Book Review, Excerpt, and Q&A: Simple Pleasures by Elizabeth Gauffreau

Posted on by BonnieReadsAndWrites

BOOK DESCRIPTION

‘Tis the gift to be simple, ’tis the gift to be free
‘Tis the gift to come down where I ought to be . . . .
~ Shaker song attributed to Joseph Brackett

The simple pleasures of our favorite places in nature are gifts of the spirit to be shared with others. In this collection of 53 haiku, each paired with a nature photograph, poet Liz Gauffreau invites readers to come with her to some of her favorite places in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Some places are long-time favorites going back years; others have become favorites by virtue of inspiring poetry.

EXCERPT

Thank you to Liz Gauffreau for providing a photo and haiku from the book for us to enjoy. You can pick up the book via the links at the bottom of the page.

dirt road adventure

dirt road adventure
washboard, slapping branches, ruts
GPS turned off

BOOK REVIEW

In Simple Pleasures, Liz Gauffreau takes us on a road trip through Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire in a beautiful collection of Haiku accompanied by photography.  We visit some famous spots and take in beautiful scenery, complemented by well-crafted poetry that shares the author’s impressions of her surroundings.

Throughout the book, Gauffreau’s love of New England shines through. Through her eyes, I saw a maple tree come to life and walked underneath a fiery sky. I traveled a dirt road and gazed from a mountain overlook. I enjoyed the journey and felt welcome as Gauffreau introduced us to the region she calls home. My favorite was Jezebel Maple, but I loved them all. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys haiku and photography, as well as anyone who wants to take a walk in the New England countryside.

Q&A With Liz Gauffreau

Welcome, Liz!

Bonnie:  In your Author’s Note you explain your inspiration for writing Simple Pleasures.  For those who haven’t read the book yet, can you share that inspiration with them?

Liz: Sure, I’d be happy to! My husband and I have long enjoyed exploring the back roads of Vermont and New Hampshire, as well as the seacoast of southern Maine. Some of these places are favorites from our growing-up years. Others are new to us, come upon by chance.

On one of these drives, the scene in front of me popped a haiku into my head. To be clear, I hadn’t planned to write a book of haiku. In fact, I’d never written a single haiku, although I was familiar with the form.

I wrote down the serendipitous haiku and took a photograph of the scene that inspired it—then another and another and another until they came together into a collection. I have very fond childhood memories of the Shaker song “Simple Gifts,” which gave me the subtitle: Haiku from the Place Just Right.

Bonnie: I describe this in my review as a road trip, but some of these were taken in your own front yard, the starting point.  Were the photos compiled over a specific period of time or photos you have taken over the years and treasured?

Liz: Most of the photos in Simple Pleasures are new, taken over the course of 2022. A few were from past day trips.

Bonnie:  Do you have a favorite haiku or photo in this collection?  I liked Jezebel Maple, both the photo and the haiku.

Liz:  My husband took the Jezebel maple photo not long after we moved back to New England in the early 2000s. I think my favorite poem and photo would have to be “Back in the Valley” because I’m so emotionally attached to the Green Mountains. I feel that they will always be there for me when I need them. (I think you feel the same way about your mountains?) Note from Bonnie: Yes, I can feel the souls of my ancestors in the Smoky Mountains! I know exactly how you feel.

Bonnie:  In Landmark for the Camp and Stream Water Eddies, who are the people in the photos?

Liz: The people in Landmark for the Camp are my father, the Reverend Elliott F. Gauffreau, and my younger brother George. The occasion for the photo was setting off for a hike so George could earn a Boy Scout badge. (I think our dad was more excited about the hike than George was.) George is the boy in Stream Water Eddies. We spent a lot of time in the stream and on the bridge. Our camp had no running water, so we had to take our baths in the stream. I sure do miss those times.

Bonnie:  I really enjoyed this collection, Liz.  I know you are working on a novel.  Can you tell us a little bit about it?

Liz: Thank you, Bonnie! I’m so glad you enjoyed Simple Pleasures. The new novel is another unintentional book. After Telling Sonny, I hadn’t planned to write another novel, just short story collections and poetry collections. In fact, I’d already started working on the first short story collection.

Then I read an article in Vermont Life Magazine about the closing of the last poor farm in Vermont in 1968. The Sheldon Poor Farm was only seven miles from where I lived in Enosburg Falls when I was in junior high and high school. The thought of all those untold stories amid the social turmoil of 1968 proved irresistible. I just had to write a novel. The title is The Weight of Snow and Regret. It’s scheduled for publication on October 1, 2025, which is the anniversary of the day the State swooped in and closed the place down.

