering alcoholic, Kate has found fame and fortune by publishing a bestseller about her experiences. She has found God and religion in the recovery process, but harbors no illusion that she is now a pious aficionado of faith. She and Paul live simply and serenely in upstate New York, up until the moment Paul commits his crime.
After the killing, the novel transitions into an examination of consequences, much in the grain of Dostoevsky’s CRIME AND PUNISHMENT. First, because his guilt is undetected, Paul is forced to reckon with the consequences of killing another human being in a world that is wholly indifferent to such an act. Paul reacts by alternately easing his conscience with good deeds and then convincing himself that because he saved a dog in the process, his deed must have been positively received by the cosmos. Throughout each reaction, however, Paul is ultimately left empty, hinting to the reader that Paul’s fate has not yet been decided.
In his analysis of Kate, however, Spencer allows himself to examine the crime from a different vantage point. As a recovering alcoholic, Kate understands the atrocities the human species is capable of. In fact, throughout the novel Kate recalls her own painful lows while assisting her fellow AA attendees with their demons. The net result is a psyche that is preconditioned to the terrible act her beloved companion commits and the comparative grace with which she handles the situation does not come without precedent. Kate’s struggle then is not how to love the person who has committed the crime, as she is well-trained to hate the crime, not the criminal. Instead, Kate struggles with protecting Paul, the man she loves, from both himself and the law.
Overall, MAN IN THE WOODS is a highly recommended to lovers of suspense who are looking for a little more depth in a novel. In fact, once the flawed and mysterious William Claff has taken his last breath the action of the novel essentially ceases; however, the end result is a fascinating read.
December 19, 2010
"It's strange how the law seems to be completely asleep...and then suddenly one day it just opens its eyes and grabs you."
That's a line from late in "Man in the Woods," when readers might be wondering if Paul Phillips will pay any consequence for his actions. The mid-section of the book will make you squirm. There's a sensation that Phillips might walk away. He's certainly found the perfect companion in Kate Ellis, who knows a thing or two about life-changing moments and forgiveness. She's a recovered alcoholic and increasingly famous author and radio talk show host. Spencer uses her fame in clever, key fashion to help draw events to a close. (I don't think I'm giving too much away.)
I liked "Man in the Woods" but it's not my favorite Spencer novel. I haven't read them all, but "Rich Man's Table" and "Men in Black" were more satisfying to me. There is something bitingly real about Spencer's style. It's a bit ungainly and awkward in spots but his present-tense prose makes us feel like we are inside the heads of real people. As opposed to say, Ian McEwan or Richard Ford, Spencer's style has a few more splinters and hasn't been sanded-down to a smooth finish. But they give Spencer's characters a powerful point of view. In this book, the style helps add to Phillips' struggles with his feelings of internal isolation.
The problems with "Man in the Woods" start with plausibility. The reason Phillips is able to evade police suspicion for so long relies on many conveniences. I had a hard time with Kate's reaction when Phillips finally reveals what he's done. I thought Phillips would squirm and worry even more than he does, in thinking about whether he will (or should) pay a price. In fact, for us to like Phillips we have to think it's okay to walk away from his act of violence and not ultimately take responsibility for it. I didn't care for the chapters from the cops' point of view; they didn't lead anywhere. And the conversations between Phillips and his friend Lawson felt a bit too contrived. One chat even flashes the main theme of the book like a marquee on Broadway:
"Is that all?" Lawson says. He puts his arm over Paul's shoulders. "Welcome to the world. And, by the way, welcome to America. I was just last night reading this story by D.H. Lawrence where he says the typical American is private, independent, and sort of a killer, in his heart."
I wonder if Spencer saw that line from Lawrence and dreamed up a novel on the spot. It's a worthwhile theme, of course, and Spencer is an engaging writer. There will no doubt be controversy over the abrupt final moment, which would work well in one of those cut-to-black finishes of a film. I liked it.
"Man in the Woods" is thought-provoking and it carries weight, but it doesn't quite have the impact could.
That's a line from late in "Man in the Woods," when readers might be wondering if Paul Phillips will pay any consequence for his actions. The mid-section of the book will make you squirm. There's a sensation that Phillips might walk away. He's certainly found the perfect companion in Kate Ellis, who knows a thing or two about life-changing moments and forgiveness. She's a recovered alcoholic and increasingly famous author and radio talk show host. Spencer uses her fame in clever, key fashion to help draw events to a close. (I don't think I'm giving too much away.)
I liked "Man in the Woods" but it's not my favorite Spencer novel. I haven't read them all, but "Rich Man's Table" and "Men in Black" were more satisfying to me. There is something bitingly real about Spencer's style. It's a bit ungainly and awkward in spots but his present-tense prose makes us feel like we are inside the heads of real people. As opposed to say, Ian McEwan or Richard Ford, Spencer's style has a few more splinters and hasn't been sanded-down to a smooth finish. But they give Spencer's characters a powerful point of view. In this book, the style helps add to Phillips' struggles with his feelings of internal isolation.
