The Overstory

“This is a really lovely book, largely about trees. Wouldn’t endorse the whole worldview, but I loved the book anyway.”

““An immense and intense homage to the arboreal world (its biological sophistication, its rich panoply of environmental benefits), the book is alive with riveting data, cogent reasoning and urgent argument. Pages that take you into menaced remnants of primeval forest or contemplate singularly splendid or fascinating trees teem with knowledge and gleam with aesthetic appeal.””

“Best book I’ve read to date. You’ll never look at a tree the same way again.”

“I read this book in the depths of covid after my actor friends who loved trees recommended it to me. I grew up near one of the last remaining American chestnuts so this was very meaningful to me… this entire book changed my view of the world. I always think of this quote from Mildred Bliss: “…gardens have their place in the Humanist order of life; and, that trees are noble elements to be protected by successive generations and not destroyed.””

“Everyone should read this book!World expanding and beautiful.”

“Because lots of people in my life told me to read it. I will say more when I’m done”

“Immersive, engaging, informative, and deeply moving; this is a book that stays with you. I re-read it every couple of years and discover something new every time.”

“Vignetted stories where decades and seconds exist simultaneously”

“An incredible book, that some how marries many separate narratives into one glorious one. Utterly beautiful tender and thoughtful.”

“Sow what you reap”

“Lush, lovely writing and a truly unique viewpoint on nature and our place in this world. You'll look at trees differently after this.”

“my favorite audiobook I think… it’s historical fiction told from different perspectives in different eras. It can get a little confusing if you’re not paying attention, so pls listen with care :) this book still inspires me to think about the trees (and other living things) whose lifespans are much greater than ours when I’m overwhelmed by my little ole life”

“not for the faint of heart, but i do recommend everyone read this”

“One of those beautiful books with overlapping stories that take awhile to unfold but end up fitting like a perfect puzzle.”

“Absolutely brilliant ecological interwoven story. "Richard Powers’s twelfth novel unfolds in concentric rings of interlocking fables that range from antebellum New York to the late twentieth-century Timber Wars of the Pacific Northwest and beyond. There is a world alongside ours—vast, slow, interconnected, resourceful, magnificently inventive, and almost invisible to us. This is the story of a handful of people who learn how to see that world and who are drawn up into its unfolding catastrophe." Masterful in every way. Wait until you're ready to dedicate enough brain-power.”