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The Solace of Open Spaces Paperback – December 2, 1986
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“Wyoming has found its Whitman.” —Annie Dillard
Poet and filmmaker Gretel Ehrlich went to Wyoming in 1975 to make the first in a series of documentaries when her partner died. Ehrlich stayed on and found she couldn’t leave. The Solace of Open Spaces is a chronicle of her first years on “the planet of Wyoming,” a personal journey into a place, a feeling, and a way of life.
Ehrlich captures both the otherworldly beauty and cruelty of the natural forces—the harsh wind, bitter cold, and swiftly changing seasons—in the remote reaches of the American West. She brings depth, tenderness, and humor to her portraits of the peculiar souls who also call it home: hermits and ranchers, rodeo cowboys and schoolteachers, dreamers and realists. Together, these essays form an evocative and vibrant tribute to the life Ehrlich chose and the geography she loves.
Originally written as journal entries addressed to a friend, The Solace of Open Spaces is raw, meditative, electrifying, and uncommonly wise. In prose “as expansive as a Wyoming vista, as charged as a bolt of prairie lightning” (Newsday), Ehrlich explores the magical interplay between our interior lives and the world around us.
- Print length144 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherPenguin Books
- Publication dateDecember 2, 1986
- Dimensions5.06 x 0.38 x 7.75 inches
- ISBN-100140081135
- ISBN-13978-0140081138
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
"When it's fifty below, the mercury bottoms out and jiggles there as if laughing at those of us still above ground. Once I caught myself on tiptoes, peering down into the thermometer as if there were an extension inside inscribed with higher and higher declarations of physical misery: ninety below to the power of ten and so on."
After experiencing the isolated life of a sheep herder, she writes, "Keenly observed the world is transformed. The landscape is engorged with detail, every movement on it chillingly sharp. The air between people is charged. Days unfold, bathed in their own music. Nights become hallucinatory; dreams, prescient."
Ehrlich's gift is one of subtle precision. She writes beauty into the plainest of thoughts and meaning into the simplest of ideas: "True solace is finding none, which is to say, it is everywhere." --Kathryn True
Review
"Any one of [its 12 chapters] stands beautifully on its own . . . She brings the long vistas into focus with the poise of an Ansel Adams." —The New York Times Book Review
"A stunning rumination on life on Wyoming's High Plains . . . Ehrlich's gorgeous prose is as expansive as a Wyoming vista, as charged as a bolt of prairie lightning." —Newsday
"Ehrlich's best prose belongs in a league with Annie Dillard and even Thoreau. The Solace of Open Spaces releases the bracing air of the wilderness into the stuffy, heated confines of winter in civilization." —San Francisco Chronicle
"Ehrlich [is] a gifted essayist and nature writer." —The Washington Post
"Vivid, tough, and funny . . . an exuberant and powerful book." —Annie Dillard
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Penguin Books (December 2, 1986)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 144 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0140081135
- ISBN-13 : 978-0140081138
- Item Weight : 4.8 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.06 x 0.38 x 7.75 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #19,255 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #10 in West Mountain United States Travel Books
- #23 in Nature Writing & Essays
- #671 in Memoirs (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book easy to read and enjoyable. They praise the writing style as beautiful, intuitive, and poetic. The content resonates with their love of nature and the west. Readers enjoy the narrative quality, describing the stories as interesting and satisfying. They appreciate the open spaces and tranquility found there. The author does a good job describing in detail the various work tasks and portraying the cowboys as kind, modest, and hardworking. The atmosphere is described well, including the skies, dirt, and clouds.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers enjoy the book. They find the content wonderful and say it's a must-read for fans of the American West. Readers also mention it's an enjoyable and relaxing read that makes them feel at ease.
"Thoroughly enjoyed reading it Highly recommend its Buy it" Read more
"...the life of clouds and the movement of wind, alone, make this book worth reading...." Read more
"...This turned out to be an enjoyable and rewarding read." Read more
"...essay is poetry to the trained ear, and these are among the finest I have read...." Read more
Customers appreciate the writing style. They find the prose beautiful, intuitive, and true. The essays are finely tuned with a poetic touch, and the author paints a mesmerizing picture of life few people get to experience. The pages are written correctly and in order, but some readers found the writing sparse and lovely.
