Walden is a bit of an odd book. There isn't really any sort of plot behind it, it's not really biographical, it's not prescriptive, and honestly it's hard to say there's much of a point. It's just Thoreau writing some bits and pieces about how he lived out at Walden pond for a couple years. Some people seem to describe it as dull or repetitive, but I don't find it at all either of those things. There's a simplicity to both the way Thoreau writes and the way Thoreau lived out at Walden that evokes a quiet beauty, where the mundane really jumps out at you as significant and the complications of life seem to melt away with spring's warmth.

My only complaint is that when Thoreau puts on the hat of a naturalist and starts talking about the various species of birds and such in the area, I can't say that it's particularly engaging. He does this now and then, and it's not exactly uninteresting, but at the very least it feels like a tangent I can't wait for him to get off of. Still, this is a minor mark against an overall great read.

I don't think there's much that needs to be said about the book. If the content sounds interesting to you, you need to read it. It really is fantastic to see the mindset of someone who simplified almost everything out of their life and simply engaged with nature all day. If it sounds a bit pointless, you probably won't change your mind. Thoreau makes no real effort to convince you this is the right way to live your life, simply that it's a way he was able to live for a couple years before he decided to move on to the next thing. He simply writes his experience, and it's either interesting to you or it isn't.