Book
Woman, watching : Louise de Kiriline Lawrence and the songbirds of Pimisi Bay / Merilyn Simonds.
"From award-winning author Merilyn Simonds, a remarkable biography of an extraordinary woman -- a Swedish aristocrat who survived the Russian Revolution to become an internationally renowned naturalist, one of the first to track the mid-century decline of songbirds. Referred to as a Canadian Rachel Carson, Louise de Kiriline Lawrence lived and worked in an isolated log cabin near North Bay. After her husband was murdered by Bolsheviks, she refused her Swedish privilege and joined the Canadian Red Cross, visiting her northern Ontario patients by dogsled. When Elzire Dionne gave birth to five babies, Louise became nurse to the Dionne Quintuplets. Repulsed by the media circus, she retreated to her wilderness cabin, where she devoted herself to studying the birds that nested in her forest. Author of six books and scores of magazine stories, de Kiriline Lawrence and her "loghouse nest" became a Mecca for international ornithologists. Lawrence was an old woman when Merilyn Simonds moved into the woods not far away. Their paths crossed, sparking Simonds's lifelong interest. A dedicated birder, Simonds brings her own songbird experiences from Canadian nesting grounds and Mexican wintering grounds to this deeply researched, engaging portrait of a uniquely fascinating woman."-- Provided by publisher.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781770416598 (trade paperback)
- Physical Description: 403 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm
- Publisher: Toronto : ECW Press, [2022]
- Copyright: ©2022
Content descriptions
| Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
Search for related items by subject
| Genre: | Biographies. |
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Tsuga Consortium.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cookstown Branch | 508.71311092 Lawre-S | 31681010277770 | NONFICPBK | Available | - |
- Baker & Taylor
"From award-winning author Merilyn Simonds, a remarkable biography of an extraordinary woman -- a Swedish aristocrat who survived the Russian Revolution to become an internationally renowned naturalist, one of the first to track the mid-century decline of songbirds. Referred to as a Canadian Rachel Carson, Louise de Kiriline Lawrence lived and worked in an isolated log cabin near North Bay. After her husband was murdered by Bolsheviks, she refused her Swedish privilege and joined the Canadian Red Cross, visiting her northern Ontario patients by dogsled. When Elzire Dionne gave birth to five babies, Louise became nurse to the Dionne Quintuplets. Repulsed by the media circus, she retreated to her wilderness cabin, where she devoted herself to studying the birds that nested in her forest. Author of six books and scores of magazine stories, de Kiriline Lawrence and her "loghouse nest" became a Mecca for international ornithologists. Lawrence was an old woman when Merilyn Simonds moved into the woods not far away. Their paths crossed, sparking Simonds's lifelong interest. A dedicated birder, Simonds brings her own songbird experiences from Canadian nesting grounds and Mexican wintering grounds to this deeply researched, engaging portrait of a uniquely fascinating woman."-- - Bookmasters
A woman of the Swedish aristocracy loses her young husband in the Russian revolution and finds her way to northern Ontario to work as a nurse for the Dionne Quintuplets before discovering a deep love of the birds that live on her handful of acres. She creates longitudinal behavior and population studies that are still used by Ornithologists today. - Bookmasters
From award-winning author Merilyn Simonds, a remarkable biography of an extraordinary woman â a Swedish aristocrat who survived the Russian Revolution to become an internationally renowned naturalist, one of the first to track the mid-century decline of songbirds.Referred to as a Canadian Rachel Carson, Louise de Kiriline Lawrence lived and worked in an isolated log cabin near North Bay. After her husband was murdered by Bolsheviks, she refused her Swedish privilege and joined the Canadian Red Cross, visiting her northern Ontario patients by dogsled. When Elzire Dionne gave birth to five babies, Louise became nurse to the Dionne Quintuplets. Repulsed by the media circus, she retreated to her wilderness cabin, where she devoted herself to studying the birds that nested in her forest. Author of six books and scores of magazine stories, de Kiriline Lawrence and her âloghouse nestâ became a Mecca for international ornithologists.Lawrence was an old woman when Merilyn Simonds moved into the woods not far away. Their paths crossed, sparking Simondsâs lifelong interest. A dedicated birder, Simonds brings her own songbird experiences from Canadian nesting grounds and Mexican wintering grounds to this deeply researched, engaging portrait of a uniquely fascinating woman. Sales and Market BulletsA unique approach to a biography of an important Canadian naturalist, the biography is just as much about Lawrenceâs birds as it is about Lawrence, and is timely for the rise in popularity of birding as a pastime. Lawrence is a well-loved figure in the birding world and an extraordinary contributor to scientific knowledge, a woman who deserves wider recognition. Merilyn Simonds spent a decade researching Louise de Kiriline Lawrenceâs life, and is a passionate birder herself.At a time when the scientific establishment was obsessed with exotic birds, Lawrence focused on the birds that bred in her forest, and completed a famous seven-year study of woodpeckers. Ornithologists continue to use Lawrenceâs studies as a baseline. For readers of Shelley Emlingâs The Fossil Hunter: Dinosaurs, Evolution, and the Woman Whose Discoveries Changed the World, and Charlotte Grayâs Sisters in the Wilderness: The Lives of Susanna Moodie and Catherine Parr Traill, and other books that bring remarkable women out of the shadows of history and gives them their proper due. For bird-loving readers of Jennifer Ackermanâs The Bird Way (or her previous book, The Genius of Birds).AudienceReaders of The New Yorker and MacleanâsMembers of art and culture groups like the Heliconian Society and the Arts and Letters ClubRetirees who audit university classes for funPeople interested in quirky Canadian history and looking for dinner party conversation topicsPeople interested in birding and the history of women in scienceReaders of Graeme Gibsonâs Bedside Book of Birds, H is for Hawk, Birds Art Life, and Bird RunnerReaders of Sisters in the Wilderness: The Lives of Susanna Moodie and Catherine Parr Trail - Simon and Schuster
From award-winning author Merilyn Simonds, a remarkable biography of an extraordinary woman â a Swedish aristocrat who survived the Russian Revolution to become an internationally renowned naturalist, one of the first to track the mid-century decline of songbirds.
2022 Foreword Indies Award Winner for the Editorâs Choice Prize, non fiction
â[A] lyrical, passionate, and deeply researched portrait.â â Margaret Atwood
âThis brilliant account does justice to a pioneering figure who merits wider recognition.â â Publishers Weekly, starred review
â[A] marvelous biography of a true pioneer of ornithology.â â Booklist, starred review
âWoman, Watching is an entrancing blend of biography, memoir, history, research, and homage that is unlike anything Iâve ever read. Itâs radical, itâs ravishing.â â Kyo Maclear, author of Birds Art Life
Referred to as a Canadian Rachel Carson, Louise de Kiriline Lawrence lived and worked in an isolated log cabin near North Bay. After her husband was murdered by Bolsheviks, she refused her Swedish privilege and joined the Canadian Red Cross, visiting her northern Ontario patients by dogsled. When Elzire Dionne gave birth to five babies, Louise became nurse to the Dionne Quintuplets. Repulsed by the media circus, she retreated to her wilderness cabin, where she devoted herself to studying the birds that nested in her forest. Author of six books and scores of magazine stories, de Kiriline Lawrence and her âloghouse nestâ became a Mecca for international ornithologists.
Lawrence was an old woman when Merilyn Simonds moved into the woods not far away. Their paths crossed, sparking Simondsâs lifelong interest. A dedicated birder, Simonds brings her own songbird experiences from Canadian nesting grounds and Mexican wintering grounds to this deeply researched, engaging portrait of a uniquely fascinating woman.