"...Her writing gave life to the subtle beauty of open sky and lent movement to the endless landscape. She painted in prose...." Read more
"...reflections and learning on two separate planes—the grandeur, beauty, and harshness of nature and the devasting emotional struggle of coming to..." Read more
"...A finely tuned essay is poetry to the trained ear, and these are among the finest I have read...." Read more
"...And lost. A lovely writer with perceptive observational skills... coping with grief and sorrow with hard work out on the range. Highly recommend." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's insights and interesting passages. They find it relatable and insightful, providing a good foundation for thought and consideration. The essays capture life in the Basin today and convey a deep pleasure in nature. Readers describe the writing as engaging and poetic, describing it as immersive.
"...Nowhere before had I read such magnificent and insightful impressions...." Read more
"...I enjoyed the way she combines her observations, reflections and learning on two separate planes—the grandeur, beauty, and harshness of nature and..." Read more
"...And lost. A lovely writer with perceptive observational skills... coping with grief and sorrow with hard work out on the range. Highly recommend." Read more
"...'re going to to be visiting Wyoming, this book would be a great primer for that experience, giving you a greater appreciation of what you might..." Read more
Customers enjoy the narrative quality. They find the stories interesting and well-crafted, with a satisfying conclusion. Readers appreciate the thoughtful, insightful, and observant writing style, avoiding clichés. The book is described as poetic and humorous, with good will.
"...I saw her descriptions as authentic and undiminished by cliché, the crutch of most interlopers, especially journalistic writers...." Read more
"...the book, for me, is "The Rules of the Game", an appreciative essay on Rodeo. I've not read anything like it...." Read more
"...I fell in love with the book myself, having been able to live vicariously thru her narrative...." Read more
"The book is really about living on a ranch and doing the work. Thoughtful, insightful and observant. A really hidden gem." Read more
Customers appreciate the open spaces in the book. They find them soothing and a positive affirmation of life in large landscapes.
"...in a Dairy Farm in Southeastern Wi I can relate to the solace found in open spaces...." Read more
"...It is not only about “solace“ but it provides solace. It is a gift to read and reread and reread." Read more
"...You will discover how important open spaces are to a good life...on the range or in the city...." Read more
"The Solace of Open Space..." Read more
Customers appreciate the pacing. They find the spaces open for reflection and contemplation, with a sense of tranquility and oneness.
"...but this book made me feel like I had lived there, experiencing this quiet, almost mundane, healing, day-to-day...." Read more
"...expansive prose welcoming me to find my open spaces for for and tranquility, a sense of oneness with myself and creation around me. ." Read more
"Silence is Solace..." Read more
"A Peaceful and Enjoyable Read..." Read more
Customers appreciate the author's work quality. They find the descriptions of living on a ranch and doing the work accurate. The service is excellent, and the portrayal of cowboys as kind, modest, and hardworking is pretty accurate.
"...The author does a very good job of describing in detail the various scenes and situations,along with her personal thoughts in each scenario." Read more
"The book is really about living on a ranch and doing the work. Thoughtful, insightful and observant. A really hidden gem." Read more
"...her descriptions of working cowboys as kind, modest, and hardworking are pretty accurate. And I think that the title is one of the best ever!" Read more
"Excellent service..." Read more
Customers like the book's atmosphere. They mention the rocks, dirt, skies, and clouds.
"...I liked the descriptions of the weather, the lonesome cowboys, the capaciousness of the sky, the hard work of ranching...." Read more
"This book is so descriptive of the rocks, color of dirt,skies, clouds, . I thought too many words. The characters were enjoyable and colorfull...." Read more
"Good atmospherics, but the book would be strengthened by a stronger narrative line and a simpler style. Metaphors run wild." Read more
Reviews with images
the pages were bound backwards
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2024Thoroughly enjoyed reading it Highly recommend its
Buy it
- Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2016I was introduced to Gretel Ehrlich by a good friend in the early 90's and was humbled by her prose. Nowhere before had I read such magnificent and insightful impressions. Her writing gave life to the subtle beauty of open sky and lent movement to the endless landscape. She painted in prose.
My connection with her writing came from being raised in grasslands framed by mountains. I grew up outside, on horses and with antelopes too. I saw her descriptions as authentic and undiminished by cliché, the crutch of most interlopers, especially journalistic writers.
So this is my point, Gretel Ehrlich somehow has the ability to see, feel and emote what I can’t; the experience of being a tiny creature who is only part of an enormous world where beauty is often subtle. Her descriptions of the life of clouds and the movement of wind, alone, make this book worth reading.
Not many people have the circumspection to see themselves from the inside and outside at the same time. For many people, the wilderness is a simulacrum of what they project on it. For Ehrlich, it seems as though she truly allows herself to simply be a conduit for the experience.
