and#147;The cycle of the maple season is one of the great signifiers of the mountain year in the northeast. It is lovingly delineated here, with a foreshadowing of the shifts ahead in a changing world. May it move us to action!and#8221;and#151;Bill McKibben, author of Oil and Honey
and#147;Whynott has delivered the most complete and compelling account to date of the modern maple industry. His cast of vividly drawn characters and his descriptions of the challenges they overcome will make you feel like youand#8217;re right there beside them in the North Countryand#8217;s sugarbushes. Itand#8217;s one sweet read.and#8221;and#151;Barry Estabrook, author of Tomatoland
and#147;Once again, Douglas Whynott demonstrates his uncanny ability to open up what seems to be ordinary and reveal it as something much more than we ever could have imagined. In this case, itand#8217;s the maple syrup industry, and Whynott take us from the metal bucket hanging on a tree into a world of currency bets, Global Strategic Reserves, climate change, and international trade. Itand#8217;s quite a story, and quite a book.and#8221;and#151;Daniel Okrent, author of Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition
Kirkus Reviews, 1/15/2014
and#147;Thorough research provides fascinating insight into the sweet business of maple syrup.and#8221;
Library Journal, 3/1/2014
and#147;Whynott examines both the complicated past of the maple syrup industry and questions about its futureand#133;In a world where one barrel of syrup is worth more than a barrel of oil, Whynottand#8217;s descriptions of black market dealings and syrup heists highlight the value of this sweet cropand#133;Balancing the global history of the maple syrup trade with its local impact, The Sugar Season immerses readers in a reading experience both historical and personal in nature.and#8221;
Publishers Weekly, 2/21/2014
and#147;This inside look at the ups and downs of the maple syrup industry over its year-long harvesting and production cycle will be fascinating to anyone interested in the modern food industry, the effect of global warming on agriculture, and just how that sweet syrup got from a stand of sugar maples to the breakfast tableand#133;Enlightening and alarming.and#8221;
Minneapolis Star Tribune, 3/9/14
and#147;Tells the story of the annual sap run, when the cycle of warming daytime temperatures and nighttime freezes triggers the movement of sap in the sugar maples. Despite growth and technological advances, it remains such an elemental storyand#151;of trees and their biology, of children working alongside grandparents, of steam and sparks in the sugar house in the overnight boiling down of the sapand#133;Lyrical history, geography and insights into family life centered around a demanding business.and#8221;
Boston Globe, 3/5/14
and#147;A wide-ranging look inside the maple syrup businessand#133;Whynott skillfully explains how maple syrup gets made, how vitally important weather is, and how global warming may threaten the industryand#8217;s futureand#133;Whynottand#8217;s engaging book offers a skillful and fascinating peek behind the curtain of one of the regionand#8217;s oldest and most beloved traditional industries.and#8221;
Boston Globe, 3/10/14
and#147;Whynott offers scores of statistics while keeping his narrative focused squarely on the people who labor in the sugarhouses that dot the New England Landscape.and#8221;
New York Post, 3/2/14
and#147;While focusing on New Hampshireand#8217;s Bascom family, whoand#8217;ve been producing maple syrup since 1853, Whynott details a multimillion-dollar industry with its own hall of fame, a black market and an OPEC-like organization. And if youand#8217;ve ever wondered how reverse osmosis figures in maple syrup, youand#8217;ll find out here.and#8221;
Taste for Life, March 2014
and#147;Offers a glimpse into one of the oldest agricultural crafts in the US and the challenges it faces.and#8221;
PopMatters.com, 3/4/14
and#147;What began as a curious search to uncover the mechanics and marketing of maple syrup turns, in his calm telling, into a case study of how venerable family enterprises deal with an uncertain futureand#133;Parts of this tale recall John McPheeand#8217;s fact-laden reports about our earth and those who seek to comprehend its hidden components.and#8221;
Winnipeg Free Press, 3/1/14
and#147;There are many flavours in this affectionate look at the maple-syrup industry in the United States, along with a light taste of the Canadian flowand#133;The Sugar Season includes nostalgia, family histories, business competition, technological development, the free-market approach of the U.S. (compared to the marketing-board approach of Quebec) and, as a disturbing subtext, environmental concernand#133;The Sugar Season does a good job of taking us from the days of tin buckets and wooden spouts to vacuum pumps and tubing, also providing readers with a look to the futureand#133;[Whynott] makes you pause and appreciate a nibble on a maple leaf sugar candy.and#8221;
Saveur, 3/6/14
and#147;A closely observed portrait of a largely unknown worldand#151;one that is full of interesting characters who have devoted their lives to transforming an intensely seasonal crop into a global commodityand#133;itand#8217;s a smart, engrossing read that gives this sweet cropand#151;one of Americaand#8217;s oldest agricultural productsand#151;its full due.and#8221;
Shelf Awareness for Readers, 3/14/14
and#147;Whynott delves into the industryand#8217;s particulars, shining light on its history, science and politics. Whynottand#8217;s love for his subject is clear; his writing grows lyrical when he rhapsodizes about winter walks in the woods or the taste of pure maple syrup fresh off the boiland#133; A fascinating glimpse into an ancient process that feeds a thoroughly modern industry.and#8221;
Roanoke Times, 3/9/14
and#147;Pass me the doughboys and a bottle of Grade A Light Amber, please.and#8221;
Hudson Valley News, 3/5/14
and#147;Delightfuland#133;This fascinating book tells us what we need to know about an undertaking that is steeped in tradition and is now embracing new technologies that can ensure its continuing existence. Itand#8217;s a sweet read.and#8221;
Manchester Union-Leader, 3/8/14
