Shelf Awareness

"In Praise of Retreat—part memoir, part nature essay, part guidebook—is thoughtful, thoroughly researched and often refreshingly wry."
 

​

The Cyberlibrarian

“MacLeod is an excellent writer, and her descriptions of her own retreats, from her cabin in the woods, to the wild places in the Scottish highlands make the reader yearn for some time away .… Articulate, well written, and profoundly challenging, I recommend this book to help us all navigate these uncertain times.”

​​

​

CBC All in a Day Ottawa, Book Panel recommendations, September 2021 “I really enjoyed it and found it inspiring…very informative and relaxing… worth checking into,” says Ann Archer, a manager at the Ottawa Public Library. [In Praise of Retreat starts at 7.08 mins].

​

​

Story Circle Book Reviews, by Mary Anne Moore
“Insightful and educational with delightful doses of good humour…a wonderful book full of the gifts of retreat and pilgrimage as well as their challenges, with insightful passages on which to reflect—all of it, it’s own sort of sanctuary.”
 

​

AppleBooks
“In this fascinating—and vicariously soothing—memoir, yoga instructor Kirsteen MacLeod discovers the quiet pleasures of wilderness cabins, spiritual sojourns, yoga retreats, and more.”

​

​

Open Book, by Stacey May Fowles
"The work of being alone, of escaping both external and internal noise, is very real, and hard, and necessary. We live in a time where we tend to, as MacLeod puts it, 'over-venerate the active and the social,' where intrusions are relentless and demands never-ending."

​

​

Quill & Quire
“MacLeod’s writing is clear, and her love for quiet, green spaces shines through in lyrical passages about life at her cabin. Her curiosity and passion make for engaging reading throughout the historical sections of each chapter…. The chapter on artists is particularly delightful, rich with anecdotes about well-known writers either loving or loathing the solitude of writing retreats…. It’s a book worth reading, one that would make a solid addition to a cottage bookshelf, to be pulled down and riffled through by lamplight on quiet summer nights.”

​

​

Winnipeg Free Press
“In Praise of Retreat poses interesting, challenging questions.” “Amongst detailed accounts of retreat from the lives of Emily Dickinson, Rachel Carson, Leonard Cohen and other lesser-known figures, MacLeod examines her own retreat experiences. These stories of Ontario’s Hastings Heritage Trail, of a near-disastrous yoga retreat and of a sumptuous creative writing emplacement add verve and personality.”

​

this is not a review: ‘in praise of retreat’ by kirsteen macleod

“A gorgeous and enlightening read in which I’ve learned so much about ’emptying.’ Written in my favourite style, heavily researched but conversational in tone, like lunching with someone whose every word you hang on to the point your soup gets cold and you don’t care one whit. MacLeod knows exactly how to balance research with a good anecdote.”

​

​

24 symbols “Best books of the Moment,” In Praise of Retreat
“The perfect read for all those who are aching to get away from the noise and buzz of the city, or who are in need of a break from work, social media or society in general….If you cannot afford to seclude yourself entirely, this is the best next thing.”