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Comments (99)

What did you think about this title?
1 to 25 of 99 items
Feb 20, 2024
"This sprawling novel starts out feeling like a collection of short, seemingly unrelated stories, but comes together to tell an exciting, powerful story. About trees." - Monica W.
Feb 19, 2024
Recommended by Larisa 2/7/24
Feb 04, 20241tarheel rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
Foof. It has its moments. The ethical/moral/societal message here is super-important (I'm an ecologist in full agreement) but the delivery is so bone-headed, so 'aimed at the choir' that no one that isn't already convinced will change…
Jan 25, 2024ekhdong rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
An excellent book for tree huggers. I gave it an over rate because it is overrated imho.
Oct 14, 2023SueBea rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I am on a book reading roll. This is a GREAT book. I read it while visiting the redwoods so it was extra poignant. All but 5% of old growth redwoods have been "harvested" which is a travesty. I am by nature a tree hugger and this book…
Mar 06, 2023kddrop rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
Sometimes I read a paragraph that causes the last f*ck I have for a book to physically leave my body. That happened while I was reading “The Overstory” by Richard Powers. Just. Just read the quote and if you still want to read the book…
Dec 10, 2022GraceWells rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
This book is technically well enough written, and the science is mostly correct (with a few glaring mistakes, but they’re limited), but I really didn’t appreciate how the author wrote about certain things. Specifically, there are several…
Nov 28, 2022ethanl2014 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
In his Pulitzer Prize winning novel The Overstory, Richard Powers examines climate change and the everlasting nature of trees. Powers crafts the story of nine strangers with one thing in common: their lives have been immeasurably shaped by…
Aug 20, 2022
Couldn’t get into it. Slow start
Aug 11, 2022faycawley rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
While the text is interesting, the audio narration is very one note/ without inflection.
Jul 29, 2022twobergs rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Dense and intricately woven. Engaging storylines and characters are set up in the first half but I thought the later chapters and some storyline endings were weak. I much preferred Greenwood, which explores similar themes.
Jul 15, 2022cboakville rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
An important book well worth reading.
Jun 26, 2022Michael Colford rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Richard Powers won the National Book Award for this epic tale that blends activism and protest with environmentalism, ecology, and the mysterious life of trees. How often have I thought about the wisdom of trees, to exist for so long, and…
Jun 13, 2022BARosen1112 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
At times this novel about 9 individuals who arrive at a particular point in mankind's war with nature, and particularly trees, seems ingenious and beautiful, but at other times it seemed to plod painfully along. Like Herman Melville a…
Jun 02, 2022cshamm1 rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
I enjoyed the novel overall but wasn't enraptured and came away feeling that 500 pages was a large investment of my time. Unlike some reviewers, I didn't mind the narrative device. Powers artfully bounces back and forth between nine or…
May 31, 2022Liber_vermis rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
This dystopian novel is more like eight short stories which eventually intersect. Unfortunately it is written like a movie screenplay in short segments with the storyline shifting between characters and locations. This reader found this…
LetaDuffield
May 19, 2022
This is a very difficult website to use.
May 18, 2022AaronAardvark1940 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Just over fifty years ago I visited Mauch Chunk (yes, I use the original name) where a much older relative sorrowfully showed me the remains of a chestnut tree, with doomed sucker growth trying to reestablish. This novel starts with…
May 02, 2022PDBurt rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
This novel draws a line under the reality that the human race is killing itself by destroying trees. It's a compelling concept that people should be doing more to protect old growth forest and many varieties of trees. The author tried to…
Feb 27, 2022andreabilyeu rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
At first it seemed like short stories, and then it became clear how the characters came together. So many very different walks of life, all supporting the deep human need for trees and nature; that is what makes our earth 🌎.
Feb 05, 2022peacebenow rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
A novel towering w/ a great story including ecology, activism, climate change, dendrology a celebration of the natural world and most of all trees and the hope that people could hear them and stop the decimation of our planet.
Jan 28, 2022jontalk rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Having read countless Pulitzer winners, nothing compares to the impact of this story nor can Power's abilities be compared. There are few words that can describe the style, content and insights the reader is blessed with, though profound,…
Jan 08, 2022Abroper8 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
4 stars for a book that helps you rethink the relationship between humans and trees. Signed up to volunteer for tree planting after! I will echo another reviewer who mentioned it's uneven and long. The first chunk is an incredible…
Nov 28, 2021PJC2207 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
A magnificent work. It's not exactly about trees, more that the trees are as much protagonists as the human characters in the story. I think it's about inter-connectedness and a fragile equilibrium that we all should care much more about.
spudwil
Nov 24, 2021spudwil rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Although I found this book a bit long, reading it became almost a religious experience for me. It's changed how it feel and think about trees. Should be required reading for all of us.