Thank you to Liz for these great answers!

PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON

BOOKFUNNEL

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Published by BonnieReadsAndWrites

I love to read and write book reviews in my free time. I review advance review copies of books on Netgalley for various publishers. I am also a reviewer for Historical Novels Review Magazine, the magazine of the Historical Novel Society. I review books from publishers of all size, large to small. I have a special place in my heart for indie authors. I will sometimes post a little writing that I might dabble in occasionally. I also am lucky enough to live in the Smoky Mountains, so I'll be sharing photos of the beauty around me from time to time.

74 thoughts on “Book Review, Excerpt, and Q&A: Simple Pleasures by Elizabeth Gauffreau”

  2. Some great Q & A. I look forward to Liz’s next book! It sounds intriguing. A great grandfather of mine died on a poor farm in Oregon. I often wondered what they were all about and didn’t realize they still existed up to 1968.

    2. Thank you, Darlene. I’d love to know more about your great grandfather’s time in the poor house. In the case of Vermont’s poor houses, they were gradually shut down when the New Deal social programs took hold in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. Franklin County, where the Sheldon Poor Farm was located, took “We take care of our own” very seriously.

  4. What a wonderful review!!! Thank you so much for this and for the interview. I look forward to reading this book. And I had no idea you are from the Smokey Mountains, Bonnie. How wonderful!!! I know them well. I’m from the same chain only farther south in the Appalachians (Dalton in north Georgia). When you grow up in the mountains, they get in your blood, don’t they? And you never feel quite at home until you go back. I love Columbia, SC, where I live now because I adore the heat and sunshine. But I plan to go back to Dalton when I retire. The Appalachian Mountains are my homeplace. In the meantime my fav place to vacation is Asheville and Black Mountain. Love that part of NC!!

    1. Thank you for your comment! I hope you enjoy reading Simple Pleasures. My husband and I visited Asheville a number of years ago. The mountain views were just stunning. It would be nice to go back.

      1. You’re very welcome! It’s on my purchase list. There are several books coming out now that I want to get. One more will be published soon and then I’m going to order all from Amazon. And yours is at the top of the list! Yes, I LOVE Asheville and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Back in 2005 I did a booksigning at the famous indie bookstore there, Malaprops. It was February and snowy and freezing cold. I was worried about the turnout, yet the locals packed the bookstore. It turned out to be a very successful signing. Next time you go to Asheville be sure to visit the little town of Black Mountain up above Asheville. Black Mountain College is there, famous for all the famous writers and artists who taught there in the past. Beautiful little city. Great bookstores and restaurants!

  5. I didn’t grow up in the mountains but my Mom did. I spent every summer in Bryson City and I’m retiring and moving there this weekend. We bought my parents house there several years ago.

  6. Great review, Bonnie along with a wonderful interview! I love the New England states and the green mountains. I have my copy and just need to find time to read it. I’m looking forward to Liz’s next book, too!

  8. This is a wonderful and most enjoyable stop on Liz’s Simple Gifts tour!

    What a lovely and perceptive review by Bonnie. I enjoyed the Q&A very much, too.

  11. Thank you, Bonnie, for showcasing Liz. She is an excellent writer. I enjoyed Simple Pleasures very much.

  13. Like others here, I’ve enjoyed Simple Pleasures immensely. Now, on the blog tour I’m getting to explore parts of rural Vermont and New Hampshire, as well as the seacoast of southern Maine. Each stop provides details for the dots on a road atlas.

  15. Great review Of “Simple Pleasures,” Bonnie. I love the example of the haiku and pic from Liz’s book. Lots of words aren’t necessary with wonderful images like that.

  16. What a wonderful review and interview, Bonnie! Through it, I learned more about Liz’ writing inspirations and how she came upon writing her Haikus. Liz is a wonderful writer and such a kind person to interact with on the blogging forum.

  19. A wonderful review, Bonnie, and excellent Q&A. I’m starting this collection this weekend and can’t wait. I live on the west coast now, but grew up in Vermont and the Green Mountains were my back yard. As beautiful as it is here, they will always feel like home. I know this is going to be a nostalgic and touching read for me, Liz. Congrats!

  21. How often do we stop to appreciate the simple pleasures? Thanks for this reminder, great review too.

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