Fishcamp Life on an Alaskan Shore

by Nancy Lord

For the past eighteen summers, Nancy Lord and her partner Ken have made a living, and made a life, fishing for salmon off the west side of Cook Inlet on the southern coast of Alaska. In Fishcamp , Lord provides a nuanced and engrossing portrait of their days and months in camp at the inlet. Nancy Lord celebrates a great good place--Cook Inlet, Alaska, where she and her partner have made a life together for more than twenty years. With poetic cadence and magical tone, Lord writes of her life from June to August, days filled with the mending of nets, the muscle-wrenching labor of the catch, the exquisite pleasure of an improvised hot-tub, and the often subtle beauty of the inlet's flora and fauna.Woven throughout Lord's adventures is the deeper history of the region's stories and legends of the native Denaina people; anecdotes about past and current residents; and descriptions of their neighbors, both human and animal.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature

284 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1997

Reviews

[Eden · Rating 3 out of 5]

2019 bk 282. An almost lyrical book of essays regarding life at an isolated, shall we say remote, primitive fish camp in Alaska. Nancy and her spouse spend the salmon season net fishing in an inlet that can only be reached by airplane. The story is told from their youth through middle age and describes the benefits and costs of catching salmon - not in just economic terms, but in its impact on their environment, mental strength and attitudes. The time spent apart from society allows Nancy Lord the time to reflect on how her life is similar/disimilar to that of the native peoples, to share their folklore compared to her childhood. This is a book of comparisons and deep thoughts, it is not for those who just want a fishing / camping book. For those who want to explore the deeper meaning of different cultures and lifestyles this is an excellent insight into Alaska. It is best read in small bites.

[Deirdre · Rating 4 out of 5]

I might’ve found a new favorite author of natural history. Nancy Lord’s writing reminds me of Annie Dillard and Gretel Ehrlich, with some Aldo Leopold tossed in Last September was my first visit to Alaska and though I didn’t make it to the Cook Inlet, the site of the author and her husband‘s fish camp, I found the area awe inspiring.

What I knew of Pacific salmon before that trip was what I saw in National Geographic documentaries, read about in books, or from cooking a recipe or two. I was privilege to see spawning salmon in the river at Ketchikan. But I wanted to learn more about Alaska and the people who earned their livings catching salmon. This book helped.

[Sissy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable. I think the comparison to Pilgrim at Tinker Creek is fair. The book is largely the author's self-reflection.

[Tothepoint · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author certainly was in love with her life there. Makes me wonder if Chris McCandless read the book and was stuck by the 'romance' of Lord's bare, enamored-of-nature life outlook, to his doom. It's a nicely written book, very lyrical. I wish all of her other books weren't so politically inclined.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far I like this book. It is kinda like "She took to the woods" and other books by Louise Dickenson Right. They are similiar although Right's are about Maine and Fish camp is set in Alaska. Fish camp is a newer book also by about 50 yrs.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another interesting book from Nancy Lord about life with nature in Alaska

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love stories of the Alaskan wilderness, life in Alaska, personal viewpoints

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice mix of natural history, Alaska Native culture, description and reflection.

[Jeff Rennicke]

A fish story that is more about the human relationship with nature than "the one that got away"

[Jim Minick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great modern homesteading classic.