Reviews

Ness by Robert Macfarlane, Stanley Donwood

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quillyreads's review against another edition

4.0

“You near Ness from far inland; first you hit pine, then you hit sand, then the sky goes grey from the glare of the sea.”

A haunting and atmospheric prose poem or an apocalyptic world. With dark and eerie illustrations. Yet I can’t help feel a glimmer of light and hope from the consuming force of nature taking over such an inhospitable place. Bonus points for introducing to me an area and history I hadn’t heard of before which is just as fascinating to look up as this poem was to read.

gigi95's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

kyop14's review against another edition

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2.0

Some intriguing lines, but the momentum of the storyline and its figures got lost on me.

annaonthepage's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

poorlywordedbookreviews's review against another edition

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hopeful mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

‘𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘢 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘯𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦’

I am here for anything that decides to use coccolithophores falling to the sea bed as a simile for something settling. Sadly I continue to not really be here for anything described as poetry. And that’s what MacFarlane has created here, very different to his nonfiction works I’ve read, assembling a modern myth of the natural worlds perpetual drive to reclaim. It is based on Orford Ness, a shingle spit and former military base turned nature reserve that has been ‘given over’ to coastal erosion.

This is a short (less than 100 pages), illustrated novella - so if poetry is more your thing, and you have a fascination with, and appreciation for, the natural world I’d give it a go. It has flashes of Lanny in its accurate reflection of a world now forever marked by human activity, and some really interesting lines as it describes the facets of Ness. Loads of metaphors to analyse if that’s your thing.

Overall, not really for me, despite its topic and themes it’s not my style. I actually think it could work really well on audio if well done with sound effects beyond straight reading, to bring the atmosphere to life.

‘𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥’

nicktomjoe's review against another edition

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5.0

Certainly the hardest read of the year: to be taken slowly, re-read, lines of thought and passing references followed. Worth every second, every lost trail refound, as angels and demons of landscape and redemption emerge and enter combat: each of the avenging angels of nature (or are they all one?) has a menace from a green Book of Revelation; every destructive force in the Green Chapel has a doomed mauvaise foi... with sparse, ambiguous illustrations this is a book to ponder and to take time over.
A powerful meditation on the Ozymandias-like fall of ambition in the Anthropocene - or reclamation of place by longer-term forces beyond our generation; a clever, T S Eliot-like juggling of cultural references and voice to evoke place, despair and hope.