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A review by seclement
Where the Wildflowers Grow: My Botanical Journey Through Britain and Ireland by Leif Bersweden
5.0
We could all only wish to be loved as much as Leif loves plants.
Honestly, though, this is a lovely book written by a person who earnestly loves plants. In a country with so little nature left and so little endemic biodiversity, this is particularly endearing.
This book is interesting, informative, beautifully written and nostalgic for a time he was not really alive to ever see. I really loved it, and I have recommended it to many people, especially those who love the countryside but know little about its degradation, those who would love the countryside if they had a clearer picture of what they were looking at, or those who think everything is delightful in the countryside and have no idea just how much we have lost in the UK.
My two main grievances (if you can call them that) are: 1) that the book is far longer than it needed to be, and it got very repetitive. Especially when we are talking about a country with such low species richness and abundance; it felt excessive and he started to sound disingenuously enthusiastic when talking about so many similar plants and places; and 2) the cycling aspect was simply unnecessary and seemed like a gimmick.
Nonetheless, I certainly recommend this book and hope it makes more people connect with nature in the UK.
Honestly, though, this is a lovely book written by a person who earnestly loves plants. In a country with so little nature left and so little endemic biodiversity, this is particularly endearing.
This book is interesting, informative, beautifully written and nostalgic for a time he was not really alive to ever see. I really loved it, and I have recommended it to many people, especially those who love the countryside but know little about its degradation, those who would love the countryside if they had a clearer picture of what they were looking at, or those who think everything is delightful in the countryside and have no idea just how much we have lost in the UK.
My two main grievances (if you can call them that) are: 1) that the book is far longer than it needed to be, and it got very repetitive. Especially when we are talking about a country with such low species richness and abundance; it felt excessive and he started to sound disingenuously enthusiastic when talking about so many similar plants and places; and 2) the cycling aspect was simply unnecessary and seemed like a gimmick.
Nonetheless, I certainly recommend this book and hope it makes more people connect with nature in the UK.