WOMAN IN THE WILDERNESS

An inspirational story of adventure and bravery, of how one woman learned to dig deep and push the boundaries in order to discover what really matters in life.

Living on the edge allows me to feel free. Miriam Lancewood is a young Dutch woman who lives off-grid in the heart of New Zealand’s mountains with her New Zealand husband. She lives simply in tents or huts and survives by hunting wild animals and using minimal supplies. For the last five years she has lived this way, through all seasons, often cold, hungry and isolated in the bush. She loves her life and feels free, connected to the land, spiritually enlightened and happy. This book tells the story of that life, including the very practical aspects of her trials of learning to hunt with a bow and arrow, struggling to create a warm environment in which to live, and finding safe ways to cross raging rivers and get through dense bush. This is woven in with the more esoteric things like adjusting to a very slow pace of life, her relationship with her much older husband, her thoughtful observations of the few other people they encounter in this time, and her growing awareness of a strong spiritual connection to the natural world. There’s a lot of drama out there in the wilds and Miriam knows how to spin a good yarn with lots of tension, colour and light, meaning that this is a gripping and engaging read. Reminiscent of both adventure writing like Wild and nature writing like H is for Hawk this is perfect for those exploring the idea of living a simple, real life. MIRIAM LANCEWOOD is a Dutch woman who has lived in the wilderness of New Zealand since 2010.