Monday, January 6, 2020

'The Overstory' by Richard Powers


The Overstory, Richard Powers (3.5)
I have to say this book grew on me. Given its understory is about the flora around us, ‘grew’ is fitting. While I enjoyed the last 2/3, the introduction of the various characters in the first 150 pages felt random and disjointed. At that point, the stories start to become more detailed and interrelated and the beauty of the writing came through for me. It’s a lot to get through, but the many descriptions of trees, while anthropomorphized to a maximum degree, are lyrical and motivating. This book made me think of the tree recently damaged in my yard that I believe will survive (yeah!). Mr. Powers’ words made me think about it more than I ever had before.

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