High school seniors, Jed Romson and Elizabeth Sitton, are kidnapped, flown to remote upstate Maine, stranded, and must learn to survive on their own after their kidnapper hits a goose and crashes his plane.
This was one of those books where you would disappear into another world when opening its pages (the best kind of book!). At least this was the case for me.
It was a true adventure and I loved getting lost in the story.
When I was growing up, my parents would take us camping in Sequoia every year and I learned to have a deep love for nature. Therefore, the parts where the characters were living out in the wilderness were my absolute favorite. Although they were stranded, and the predicament was not supposed to be a very pleasant one, I was so interested in how they would survive and live out the “raw” aspect of life with no luxuries. It reminded me of those survival shows on TV, and I love those because they force people to get creative, to focus on what’s important, and to foster a reverence for all life. It seems one develops a strong connection with Mother Nature simply by living in her grand wilderness. The author has an extensive knowledge of living life outdoors and I enjoyed his descriptions immensely. Everything was so realistic as if the author experienced those things before.
“With supper over and the sun beginning to set, Jed doused the fire. He carefully poured water over the coals and then gently sifted through them with a stick looking for any glowing ember.”
I learned about beechnuts, acorn flour, wild blueberries and many other natural goodies. It was the first time I had read about “acorn coffee” and I longed to have some. The type of life they lived enthralled me and I could almost smell the scent of the forest while reading this novel. It was completely exhilarating.
Also, I like how Jed is a complete gentleman. He is so respectful and proper which is something you don’t really read in stories today. It made me respect the characters very much and I enjoyed the wholesome relationship he and Lizzie shared.
I like how they were stranded, but still made time for their spiritual practice. It felt peaceful.
There was lots of wisdom peppered throughout the book and I enjoyed those very much.
“You’ll learn. Mostly, it’s attitude. If you have the right attitude, you will adapt to any situation. You just have to be willing to adapt. We have two choices as I see it. Either we complain and moan about being stuck here, or we deicide to enjoy ourselves and make the most of it.” (Very true!)
“Dad says there is no training for success like the military, especially in a combat unit, because you have to depend on the guy next to you, and you have to have the character to lead them.”
The hospital scene was so realistic, as well as the flying scenes. It’s so interesting to read about all these different experiences and the author seems to have a wide range of knowledge on so many topics.
“Actually, as late as 1900, women washed their hair only about once a month. That’s one reason they wore it up in buns or braided it, so it didn’t look so bad.” (I didn’t know that!)
“Jed was raised to revere life, and he believed to kill an animal, even for meat, without honoring it by pitting his skill against the skill of the animal was wrong.” (This trait reminded me of the Native Americans who have such a deep respect for life. And then the author mentioned the Native Americans on his own later on which surprised me).
“Normally, he would follow the law to the letter and was very concerned about conservation.”
“Before the day was over, Lizzie had a much deeper appreciation for the work required by the women who had pioneered the country.”
“Lizzie was startled as she realized how little it takes for one to be satisfied and happy.”
All in all, Stranded at Romson’s Lodge was a very sweet and heartwarming story. I enjoyed it very much, learned a lot and was sorry when it was over.
By jlcallison
This was one of those books where you would disappear into another world when opening its pages (the best kind of book!). At least this was the case for me.
It was a true adventure and I loved getting lost in the story.
When I was growing up, my parents would take us camping in Sequoia every year and I learned to have a deep love for nature. Therefore, the parts where the characters were living out in the wilderness were my absolute favorite. Although they were stranded, and the predicament was not supposed to be a very pleasant one, I was so interested in how they would survive and live out the “raw” aspect of life with no luxuries. It reminded me of those survival shows on TV, and I love those because they force people to get creative, to focus on what’s important, and to foster a reverence for all life. It seems one develops a strong connection with Mother Nature simply by living in her grand wilderness. The author has an extensive knowledge of living life outdoors and I enjoyed his descriptions immensely. Everything was so realistic as if the author experienced those things before.
“With supper over and the sun beginning to set, Jed doused the fire. He carefully poured water over the coals and then gently sifted through them with a stick looking for any glowing ember.”
I learned about beechnuts, acorn flour, wild blueberries and many other natural goodies. It was the first time I had read about “acorn coffee” and I longed to have some. The type of life they lived enthralled me and I could almost smell the scent of the forest while reading this novel. It was completely exhilarating.
Also, I like how Jed is a complete gentleman. He is so respectful and proper which is something you don’t really read in stories today. It made me respect the characters very much and I enjoyed the wholesome relationship he and Lizzie shared.
I like how they were stranded, but still made time for their spiritual practice. It felt peaceful.
There was lots of wisdom peppered throughout the book and I enjoyed those very much.
“You’ll learn. Mostly, it’s attitude. If you have the right attitude, you will adapt to any situation. You just have to be willing to adapt. We have two choices as I see it. Either we complain and moan about being stuck here, or we deicide to enjoy ourselves and make the most of it.” (Very true!)
“Dad says there is no training for success like the military, especially in a combat unit, because you have to depend on the guy next to you, and you have to have the character to lead them.”
The hospital scene was so realistic, as well as the flying scenes. It’s so interesting to read about all these different experiences and the author seems to have a wide range of knowledge on so many topics.
“Actually, as late as 1900, women washed their hair only about once a month. That’s one reason they wore it up in buns or braided it, so it didn’t look so bad.” (I didn’t know that!)
“Jed was raised to revere life, and he believed to kill an animal, even for meat, without honoring it by pitting his skill against the skill of the animal was wrong.” (This trait reminded me of the Native Americans who have such a deep respect for life. And then the author mentioned the Native Americans on his own later on which surprised me).
“Normally, he would follow the law to the letter and was very concerned about conservation.”
“Before the day was over, Lizzie had a much deeper appreciation for the work required by the women who had pioneered the country.”
“Lizzie was startled as she realized how little it takes for one to be satisfied and happy.”
All in all, Stranded at Romson’s Lodge was a very sweet and heartwarming story. I enjoyed it very much, learned a lot and was sorry when it was over.