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A review by vampireph4ze
The Overstory by Richard Powers
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
i think that i was meant to read this book exactly when i did and exactly as i did. it felt like it clicked into place every time i picked it up, whether or not i decided to plow through 100 pages at a time or read a couple every now and then. it contains a world i have only recently started to appreciate, and as i delved deeper i only wanted to become a part of that world more and more; The Overstory taught me that i already am.
it is a wonderful epic spanning generations, spanning a multitude of people, all who discover - either early or late in life - that trees are nothing short of all-powerful entities that cover the earth. almost every time i read it something brought tears to my eyes, an overwhelming sensation that this book held answers to questions i never even dreamed of, that even in the midst of all this chaos brought on by human greed, the earth will inevitably reclaim it all.
by all means, The Overstory is not a perfect book, but it made me feel something unlike anything i've ever felt before, something akin to what i believe is a spiritual awakening. i felt shivers run down my spine as a i read words that told me of our history, of humans' tiny little split-second mark on the universe, of the life within trees and the miracles that they perform that may not be miracles to them anymore. it changed me, made me feel like the thing i did not know i was searching for has been right in front of me the entire time. the two silver maples in front of my childhood home, the giant sycamore in the neighbor's backyard, the willow tree down the road, the Southern magnolia across the street, the pine tree in front of my sophomore college dorm, the first chestnut i ever saw, a thousand miles across the sea. there is every reason to give up hope, to argue that anything we do will have no impact on the future, to fall victim to nihilism and dread - but there is also every reason to keep on living, to wake up every day with the thought that things can and will improve, to look at everything around us and fall in love with every person, plant, animal, everything built by our hands and everything built by the earth's, and choose to do something that may only ever be remembered by the ground we stand on.
it is a wonderful epic spanning generations, spanning a multitude of people, all who discover - either early or late in life - that trees are nothing short of all-powerful entities that cover the earth. almost every time i read it something brought tears to my eyes, an overwhelming sensation that this book held answers to questions i never even dreamed of, that even in the midst of all this chaos brought on by human greed, the earth will inevitably reclaim it all.
by all means, The Overstory is not a perfect book, but it made me feel something unlike anything i've ever felt before, something akin to what i believe is a spiritual awakening. i felt shivers run down my spine as a i read words that told me of our history, of humans' tiny little split-second mark on the universe, of the life within trees and the miracles that they perform that may not be miracles to them anymore. it changed me, made me feel like the thing i did not know i was searching for has been right in front of me the entire time. the two silver maples in front of my childhood home, the giant sycamore in the neighbor's backyard, the willow tree down the road, the Southern magnolia across the street, the pine tree in front of my sophomore college dorm, the first chestnut i ever saw, a thousand miles across the sea. there is every reason to give up hope, to argue that anything we do will have no impact on the future, to fall victim to nihilism and dread - but there is also every reason to keep on living, to wake up every day with the thought that things can and will improve, to look at everything around us and fall in love with every person, plant, animal, everything built by our hands and everything built by the earth's, and choose to do something that may only ever be remembered by the ground we stand on.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Police brutality, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Injury/Injury detail