Brett Seybert
What most others have said: this would have been better as an article. Really valuable, interesting core idea is buried in about 250 pages of stuff I didn't care about that, in at least some cases, undermined the core philosophy. Best skimmed for the nuggets of wisdom.
Loved the scope of this and its overall kind of aura. But, man, the back third really dragged ass. Satisfying conclusion and it's the kind of book that has forever changed my brain in good ways. Really wish I could read The Secret Forest— but maybe The Hidden Life of Trees will suffice.
It could be the eternal project of mankind, to learn what forests have figured out.
Originally posted at blog.bup.lol.
The final hundred pages or so were as intense as anything I can remember reading. Thrilling. A fitting sequel to the excellent film.
Loved this book. So much hit so close to home (both figuratively and geographically) and it felt authentic in a way that I didn’t quite expect. I don’t know why, but I had not categorized Kingsolver as an “Appalachian” writer previously, despite knowing of her bonafides in terms of being from Kentucky, but this book is clearly written with a love and intimate knowledge for the region and its people. There’s more going on here, too. The social justice angle. The David Copperfield retelling. The language itself. All of it just got me thinking in all of the best ways, even if those ways are also painful.
For anyone who also loved this book who finds themselves interested in learning more about Appalachia or reading more Appalachian literature, Kingsolver put together a really nice reading list for The New York Times.
Originally posted at brett.seybert.me.
The speculative climate science of it all was an interesting thought experiment, but I had a really hard time with the characters. Took me forever to read because it was propelling me forward. Found one of the storylines (Laks) far more interesting than the others, but this was relegated to short chapters interspersed throughout. Also did not care for what I would call the "dirty old man" humor and tone that kept popping up.