Woman, Watching: Louise de Kiriline Lawrence and the Songbirds of Pimisi Bay
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- Create Date：2022-05-29 10:51:44
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Merilyn Simonds
- ISBN：1770416595
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Summary
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。
Reviews
mary
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In keeping with women trying to find solace in nature， this is a book for you， disillusionment， misguided career path or just not know who you are - isolation in the woods may be an answer to discovery。 Nature rejuvenates as this author points out and what an inspiration the book was to me。 I loved this and compared it to Macdonald's H is for Hawk and Thoreau's The Maine Woods both inspirational and so helpful to your spirit。 I would recommend anyone who loves nature and gets refilled by it to r In keeping with women trying to find solace in nature， this is a book for you， disillusionment， misguided career path or just not know who you are - isolation in the woods may be an answer to discovery。 Nature rejuvenates as this author points out and what an inspiration the book was to me。 I loved this and compared it to Macdonald's H is for Hawk and Thoreau's The Maine Woods both inspirational and so helpful to your spirit。 I would recommend anyone who loves nature and gets refilled by it to read this you won't be disappointed 。。。more
Sarah Connor
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Thank you， NetGalley， for letting me read this book。Simonds gives us the life of Louise de Kiriline Lawrence - a woman who lived at least 3 lives， compared to most of us mere mortals。Louise was born into an aristocratic Swedish family， and starts out life on a grand country estate， where her father instils into her a love of nature。 She's related to Scandinavian royalty， she's a debutante， she's seriously well-bred， but when her father dies the family fortunes change。Training as a nurse in respo Thank you， NetGalley， for letting me read this book。Simonds gives us the life of Louise de Kiriline Lawrence - a woman who lived at least 3 lives， compared to most of us mere mortals。Louise was born into an aristocratic Swedish family， and starts out life on a grand country estate， where her father instils into her a love of nature。 She's related to Scandinavian royalty， she's a debutante， she's seriously well-bred， but when her father dies the family fortunes change。Training as a nurse in response to the first World War， Louise ends up falling in love with a White Russian， and ends up trapped in the Soviet Union。 This intense romance has shades of Dr Zhivago - it's a beautiful love story that ends tragically。 Louse returns to Sweden penniless。From there she emigrates to Canada， where she becomes a nurse in an isolated village。 She ends up being the main carer for the Dionne quintuplets。 Her calm， methodical， meticulous and upright character is really important in this phase of her life。It's the final。 longest phase that Simonds concentrates on， though。 Louise ends up living in an isolated cabin in the Canadian forest where she trains herself as an observational ornithologist。 We learn not only about Louise's journey from poetic observer to rigorous observational scientist， but also get a history of female ornithologists in Canada and North America， and insights into the life of certain birds。For me， there was added interest and poignancy in hearing about Simond's birding experiences and her personal relationship with Louise。 It was fascinating to hear about the role of women， too， and the role of amateurs in developing ornithology as a science。 Louise herself was a gifted writer， and her voice is heard in this book。 Simonds doesn't gloss over the hardships fo Louise's life - but her choice to live in such a remote setting is driven by her relationship with the natural world， and birds in particular。This is well worth reading if you are interested in women in science， in birds， or just in one incredible life。 。。。more
Purabi
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Louise de Kiriline Lawrence was a Swedish aristocrat who survived the Russian revolution。 After her husband was murdered by the Bolsheviks， she gave up her Swedish privilege and immigrated to Canada where she joined the Canadian Red Cross， living in complete isolation in a log cabin in North Bay and visiting her patients by dogsled。 When Elzire Dionne gave birth to five babies， Louise became nurse to the Quintuplets。 But the media hounded her every step。 Repulsed and disappointed， she retreated Louise de Kiriline Lawrence was a Swedish aristocrat who survived the Russian revolution。 After her husband was murdered by the Bolsheviks， she gave up her Swedish privilege and immigrated to Canada where she joined the Canadian Red Cross， living in complete isolation in a log cabin in North Bay and visiting her patients by dogsled。 When Elzire Dionne gave birth to five babies， Louise became nurse to the Quintuplets。 But the media hounded her every step。 Repulsed and disappointed， she retreated to her cabin where she devoted her time to study the birds that nested in her forest。 Her cabin became a haven for international ornithologists。 Lawrence wrote six books and numerous magazine stories。Simonds moved into a cabin not far from Louise’s log house。 When their paths crossed， Louise was an old woman。 A lifelong birder， Simonds was deeply interested in Louise’s experiences and this book， thoroughly researched and beautifully written that is almost poetic in places， bears evidence to her admiration of Louise’s work。 It was an absolute joy to read even though I am not a bird-watcher， and when finished， the images continued to play in my mind for a very long time。 。。。more
Anne
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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 e 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！ 。。。more
Kathleen Gray