The problems with "Man in the Woods" start with plausibility. The reason Phillips is able to evade police suspicion for so long relies on many conveniences. I had a hard time with Kate's reaction when Phillips finally reveals what he's done. I thought Phillips would squirm and worry even more than he does, in thinking about whether he will (or should) pay a price. In fact, for us to like Phillips we have to think it's okay to walk away from his act of violence and not ultimately take responsibility for it. I didn't care for the chapters from the cops' point of view; they didn't lead anywhere. And the conversations between Phillips and his friend Lawson felt a bit too contrived. One chat even flashes the main theme of the book like a marquee on Broadway:
"Is that all?" Lawson says. He puts his arm over Paul's shoulders. "Welcome to the world. And, by the way, welcome to America. I was just last night reading this story by D.H. Lawrence where he says the typical American is private, independent, and sort of a killer, in his heart."
I wonder if Spencer saw that line from Lawrence and dreamed up a novel on the spot. It's a worthwhile theme, of course, and Spencer is an engaging writer. There will no doubt be controversy over the abrupt final moment, which would work well in one of those cut-to-black finishes of a film. I liked it.
"Man in the Woods" is thought-provoking and it carries weight, but it doesn't quite have the impact could.
January 15, 2013
Bookclub read, really rough going in the first part for me, and not for the violent nature of the action, but for the portrayal of Paul (his soft hands, his softer soul, his hard strength, his harder member). Felt like a boddice-ripper portrayal, and actually I wondered if a man really wrote this.
So some super-sex, followed by weeping woman, followed by the crime during which we are very privy to super Paul's thoughts and inner strength.
By the time I got to Paul's meditation that dog is God spelled backward, I had to put the book down and walk away. To dump that 3rd grade revelation into this book, made me think that there just was no editor. That and the name-dropping of Ben Fong-Torres or whoever from the Rolling Stone, but evidently Dan Halpern edited this, and he's more of a literary man than I'll ever be.
And yet, can a "succe$$ful" author be edited?
The religious mish-mash didn't trouble me as much as others, and the preening, keening Dr. Laura cast as Saint Tainted was even okay for me. Her revelation of faith abandoning her while on air worked pretty well; most books that have a poem, or book, or sermon as a vital crux within them too often just omit the actual text. So kudos to Spencer for having the actual words flow there.
The notion of can one get away with something, and should one, was of interest. Tangents of penitence also made the second half with less overt action, more interesting for me.
Evidently Ruby and Kate are continued characters from another Spencer work, and maybe that works well for others who followed them here. Again, they were much less the problem than the early introduction and internal monologue of Paul for me.
Wait for the movie, and skip that too?
Actually it wouldn't surprise me if the movie dials in a more specific angle through the religious mish-mash and produces something that more directly approaches the dog-head.
So some super-sex, followed by weeping woman, followed by the crime during which we are very privy to super Paul's thoughts and inner strength.
By the time I got to Paul's meditation that dog is God spelled backward, I had to put the book down and walk away. To dump that 3rd grade revelation into this book, made me think that there just was no editor. That and the name-dropping of Ben Fong-Torres or whoever from the Rolling Stone, but evidently Dan Halpern edited this, and he's more of a literary man than I'll ever be.
And yet, can a "succe$$ful" author be edited?
The religious mish-mash didn't trouble me as much as others, and the preening, keening Dr. Laura cast as Saint Tainted was even okay for me. Her revelation of faith abandoning her while on air worked pretty well; most books that have a poem, or book, or sermon as a vital crux within them too often just omit the actual text. So kudos to Spencer for having the actual words flow there.
The notion of can one get away with something, and should one, was of interest. Tangents of penitence also made the second half with less overt action, more interesting for me.
Evidently Ruby and Kate are continued characters from another Spencer work, and maybe that works well for others who followed them here. Again, they were much less the problem than the early introduction and internal monologue of Paul for me.
Wait for the movie, and skip that too?
Actually it wouldn't surprise me if the movie dials in a more specific angle through the religious mish-mash and produces something that more directly approaches the dog-head.
