Combining the soul-baring insight of Wild, the profound wisdom of Shop Class as Soulcraft, and the adventurous spirit of Eat, Pray, Love: Lynn Darling’s powerful, lyrical memoir of self-discovery, full of warmth and wry humor, Out of the Woods.

When her college-bound daughter leaves home, Lynn Darling, widowed over a decade earlier, finds herself alone—and utterly lost, with no idea of what she wants or even who she is. Searching for answers, she leaves New York for the solitary woods of Vermont. Removed from the familiar, cocooned in the natural world, her only companions a new dog and a compass, she hopes to develop a sense of direction—both in the woods and in her life.

Hiking unmapped trails, Darling meditates on the milestones of her past; as she adapts to her new surroundings, she uses the knowledge she’s gained to chart her future. And when an unexpected setback nearly derails her newfound balance, she is able to draw upon her newfound skills to find her bearings and stay the course.

In revealing how one woman learned to navigate—literally and metaphorically—the uneven course of life, Out of the Woods is, in the words of Pulitzer-prize winning author Geraldine Brooks, “a marvelous book . . . both a compass and a manifesto for navigating the often-treacherous switchbacks of the second half of life.”

Starting Over: After her daughter leaves for college, a widowed Lynn Darling trades her New York City apartment for a remote, off-grid house in the Vermont woods, determined to map out a new life.
A Healing Journey: More than a travelogue, this is a deeply honest account of facing a shocking diagnosis and finding the strength to navigate not just the wilderness, but a path through illness.
Finding Purpose: With only a compass and a new puppy for company, Darling learns the art of wayfinding, discovering that learning to survive in the woods is the key to finding her own direction.
Nature Writing: Lyrical and beautifully observed, this moving memoir captures the harsh realities and profound solace of the natural world, and how one woman found her place within it.