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A fascinating portrait of a woman who lived an astounding life。 The first third of Louise de Kiriline Lawrence's life saw her survive the Russian Revolution， life in post- Revolution Russia， the murder of her first husband， an amazing stretch with the Canadian Red Cross during WWI and in rural Canada， and as a nurse for the Dionne quintuplets。 Whew。 While these things could have easily filled more than one volume， that's not what Simonds highlights here in this meticulously researched book about A fascinating portrait of a woman who lived an astounding life。 The first third of Louise de Kiriline Lawrence's life saw her survive the Russian Revolution， life in post- Revolution Russia， the murder of her first husband， an amazing stretch with the Canadian Red Cross during WWI and in rural Canada， and as a nurse for the Dionne quintuplets。 Whew。 While these things could have easily filled more than one volume， that's not what Simonds highlights here in this meticulously researched book about her neighbor and friend。 Lawrence built a small cabin in the woods of Pimisi Bay -her "loghouse nest"- and became， again all the odds， perhaps the most important ornithologist in Canada。 Simonds， who is also a birder， uses Lawrence's journals， letters， writings， and her own experiences to bring both birds and Lawrence to life。 I learned a great deal about both birds and bird watching （not that easy！） Not to be forgotten is her second husband Leonard。 She lived， against the odds， to the age of 98。 Simonds clearly admired her and valued their friendship- it shows in the writing。 Thanks to netgalley for the ARC。 Highly recommend。 。。。more
Nancy
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Louise de Kiriline Lawrence gave up a life of privilege in Sweden in exchange for a life of adventure。 She became a Red Cross Nurse during WWI。 She married a prisoner of war and followed him to Russia， fending for herself when he entered the White Russian army and was captured。 She immigrated to Canada where she was a nurse responsible in Northern Ontario and became the nurse to the famous Dionne quintuplets。 Louise bought a plot of land on Pimisi Bay and built a primitive log cabin。 There， she Louise de Kiriline Lawrence gave up a life of privilege in Sweden in exchange for a life of adventure。 She became a Red Cross Nurse during WWI。 She married a prisoner of war and followed him to Russia， fending for herself when he entered the White Russian army and was captured。 She immigrated to Canada where she was a nurse responsible in Northern Ontario and became the nurse to the famous Dionne quintuplets。 Louise bought a plot of land on Pimisi Bay and built a primitive log cabin。 There， she observed birds and wrote books and scholarly papers， living with her younger， second husband Len。Bird watcher Merilyn Simonds knew Louise and after her death， bought Louise’s log cabin。 She read everything by Louise， letters and books。 Her deep knowledge and love for her subject shows in this remarkable biography。As each chapter of Louise’s life came to a close， I thought ‘here’s where I speed read，’ only to discover that the next chapter was just as amazing and interesting。If you love books about birds and nature， Woman， Watching is for you。 If you like to read about strong women who forge their own unique path， this biography is for you。 If you are interested in women writers and the challenges they face， you will love Louise。 There is tragic romance。 The challenge of aging。 A brush with fame and resisting commercialization。 The power of friendship。 And of course， there are the stories of the birds， the insights into their lives based on hours of personal observation。It’s a marvelous biography。I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for a fair and unbiased review。 。。。more
bookventures_of_a_wildflower
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Thank you for NetGalley and the Publisher for providing n e-arc in exchange for an honest review。 This book was so much more than what I expected。 As someone with a major in ecology and specialising in ornithology I was only expecting two things， birds， duh， and a glimpse into the life of an extraordinary female birder。 I got both of those and much much more。I never thought that the life I'll be introduced to was so adventurous。 The life of Louise de Kiriline Lawrence was anything but dull， from Thank you for NetGalley and the Publisher for providing n e-arc in exchange for an honest review。 This book was so much more than what I expected。 As someone with a major in ecology and specialising in ornithology I was only expecting two things， birds， duh， and a glimpse into the life of an extraordinary female birder。 I got both of those and much much more。I never thought that the life I'll be introduced to was so adventurous。 The life of Louise de Kiriline Lawrence was anything but dull， from a love story born of war and moving across the globe， she went through ups and downs before settling in and becoming the observer she's known for。 This book was a beautiful homage of an extraordinary life with a legacy us birders can still appreciate。4/5 stars 。。。more
Alwynne
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A lovingly-detailed portrait of a fascinating woman who deserves to be more widely recognised， Louise de Kiriline Lawrence， the Swedish Canadian amateur ornithologist whose studies and writing made a massive contribution to understanding the habits and behaviour of Canada’s wild birds。 Louise was born into the Swedish gentry in the 1890s， her outdoorsy， conservationist father stirred her childhood interest in wildlife particularly birds。 During WW1 she trained as a Red Cross nurse， later marryin A lovingly-detailed portrait of a fascinating woman who deserves to be more widely recognised， Louise de Kiriline Lawrence， the Swedish Canadian amateur ornithologist whose studies and writing made a massive contribution to understanding the habits and behaviour of Canada’s wild birds。 Louise was born into the Swedish gentry in the 1890s， her outdoorsy， conservationist father stirred her childhood interest in wildlife particularly birds。 During WW1 she trained as a Red Cross nurse， later marrying a former member of the Russian Imperial Guard， following him when he joined the White Army to fight the Bolsheviks。 She lived for many years in post-revolutionary Russia， eking out a living and waiting for her then-imprisoned husband to be released， he never returned。 Louise then emigrated to Canada where she ran a local health clinic and assisted in the birth and early development of the infamous Dionne quintuplets。 Louise fell for the charms of the Canadian wilderness and this was to become her home for almost all of her later years。 