“Eustace Conway is an anachronistic figure, an easily romanticized mountain man who lives off the land and wants nothing more than to share the gospel of communion with Nature, self-reliance and conservation of resources. The author exemplifies this low key attitude by telling us that Conway has a sign posted at the entrance to his Turtle Island farm/camp that says
No Shirt. No Shoes. No Problem.
But, to the chagrin of everyone around him—his family, girlfriends, apprentices, acolytes and idealists around the country—Eustace is also a hard-driving perfectionist with an unstinting work ethic, a seeming disdain for fun, and an absolute conviction that it's his way or the highway.
No Shirt. No Shoes. No Fucking Backtalk.
I found this book interesting, certainly, and there is a lot to be said for the observations—by both author and subject—about the changes in our society and what they have cost us in terms of our competence, our knowledge and our sense of self. But, the author is too close to her subject. She met Eustace through her friendship with his youngest brother, Judson, and eventually comes to know the entire Conway family. She seems clear-eyed and objective about Eustace, but in the end continues to hold him up as a hero, despite his obstinate refusal to see his own hypocrisy. He spends his life “damaged” (his own words) by the disapproval of his stern, distant and demanding father, but he replicates those interactions with family members, employees and girlfriends. He claims to want a wife and family more than anything, but enters all new relationships with flowery letters full of new-age quotes about being the water, or the trees; he values these women for their independence and then proceeds to marginalize them in his own life, subjugating their own goals and personalities to his own. He bemoans the materialistic nature of our culture in 21st century America, but collects land and horses, and waxes rhapsodic about the enormous house—and huge walk-in closets—he hopes to build on the land.
I admire this man's commitment to living the land and being true to his own vision, but he's not someone I'd choose to be friends with, much less to follow into the woods.”
StL wrote this review Wednesday, July 23 2008.
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