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Woman, Watching: Louise de Kiriline Lawrence and the Songbirds of Pimisi Bay

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From award-winning author Merilyn Simonds, a remarkable biography of anextraordinary 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.2022 Foreword Indies Award Winner for the Editor’s Choice Prize, non fiction“[A] lyrical, passionate, and deeply researched portrait.” ― Margaret Atwood“This brilliant account does justice to a pioneering figure who merits wider recognition.” ― Publishers Weekly, starred review“[A] marvelous biography of a true pioneer of ornithology.” ― Booklist, starred review“Woman, Watching is an entrancing blend of biography, memoir, history, research, and homage that is unlike anything I’ve ever read. It’s radical, it’s ravishing.” ― Kyo Maclear, author of Birds Art LifeReferred 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. Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ ECW Press (May 24, 2022)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Paperback ‏ : ‎ 416 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1770416595


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 98


Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1180L


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.5 ounces


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1.02 x 8.5 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #318,096 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #249 in Environmentalist & Naturalist Biographies #510 in Bird Field Guides #949 in Women in History


#249 in Environmentalist & Naturalist Biographies:


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • Such a wonderful book!
I thoroughly enjoyed learning about this interesting and passionate woman, Louise. The book was so well written-I found every page a delight to read.
Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2023 by Jean Dearn
    • One of the best biographies I’ve read.
One of the best biographies I’ve read. The research and detail are remarkable, the writing graceful and engaging, and the subject matter delightful. The life of Louise de Kiriline Lawrence reminds us that one need not be world famous to have lived a rich, varied and productive life. My only gripe is that there is no explanation for how this woman reconciled her obvious concern and love of nature and wildlife, and her mid-life foray into mink farming. Nevertheless, I highly recommend this excellent bio to birders and non-birders alike. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2023 by Jonathan Balcombe
    • Fascinating biography of an amazing woman
I was interested in this title as I have read several of Rachel Carson's works, and have a fondness of my own for birding. I thoroughly enjoyed this biography of the life of Louise de Kiriline Lawrence and her extensive birding skills in the Pimisi Bay region of Canada. Definitely a strong personality and a woman far ahead of her time, she'd be just the kind of person I'd want to invite to a dinner party to hear the stories of her life. Born into a wealthy Swedish family, who lost their family estate, Louise became a nurse and volunteered to work with the Red Cross in Russia during WWI. There, she met and fell in love with a Russian officer, who eventually was taken prisoner and executed. This story alone would have been enough to keep me turning pages, but not someone to sit and wait for life to come to her, Louise decided to move to Canada. She continued her nursing career in what we'd probably call "the frontier" in Canada, winding up being the nurse who took care of the Dionne quintuplets. (Also another story worth the price of admission.) After "retiring" from nursing, she wound up purchasing some land and dedicated herself to discovering all the details of this remote area, particularly interested in the life and migration habits of the songbirds who visited the woods around her home every spring. Throughout her long life, she cultivated growing scientific habits, learning how to capture and band birds, how to observe them in their natural habitat, corresponded with experts and other amateur birding specialists around the globe, and wrote papers and articles describing the mating, nesting and feeding habits of many species. She was an amazing woman, definitely ground-breaking for her time, who had adventures worth telling. Merilyn Simonds met Lawrence when she and her family moved near where Lawrence and her second husband had their remote house in the woods. It's obvious that she greatly admired her subject, and the story of Louise's life is exceptionally well researched. (As I was reading, I thought that Louise's adventurous life reminded me of the author, Karen Blixen, and her writings (i.e. Out of Africa), and it turns out they were cousins; definitely cut from the same cloth.) Louise's life was not an easy one. She often lived with very little income, in a house that had no amenities like running water or an indoor toilet, until well into the 20th century. She lived through amazing times of political turmoil, but she remained curious about the natural world around her. She was at the forefront of recognizing the harm pesticides were doing to the migratory birds, even before Rachel Carson sounded the warning call about DDT. Her attention to detail in her record-keeping and her insistence on doing things "in a proper scientific way" earned her a place in many male-dominanted organizations, where she was well-respected and appreciated. A fascinating book about a woman I knew nothing about but whose story deserves to be told. Well-written, filled with exceptionally detailed research, I thoroughly enjoyed this one! ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2022 by Anne P
    • Excellent Book
Woman, Watching by Merilyn Simonds is a wonderful and fascinating biography on such an intriguing, complex, and impressive woman before her time: Louise de Kiriline Lawrence. I just loved this! I have been slowly but surely learning about birds, birdsong, identification…you name it since my son became fascinated with them two years ago and we purchased his first (of wayyyyyy too many) birds guides and birdfeeders. After joining the local Audubon network, we are trying to absorb as much as we can. As I have been branching out, I have become interested in other historical aspects: history, past naturalists, scientists, authors, and ornithologists. So when I saw this book about Ms. de Kiriline Lawrence, I was immediately drawn to it. However, I was truly blown away by her life story overall and by the amazing way the author was able to bring it all together for the reader. Ms. Simonds did an excellent job in taking this larger than life woman whom seemed to have lived multiple lives within just one, and presented all of her triumphs, obstacles, loves, losses, accomplishments, and her beyond imaginable life travels, experiences, and contributions. When so many would have folded the cards and given up, Louise pushed onward. Through her upbringing, her nursing duties and experiences, her marriage, the horrible experiences with imprisonment, loss, and escape…only to forge ahead with new gusto, passion, and courage…she became such a vital component to the study, awareness, and preservation to Ornithology…I am just in awe of all she experienced and accomplished. The reader will get to travel from Sweden to Russia to Canada and to the rest of the world while diving through this book. They will be able to get first-hand experience within multiple different eras, Wars, and generations. There is so much to learn and devour. So much to enjoy. This is beyond a truly remarkable and memorable biography that I cannot do it true justice by writing this review. I only hope that it is enough to encourage and inspire fellow readers to pick up and read, and subsequently help contribute and make a difference in their own habitats and surroundings. I just loved the included photos and images. It really helped tie it all in together perfectly. The amount of research, passion, and time spent putting it all together is evident within every page. Be prepared to be transported and transformed. I certainly have been. 5/5 stars enthusiastically ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2022 by RF

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