I’d recommend this book for anyone who has gone weeks without a radio or television. You’ll recognize the life she describes. For everyone else, it may be a hint of what ‘solace’ really is.
Thanks for reading.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2024Solace of Open Spaces is a compilation of essays penned by Gretel Ehrlich that capture the reflecive and healing process she experienced while navigating the personal loss of a husband and the fulfillment of an assignment. I enjoyed the way she combines her observations, reflections and learning on two separate planes—the grandeur, beauty, and harshness of nature and the devasting emotional struggle of coming to terms with the loss of a loved one. Ms. Ehrlich’s skill with descriptive language pulls readers into these essays. I felt at times I was with her as she experiences the vast, isolated, and harsh environment as well as her interactions with the people she highlights. From each perspectives she allows readers to feel the tension and healing as they occur. So often human beings are so absorbed in their present and sometimes mundane existence that they become blind to the beauty around them. However, when coming face to face with the vastness and quietness of space they discover through self-reflection an appreciation of said natural beauty that allows the healing of one’s soul. This turned out to be an enjoyable and rewarding read.
- Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2023This short collection of essays reminds me of why I studied literature and creative writing in college. Too often we get lost in just reading novels and need to get back to basics. A finely tuned essay is poetry to the trained ear, and these are among the finest I have read.
Yes, I must admit that I purchased this book after it was mentioned in an episode of Yellowstone, but you don't have to be a fan of the tv show to enjoy this.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2022I cant believe a tv show and a adass TV character recommended this book. And I can't believe I followed up...Loved the descriptions of weather and landscape. Unique turns of phrase. Loved the direct honest observations of life herding sheep, ranching, cattle management, rodeos...and meeting all the people she has met and befriended. And lost. A lovely writer with perceptive observational skills... coping with grief and sorrow with hard work out on the range. Highly recommend.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2019This is a lyrical, poetic, carefully written memoir of Ehrlich's life in Wyoming following the death of a man she had loved. She's from the city, but the wild open spaces of the West do her some good. She gets married, learns to survive where there are many more cattle than people, when she once thrived in a world of the urban intellectual.
I liked the descriptions of the weather, the lonesome cowboys, the capaciousness of the sky, the hard work of ranching.
I'd come across a mention of the book after I'd finished rereading Walden. I wanted something like it.
This isn't Walden. It's quite often about Ehrlich and her emotional states, good and bad, dealing with her loss and learning to love again in an environment that teaches her patience and the meaning of hard work and hard living.
The carefulness of the writing got to me in the last quarter of the book. Too much metaphor, too much preciousness; it distanced me from Ehlich's story of rejuvenation. Ehrlich really tried to make her prose "gorgeous" (as Newsday correctly called it). I wanted it to be more straightforward. And some of her similes are awkward.
Though the book is very short, I feel it should have ended after she got married. What follows that event has a "tagged on" feel to it, as though her editor told her to "Write some more; we have to make it longer."
Her long chapter detailing her visit with the Crow and other indigenous tribes is mildly off-putting. Here's an example (p. 118): "Indians [sic] don't go home at night; they camp out where the action is, en masse, whole extended families and clans spanning several generations. It's a tradition with them the way sending our kids to summer camp is with us." Summer camp? Who's this "us" she's speaking of?
If you're going to to be visiting Wyoming, this book would be a great primer for that experience, giving you a greater appreciation of what you might experience there.
Top reviews from other countries
- LJ LanktreeReviewed in Canada on October 15, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars As described
I bought this book used in very good condition. Exactly as described. Happy to add to my collection.
- Off booksReviewed in India on December 2, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Grief in a western landscape
It was probably coincidence but my three random book choices one after the other turned out to be a story about grief woven in with a story of a western landscape. The book was excellent and then I read this one which was equally good and satisfying. The writer is adept at narrating the scenes of life in a harsh and unforgiving landscape and how she comes to learn to live with it and survive physically and emotionally.
- aliAReviewed in the United Kingdom on September 25, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it
Beautifully descriptive writing - loved it & have recommended it to others.
- Kevin FordReviewed in the United Kingdom on May 5, 2023
4.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting book
Great stories and very well written.
- Pete HowcroftReviewed in the United Kingdom on April 14, 2010
5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring...
This book should be in your top list of books to read.
The author moved from a comfortable life style, following a personal
tragedy, to life in the wilderness of America. Her account, her guts, her wonderful use of language, the people she met, and her perception make this a definite must. Don't let it escape.