Louise built a cabin in Pimisi Bay， an isolated area of Northern Ontario where she developed a passionate interest in the local birds。 It was there， during WW2， that that interest developed into a serious pursuit， and grew into a lifetime of sketching， writing， lecturing and serious study of the lifecycles of local birds。 Simonds portrait of Louise’s highly accessible and admirably lucid， it’s also a marvellous account of the role and contribution of women to this slowly-evolving area of science。 Simonds clearly shares Louise’s concerns for the preservation of wildlife and the significance of the natural world， and this makes her discussion of the birds that Louise documented come to life。 Simonds drew on Louise’s letters， drawings， and published work for her biography， as well as conversations with Louise in the last years of her life， and her book's illustrated with photographs and examples of Louise’s sketches and images of birds。Thanks to Netgalley and publisher ECW for an ARCRating: 3。5 。。。more
Stevie
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The blurb on the back cover pulls no punches。 This book is a fascinating biography of a woman who begins her adult life by leaving behind Swedish aristocracy to marry a Russian soldier she nurses back to health in the first world war。 I was hooked immediately。 How does she get from wartime Europe to a cabin in the woods of Northern Ontario and become， as the back cover says， “a Canadian Rachel Carson”？While the content is primarily about Louise’s life， in chronological order， there are some jump The blurb on the back cover pulls no punches。 This book is a fascinating biography of a woman who begins her adult life by leaving behind Swedish aristocracy to marry a Russian soldier she nurses back to health in the first world war。 I was hooked immediately。 How does she get from wartime Europe to a cabin in the woods of Northern Ontario and become， as the back cover says， “a Canadian Rachel Carson”？While the content is primarily about Louise’s life， in chronological order， there are some jumps that took a bit to understand。 The author has a personal connection to Louise， and sometimes refers to her own life as it dovetails with Louise。 Occasionally， the story backtracks in the timeline to follow a different tendril of Louise’s life， but there were usually years associated with those jumps， which made recalibrating where I was in Louise’s life easy。In addition to Louise’s origin story， I was intrigued by her prominence in the birding world。 She turned to birding later in life， during a time period when women were not often the center of attention。 Despite the barriers I often perceive for women during that time， she was welcomed by the birders and quickly impressed them with her thorough observations。 It is unbelievable to me how much she recorded， and for so many people。 This book engaged me enough to prompt me to laugh at the antics that come with trying to outsmart avians， and to cry when the tides seemed against Louise。 This book also resonated with me because I feel like I can relate to Louise。 She was an avid letter writer， and the author despairs over years of missing letters。 I felt like I understood the mental state of Louise in those years。 Louise wrote articles for a variety of periodicals， published both fiction and nonfiction， and faced rejection and letdowns， but it always seemed to work out in the end， which gives me hope for my own endeavors。 Near the end of the biography， the author recommends finding and reading Louise’s original works。 Because this work is thick with Louise’s own quotes， and I enjoyed it so thoroughly， I will eagerly take her advice。 。。。more
Jenni Ogden
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This biography of Louise de Kiriline Lawrence， a woman ornithologist， will be primarily of interest to bird lovers and readers interested in strong women in science。 Very well written and deeply researched， it does in fact cover too much and in too much detail。 A more focused book on either her work as a nurse or her life as an ornithologist and her chosen remote lifestyle in the Canadian woods would have been more readable。 Lovely book cover！ Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a digit This biography of Louise de Kiriline Lawrence， a woman ornithologist， will be primarily of interest to bird lovers and readers interested in strong women in science。 Very well written and deeply researched， it does in fact cover too much and in too much detail。 A more focused book on either her work as a nurse or her life as an ornithologist and her chosen remote lifestyle in the Canadian woods would have been more readable。 Lovely book cover！ Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital advanced review copy。 。。。more
O Prism
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Fascinating and very well-researched book about the life of Louise de Kiriline Lawrence， a woman ornithologist who first was a nurse in Canada for the Dionne quintuplets。 She eventually ends up in a cabin deep in the woods of Canada， studying birds and their habits。 The author’s adoration of this woman clearly comes through in the writing and story。 However， there is so much information I felt overwhelmed， and did not finish。 I think had this story been broken down into three books; her life in Fascinating and very well-researched book about the life of Louise de Kiriline Lawrence， a woman ornithologist who first was a nurse in Canada for the Dionne quintuplets。 She eventually ends up in a cabin deep in the woods of Canada， studying birds and their habits。 The author’s adoration of this woman clearly comes through in the writing and story。 However， there is so much information I felt overwhelmed， and did not finish。 I think had this story been broken down into three books; her life in Sweden， life as a nurse， and life as an ornithologist in the Canadian woods， it would have been much more digestible。 The writing is incredible， and everything was very clear and concise， down to the last detail。 Those interested in ornithology， science， and strong， independent women will enjoy this important biography。Thank you to Netgalley， Ms。 Simone， and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion。 。。。more
Rachel
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