The Overstory

This book was so artfully written. I love a story that tells multiple character’s stories separately before bringing them all together in such interesting and compelling ways. Richard Powers manages to create characters that are complex and engaging, embedding them in a rich history in just a single chapter. Add on to that, the overarching theme of our relationship to nature - this book makes you think and meditate on human nature and how we relate to Mother Nature. Exquisite.

Entertaining but dense and the paths of the characters failed to define the story. I may have to read it again to see why other people think it is so good.

It's a beautifully written book. Powers' ability with poetic language shows the same passion as that which he has for trees. But the story had at least two (maybe three or four) characters too many. And the flights of poetry dealing with trees were often too long and too prominent within the overall story: always he seems to have more to say, more to say, more. His editor should have helped him pick out the most relevant and well-crafted ones. Still, I'm not sorry I read it. Just not sure, were I a Pulitzer Prize voter, that I would have voted for it.

This book was a long hard slog… Trying to get to a point or the meaning, or an epiphany of sorts I am still lostand it just kind of ended.

Naturalists will sign it's praises! There are characters we can all identify with one way or another as fragile humans or as advocates for falling in love with the earth. Mr Powers is able to describe a tree like Mozart describes a song. Lyrical.

As weird as this premise seems, Powers makes this story believable and you don't want to put it down. There are powerful messages but Powers doesn't come off as preachy.