and#147;Tells the story of the 2012 sugar season as well as Bascomand#8217;s rise to being the largest maple syrup producer in the Granite State.and#8221;
InfoDad, 3/13/14
and#147;An enthralling exploration of the maple-syrup industry and the people who keep this very old occupation (by American standards) going in the 21st centuryand#133;Intriguing and engaging.and#8221;
Beverly Citizen, 3/15/14
and#147;[A] fascinating exploration of the maple syrup industryand#133;Part business case study and part John McPhee nonfiction adventure into the depths of a subjectand#151;as told by a host of driven, devoted and talented characters. Whynottand#8217;s comprehensive lay of the land includes climate change, the transformation of syrup production into a bankable industry, the interdependent community of syrup makers, the forests and their health, the process of making syrup and the complexity of the syrup itself.and#8221;
Easthampton Valley Advocate (Ma), 3/13/14
and#147;Shows the business of maple sugaring as a sophisticated, complex industry, subject, like all industries, to market forces and circumstances beyond producersand#8217; control.and#8221;
Toronto Globe and Mail, 3/22/14
and#147;Provides keen insights into this particular branch of modern agriculture, and makes a strong case for maple syrup as a bellwether for the continentand#8217;s environmental health.and#8221;
The Writer, May 2014
and#147;An in-depth contemplation of the maple syrup industry.and#8221;
Keene Sentinel, 4/6/14
and#147;[Whynott] introduces readers to many of Bascomand#8217;s neighbors, maple syrup makers who produce it in the wood-fired mom-and-pop traditions of quintessential New Hampshire. The book doesnand#8217;t hide the sour side of the industry or even the Bascom family warts.and#8221;
Berkeley Beacon, 4/3/14
and#147;Sheds light on the underappreciated maple syrup industryand#133;[Whynottand#8217;s] words bring the reader to the sugarhouses, making the importance of maple syrup a relatable topic for anyone.and#8221;
San Francisco Book Review, 4/11/14
and#147;[Whynott] takes us through the entire process from sapling to store shelf, from how it was done in the past to the current processand#133;I was amazed how easily Whynott provided an educational experience with the feel of a heartfelt memoirand#133;This book is just too delicious to pass up.and#8221;
Greenfield Recorder, 4/12/14
and#147;Whynott spins a riveting taleand#133;He convincingly argues that because of its dependence on individual trees and temperatures, the maple business may be closer to nature than most other enterprises.and#8221;
Digital Americana, Winter 2014
and#147;One of those rare texts that makes you want to know more about the subject that you are being told aboutand#133;The story that Whynott presents to us is an inherently American one.and#8221;
Keene Sentinel, 4/13/2014
"Whynottand#8217;s deft hand makes The Sugar Season an admiring book about a hard-working, imaginative, determined family building an ancient rite of spring into a thriving, honorable life with nature...[An] eye-opening, behind-the-scene book."
Green Book Festival, 2014 Award Winner, General Nonfiction Category
Vermont Country SamplerApril 2014
and#147;To understand what could happen this year and the years to comeand#151;for better or worseand#151;read The Sugar Season.and#8221;
The Hippo, 3/13/14
and#147;[Whynott] keeps the book interesting with a family narrative.and#8221;
VegNews, August 2014
and#147;An engaging and heartwarming read of the maple syrup business.and#8221;
Washington Independent Review of Books, 7/23/14
and#147;A remarkable ode to the evolution of the maple sugar industry, from its humble beginnings to todayand#8217;s multibillion-dollar foothold in the world economy. Itand#8217;s a peek behind the curtain to the world of maple sugaring that exists beyond the rustic facadeand#133;Whynott provides a compelling overview into an industry entering the 21st century with head-spinning technological advances.and#8221;
CivilEats.com, 6/19/14
and#147;[Whynott] is a master of observation and description, who combines just the right amount of romanticism and humor with research and factsand#133;An intricate, information-packed story. There is also a whole lot of drama and international intrigueand#133;But the book also looks at the richness within life as a maple farmer: the multigenerational traditions and history, the community building and friendships, and the beauty of the forest and ecological respect for the treeand#133;The Sugar Season serves as a thorough, hard-hitting example of the ripple effect climate change and pollution can and will have.and#8221;
Arcadiana Lifestyle, October 2014
and#147;Offer[s] ways to wean yourself off that sweet stuff.and#8221;
Yankee Magazine, December 2014
and#147;A terrific read, with many intriguing facts about botany, technology, and international business. But itand#8217;s also the story of people doing what they love in a place they love.and#8221;
Curled Up with a Good Book, 11/20/14
and#147;[A] fascinating look at the trees that make the syrup that make our pancakes taste so specialand#133;[Whynott] has underscored for his readership, old-fashioned and#145;Yankeeand#8217; virtues of hard work, family cohesion, and honesty, centering mainly on the Bascom clan whose livelihood is measured by the gallonand#133;Under Whynottand#8217;s skilled eye for detail, this book shows the syrup business as different in kind, but not in culture, from other family farming endeavors in Americaand#133;To read this book is to be educated and enthralled. All the talk of grades and colors and sweetness will almost certainly drive you to the supermarket to purchase as near to authentic maple syrup as you can find, and turn on the griddle.and#8221;
Campus Circle,12/9/14
and#147;Tells of life on a maple syrup harvesting farm, complete with all the seasonal ups and downs.and#8221;
Better Homes and Gardens Country Gardens, January 2015
and#147;[The] most palatable of stories.and#8221;
Literary Journalism Studies, Fall 2015
and#147;More than just a bucolic account about those engaged with a nurturing natureand#133;Itand#8217;s the kind of narrative that celebrates the ordinary of everyday life. In doing so, however, it uncovers the extraordinary.and#8221;