I'll confess up front: the sections set in the Australian outback nearly lost me because the place is so foreign to my experience that I had little interest in Deakin's explorations there. But all the rest of the book made up for it, especially his stories of the walnut-growing regions of Central Asia.
As I reached the end of the book, I was feeling particularly aware of Deakin's untimely death and how sad it is that the world will not have lots more of his wonderful prose in years to come. I'll be starting [b:Notes From Walnut Tree Farm|4327583|Notes From Walnut Tree Farm|Roger Deakin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1330441657s/4327583.jpg|4375388] later this week. ( )

This is the first Roger Deakin book I have read, but it won’t be the last. Wildwood: A Journey Through Trees takes us around the world, from carefully maintained British woodlands to the Walnut forests of Kyrgyzstan. It’s not exactly a straightforward narrative; instead it is a meandering and beautiful contemplation, on trees, on living and on the natural world in general. ( )

Roam with Roger, fellow tree tourist, to find all types of apples in the ukraine, to enter the world of walnuts, too, and buried roads and pleaching. Write about your favorite trees this week! ( )

(Come inizia:) " Mentre intorno a me tutti giravano come trottole impazzite, io sono rimasto placidamente nella stessa casa per oltre metà della mia vita. Non che non mi piaccia girare, ma in qualche modo, nell'inseguire la mia stella, mi sento più a mio agio pensando che questo posto è lì, un punto fermo. La sua posizione determina le mie coordinate, proprio come nella poesia di Donne..."

This is a wonderful book - read it!

10/10 ( )