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The Wild Places (2007)

by Robert Macfarlane(Favorite Author)

4.18 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0143113933 (ISBN13: 9780143113935)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Penguin Books

review 1: A great book. MacFarlane's exploration of the wild in Britain - from the truly wild - Scotland, Wales and islands, to what at first he admits feels like the more mundane in Englandshire, but how it itself demonstrates the wild. Eloquent, with some beautifully graceful pieces of writing, the chapters rolled by. Fair play to him too for sleeping out in what seems sometimes terrible weather - without any self aggrandisment, rather a factual note in his belief in this being an integral part of his experience.As with most of travel/nature books, there's a lot of quoting other authors. While in many cases this feels forced (I-have-to or I want to show off) he manages to pull of the trick of making it feel effortless. He's officially a clever bugger (chairing the booker priz... moree and working at Cambridge when not out), and I don't doubt that he's actually able to remember and use these quotes away from his word processor. He is accompanied by Roger Deakin in a few of the walks, and dwells on their friendship, particularly in the context of Deakin's early death from cancer, on which he writes simply but poignantly. But this is a book of the landscapes - from the barren and windswept to the cosier hedgerow. Excellent.And it has a working index. On a kindle no less!
review 2: The Wild Places is about Robert Macfarlane's adventures exploring remote places in the UK. Many miles are covered on foot and nights are spend sleeping out in the wild. The book reads like a journal of Roberts experiences, filled in with detail about the land and nature around him. Written in such a way that you feel you are seeing what he is seeing with your own eyes.There are some personal stories about friends and characters he meets along the way. For me, I would have liked a little more of the human element. However, the book is called The Wild Places and it truly stands up to its name. The book will inspire you to plan your own trip into the wilds of our beautiful land. less

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