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ovenbird_reads's review against another edition
People seem to really like this book based on all the four and five star reviews. I guess I wasn't in the right mindset for it. I found that there was far too much cataloging of flora and fauna and not enough narrative. Some of the writing was definitely beautiful, but it didn't hold my attention.
gingerliss's review against another edition
4.0
Robert Deakin's writing is wonderful. He makes the many subjects of wood and the woods so interesting, something that could easily have been very bland. This book covers many aspects of wood and should be read more as a collection of essays rather than a running whole. Some of the chapters do follow a logical storytelling order, although others do not. Also take in mind that you won't find everything Deakin talks about to be interesting, he covers a wide array of subjects surrounding wood, and some things are just more interesting than others. I would say I found the majority of the book very interesting, there were only a few chapters that didn't do it for me. The book contains a wide variety of genres, from travel log to very descriptive nature writing, to explanations on how certain woodworking is done. The chapters on wood in other countries outside of Britain were particularly interesting and gave a nice impression of the nature in places such as Kazakhstan. One of the things I loved about the book was all the references to literature and art, which gave me lots of inspiration on other things to read and lots of artwork I would love to get printed out and hang in my house. Deakin's voice is like that of a knowledgable old friend with wonderful tales to tell. Another inspring read which falls in with other books I've read recently, with lots of references to self sustainability and the like.
bookchantment's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
ehays84's review against another edition
5.0
This book really is one of the best I have ever read. It is a masterpiece.
I am really falling in love with this genre of nature writing that goes beyond just nature writing. I first read MacFarlane, but heard of this book from his writing in which he mentions Deakin as a mentor, so I moved it up on my to read list, and was greatly rewarded.
The genres that this book could fall into include nature, travel, conservationism, art, environmentalism, memoir, botany, history, and a few others. This can only be when the author seems to have mastered several different crafts: forestry, farming, art, writing, carpentry, architecture, and botany.
Probably the simplest way to explain this book is that it is all about wood--wood in every stage of its existence and in every conceivable use. I learned about things in this book that I knew nearly nothing about beforehand like fancy wood veneer, coppicing, hedge-making, the traditional rights of peasants on English land, the countries of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, how certain woods are better for certain uses and why, etc. etc.
But if this were just a how-to non-fiction book, I wouldn't have liked it. He addresses his wide-ranging subject each with great care and love, and explains them so well even to lay people like myself. He is never, ever pretentious despite his knowledge, and always presents himself just like we are as readers--a student of many different crafts and beautiful things in the world.
Finishing this book did take me some time, but it is a book to savor, and because of it's kind of diary style, you can read it here and there without losing a plot or anything like that. I promise you will not be sorry if you make time for this.
I am really falling in love with this genre of nature writing that goes beyond just nature writing. I first read MacFarlane, but heard of this book from his writing in which he mentions Deakin as a mentor, so I moved it up on my to read list, and was greatly rewarded.
The genres that this book could fall into include nature, travel, conservationism, art, environmentalism, memoir, botany, history, and a few others. This can only be when the author seems to have mastered several different crafts: forestry, farming, art, writing, carpentry, architecture, and botany.
Probably the simplest way to explain this book is that it is all about wood--wood in every stage of its existence and in every conceivable use. I learned about things in this book that I knew nearly nothing about beforehand like fancy wood veneer, coppicing, hedge-making, the traditional rights of peasants on English land, the countries of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, how certain woods are better for certain uses and why, etc. etc.
But if this were just a how-to non-fiction book, I wouldn't have liked it. He addresses his wide-ranging subject each with great care and love, and explains them so well even to lay people like myself. He is never, ever pretentious despite his knowledge, and always presents himself just like we are as readers--a student of many different crafts and beautiful things in the world.
Finishing this book did take me some time, but it is a book to savor, and because of it's kind of diary style, you can read it here and there without losing a plot or anything like that. I promise you will not be sorry if you make time for this.