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4.4 AVERAGE
4.4 AVERAGE
slow-paced
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
had multiple moments where I just needed to pause and take in the emotion of everything I'd just read. beautifully written; wonderful narrative nonfiction.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Phenomenal and rich and deeply beautiful language. Much more present and political and immediate than his other books. It was great to enjoy listening to, and will stay with me for a while I think, colouring the way I view the world
slow-paced
✨ARC Review✨
Is A River Alive? - by Robert Macfarlane
Releases: May 20, 2025 (yes it is already out)
So this is a very philosophical nonfiction about rivers and how interconnected we are to rivers along with the nature surrounding rivers. It talks about topics like the government and companies, along with people in general, trying to always have control over nature, including the use of rivers, displacing the natural environment. It discusses natural energy.
This is one of those books where it really makes your eyes pop open and reflect on how rivers transform life. That there is such a thing as a river having life and death, like everything else in nature.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for providing me with this copy.
Is A River Alive? - by Robert Macfarlane
Releases: May 20, 2025 (yes it is already out)
So this is a very philosophical nonfiction about rivers and how interconnected we are to rivers along with the nature surrounding rivers. It talks about topics like the government and companies, along with people in general, trying to always have control over nature, including the use of rivers, displacing the natural environment. It discusses natural energy.
This is one of those books where it really makes your eyes pop open and reflect on how rivers transform life. That there is such a thing as a river having life and death, like everything else in nature.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for providing me with this copy.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
Great narration and dis give me hope regarding the future of bodies of water in the planet. And amazing personal stories as well.
This book is fantastic--right in the middle between a 4.5 and 4.75, but I have a perpetual fear of rating things too highly, so I've put it on the 4.5 side. [EDIT: I change my mind almost immediately because wow simply the writing of this book is fabulous] Robert Macfarlane is perhaps the best nature writer I have read, and his prose seems to get better, more complex, and more whimsical with each piece of his I read. This book is fundamentally about connection, whether with nature or those who adore it as much as Robert. He is also, as I found out, an excellent speaker, and it's clear his ability to write otherworldly, fantastical descriptions is a natural one. Unlike many books I've read recently, I honestly think that almost anyone could read this book and not only enjoy it, but also come away with a shifted perspective and a sense of urgency about the state of the natural world, especially in these times.
"Fireflies wander the middle distance. The night is glass-clear. Sheet lightning snaps blue-white across the sky to the south. I see a shooting star, and then two more. Three scratches on the world's tin. The next morning we walk into the forest and it swallows us whole" (78).
See all of page 107
See page 153
See pages 183 & 185
See pages 256 & 261
See pages 289 & 300
"Fireflies wander the middle distance. The night is glass-clear. Sheet lightning snaps blue-white across the sky to the south. I see a shooting star, and then two more. Three scratches on the world's tin. The next morning we walk into the forest and it swallows us whole" (78).
See all of page 107
See page 153
See pages 183 & 185
See pages 256 & 261
See pages 289 & 300
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
A vision of hope for the environment without naive optimism. And a philosophical exploration of nature and our relationship with it that challenged me to think differently (about things I already think a lot about). The writing was gorgeous. A new favorite.