Walden is essentially a categorized account of Thoreau’s experience on Walden pond. I consider Thoreau to be more of a philosopher than a writer, evidenced by the content of his literature, but this book reads very nicely. And after reading Lynne Truss’s Eats, Shoots & Leaves, I’m sure she would volunteer to have his babies given the immaculate and generous use of punctuation.

What’s most impressive about Walden is its timeless brilliance. Had you not known that Thoreau died in 1862 or that his story was published in 1845, you would scarce be able to tell that it wasn’t a modern musing on the state of life. There are many wonderful quotes to be taken from the book and Thoreau makes very clear some critical points about life and the many mistakes that we make in it. It’s amazing how chapters such as The Bean Field or Reading illuminate some of the innocent but stupid things people do and how worthless many of their engagements are. It makes you wonder if the railroad really does ride upon us.

While his visual descriptions aren’t as brutal as Steinbeck’s, Thoreau does seem to wear himself out trying to find all the ways to define a moment in his life. Walden isn’t a thriller, but it’s certainly full of meaningful phrases that make you look harder at your own life. I enjoyed it.