August 13, 2016
Imagine a good man with a good life who encounters another man alone in the woods abusing a dog. What happens next? That's one way to approach explaining this novel to someone who hasn't read it. But there could be several other ways to go about it: I described the plot to David last night after finishing, and started with that essential premise - which could have lent itself to a mystery-thriller - but then I was speaking of morality, and our dark impulses, and what is it to be good person, and dark nights of the soul. This is definitely a literary novel. It's "literary" because of the interiority, and how every character's mental, emotional, and spiritual life is rendered in slowly wrought, careful detail (even the "minor" characters); and because of the gravity of the themes handled with maturity and seriousness; and because several events take place behind the scenes, requiring the reader to piece together the implications of what may or may not haven taken place off-stage; and because of the pace - a reader seeking plot turns and twists would be frustrated here. It's also very well-written, with attention to language and seamlessly written scenes (Francine Prose used examples from A Ship Made of Paper (I think?) to illustrate excellently-written dialogue). Amazing metaphoric language. Fury:
. . . shocking in its intensity: it is like opening a closet door and discovering it is filled with the brightest, most vivid light.And the final pages are gripping and heartbreaking - just as you'd expect from a good literary thriller.
June 4, 2011
I Love Scott Spencer and am always looking for his next book. I say that as an opener because it taints my view point quite a bit. This is a haunting story which is what I've come to expect from Spencer's writing. Yet I did not award it as many stars as many of the other readers--because I do expect so much more. It moved a little slow for my taste, I ended up putting it down for awhile but the story would not leave my head and I had to see how it finished. That in itself is worth the three stars but it the characters felt a little sketchy and I don't like sort of up in the air endings. I didn't feel I had quite enough informetion or feel for the characters to know exactly what they would do or how they would respond to the final scene. That said I do recommend this book--for the thoughtful reader. It asks some tough questions, it just didn't give enough answers.
bailed-on-it
January 18, 2012It's been awhile since I've bailed on a book.
This one took me all the way to page 13 before I had to toss it aside.
Caveat: The first chapter (from the man's point-of-view) wasn't terrible, and actually made me slightly interested.
Second chapter began from the woman's POV and I was torn between eye-rolling and laughter. After reading about her boots flicking "in and out from beneath her (skirt's) hem like lizard tongues," the groaning thunder and "flash of lightning illuminating its cobalt universe," and the statue of Saint George, complete with "a face as petulant and superior as an old baby doll's" ...
Yeah...
Sorry.
As I've always maintained, life's too short to read inferior books-- especially when there are so many better offerings out there.
This one took me all the way to page 13 before I had to toss it aside.
Caveat: The first chapter (from the man's point-of-view) wasn't terrible, and actually made me slightly interested.
Second chapter began from the woman's POV and I was torn between eye-rolling and laughter. After reading about her boots flicking "in and out from beneath her (skirt's) hem like lizard tongues," the groaning thunder and "flash of lightning illuminating its cobalt universe," and the statue of Saint George, complete with "a face as petulant and superior as an old baby doll's" ...
Yeah...
Sorry.
As I've always maintained, life's too short to read inferior books-- especially when there are so many better offerings out there.
April 21, 2016
A Tell Tale Heart story that delves deeper into the psychology of all those around the central character of the book. It goes deep into each characters emotions, and their philosophies on life as well. The ending left me wanting to know more, which made me a little upset, but in actuality it probably ended the way it should have, with no closure. Not only did the ending leave me wanting to know more, but their was just something missing the entire novel that left me wanting more throughout the read.
January 24, 2011
Stephen King placed Man in the Woods up with Franzen's Freedom as a great work of contemporary U.S. fiction, a comment that shot it to the top of my To-Read list.
The first chapter was interesting, but the style of the second felt lifeless and by the third I had no desire to go on. Spencer's writing is descriptive but fails to engage, and the character whose appearance in Chapter Two made me doubt my future with the text is apparently the lead character for the rest of the novel. I gave it the Sarah Gransee 50-page Audition and it failed.
The first chapter was interesting, but the style of the second felt lifeless and by the third I had no desire to go on. Spencer's writing is descriptive but fails to engage, and the character whose appearance in Chapter Two made me doubt my future with the text is apparently the lead character for the rest of the novel. I gave it the Sarah Gransee 50-page Audition and it failed.
July 11, 2012
This book appears to suffer from the same problem Sofia Coppola had when writing "Lost in Translation": she had a beginning and an ending, but then she just muddled through the middle. The author starts with a great premise and some interesting characters, and by the end he seems to have had a destination in mind. But it is a meandering route to get there that makes you feel this book wasn't really worth the effort for what you got overall. I thought this book was seriously overrated, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone to bother reading. Find something better!
Read
August 13, 2010Paul, a self sufficient artist, and Kate, a Christian author and inspirational speaker, seem to complete one another and provide a refuge for Kate's daughter Ruby. But a moment of crisis threatens their happiness. Scott Spencer imagines authentic characters reacting to a disastrous moment of violence. Spencer's writing is visceral, sensitive and thought provoking. (Connie H., Branch Librarian)
Want to read
May 29, 2010galley from BEA
December 18, 2010
Couldn't finish
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