Eva, 18, and Nell, 17, are sisters, adolescents on the threshold of womanhood - and for them anything should be possible. But suddenly their lives are turned upside down, their dreams pushed into the shadows, as sickness and anarchy rage across a country on the brink of collapse. In a time of suspicion and superstition, of anger, hunger, and fear, Eva and Nell are left to forage through the forest, and their past, for the keys to survival. They must blaze a new path into the future as pioneers and pilgrims - not only creatures of the new world, but creators of it. Gripping and unforgettable, Into The Forest is a passionate and poignant tale of stirring sensuality and profound inspiration - a novel that will move you and surprise you and touch you to the core.
Additional Information
Into The Forest
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6.0 | |
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0.0 (0) |
Added by Mamma B
July 10, 2010 
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Book Info
| Author | Jean Hegland |
| Illustrator | - No Illustrator |
| Publisher | Dial Press Trade Paperback, 1998 |
| Genres | Emotions / Feelings • Family & Friends • Fantasy / Make Believe • Lessons / Behavior • Mystery / Suspense |
| Age Range | High School |
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Mamma Bookworm review
Only for very mature readers
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Into The Woods by Jean Hegland might not even be considered a 'teen' book by most people. But because the two main characters are teens and since I have heard of a few AP English classes reading the story, I have decided to include it here. Two sisters and their father live in a house far in the forest, at least 30 miles from the nearest town. They enjoy their quiet life there and don't mind the inconvenience of driving to town for things they need, I mean, it's only 30 miles right? But then something happens, the tv stops getting channels, the power goes out, the postman stops coming - you never really find out exactly what happens, but suddenly the 'civilized' world that we know with utilities brought to our doorstep, protection, and government gradually slips away. A scary concept, but possible when all lines of distant communication fail. The small family retreats to their home and struggles with the idea of waiting for modern society to return, but also how they plan on taking care of themselves in the mean time. When a horrible accident happens, the girls find themselves alone and an scared. Just climbing on a chair to reach a high shelf seems life threatening, but life must go on. With the land at their hands and a shelf of books with life sustaining secrets - the girls push forward. I've always enjoyed post-apocalypse type stories. Or even pioneer stories for that matter, since in a way they are very similar. I find it very annoying that some novels of this sort seem to think that it would be impossible to go back to a life without modern technology. I just imagine Laura Ingalls Wilder laughing in their face. But I do agree that it would be extremely difficult and very, very scary. The aspects of the story about the family learning to survive are interesting and make sense. But there are some things about the story that just seem unrealistic. First off the girls are home schooled for a large part of their life, they are used to being in the forest for long periods of time with no outside interaction. But it seems that as soon as they lose contact, they panic and long for company - which is odd, and yet they also become overly paranoid about any visitors coming to see them at all. Yes, there are a few places in the story that would make them very cautious about visitors - but not enough to seclude themselves from society forever. Near the end of the story there are two events that really shape the way the book plays out. There is a brutal rape and a pregnancy which make the girls decide to leave their house and escape to the forest because they just can't stand the constant fear of intruders. For me, this is where the story lost me. They literally destroy the house - all the food they canned and grew, the books that helped them survive, the shelter, the fireplace, and the very few comforts of the world they had left just to get away from the Boogy-man. To me that seemed to be a stupid and juvenile move by girls who were supposed to have grown into logic adults over the course of the story. The story was an interesting read for adults - but I do I think it is worth seeking out to give to a mature, high school reader? Maybe if they already read a lot and you just happened to have it around. There is one section that a large number of people would have issues with. After one of the sisters is raped for weeks afterward she can't stand to even be touched. The other sister tries to help her get over this by giving her a massage - and to that point I am totally fine with it, and it makes sense. But then somehow the scene becomes a very short, lesbian incest scene and I'm not really sure why. Honestly the girls haven't been alone together all that long and they ARE sisters after all. I'm definitely not against homosexuality in books - but this didn't seem to make sense. They had no inclination prior to that of being gay and perhaps the author was trying to show that people who are alone for long periods of time may develop sexual desire for each other or just intimate human contact, (also the whole scene started with the girl trying to get her sister to relax after a severe trauma) but I would think that the period of time that had passed would not even been close to enough time for them to a) feel that sort of pull to each other, and b) get over the fact that they were sisters. Fifteen or twenty years? Maybe. Less then 3? Not a chance. I just felt that the surprisingly brief encounter after the massage was not necessary to the story, and just leaves you thinking, "Huh?" |
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Reviewed by Mamma B
July 10, 2010 #1 Reviewer View all my reviews Report this review |
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