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seclement's review against another edition
4.0
I really was not impressed with this book at first. I wanted a book on rewilding, and from the first page this seemed to be a record of Monbiot's mysterious adventures, boosted by delusions of grandeur. I suppose he wanted to set the tone and establish that this wasn't a dry, factual tome; but for me it just came off as pompous and distracting from the central point. As the book went on, however, it grew on me. I started to accept the book for what it really is; a sort of memoir of a British environmentalist, dissatisfied with the lack of biodiversity that surrounds him. It was just structured around the concept of rewilding in this highly modified island, an island full of landscapes shaped by people and culture. As the book progressed, he still wove in some stories in which he featured as an intrepid traveler performing brave feats, but I warmed to them somewhat because the rest of the text was so damn good. I especially loved the chapters on Wales,which is one of my favourite places, and I really had not realised the full extent of modification in the uplands. I found the chapters on reintroductions (e.g. wolves, lynx) and marine conservation both captivating and compelling, and the information about reforesting the Scottish highlands was inspiring. This book is indeed sentimental, but it is also built on a solid foundation of knowledge from Monbiot, the literature, and experts. The chapter on "how not to rewild" at first threw me for a loop, as he invoked Godwin's law fairly early on, but by the end I realised what he was doing.
As a new migrant to the UK who seriously misses "proper" nature, this book gave me so much fodder for my imagination. The world I constructed from the information in this book is a Britain I would love to see. Unfortunately, aside from a few minor policy changes - like re-introducing a few animals and perhaps protecting a bit more of the sea - I can't fathom any of Monbiot's vision coming true. The environment is not even part of the national dialogue here. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed entertaining the notions in this book, and I would be happy if I was proven wrong and we really did rewild Britain.
As a new migrant to the UK who seriously misses "proper" nature, this book gave me so much fodder for my imagination. The world I constructed from the information in this book is a Britain I would love to see. Unfortunately, aside from a few minor policy changes - like re-introducing a few animals and perhaps protecting a bit more of the sea - I can't fathom any of Monbiot's vision coming true. The environment is not even part of the national dialogue here. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed entertaining the notions in this book, and I would be happy if I was proven wrong and we really did rewild Britain.
newson66's review against another edition
5.0
A book I have long meant to read. It was throughly engaging and poetic - I really enjoyed the tangents taken by the author and feel I'll be turning his argument for a rewinding process over and over in my head for a long time to come.
eluz's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
relaxing
medium-paced
4.0
mischief_in_the_library's review against another edition
2.0
I was really excited about this book. I heard a bit of George Monbiot's TED talk about the effects of reintroducing wolves to Yellowstone, and it sounded fascinating. So I picked up his book, read the first four chapters and wondered if I was actually reading the same book he spoke about, seeing as these first chapters seemed to be about the author going fishing and what he was thinking about at the time. I almost stopped reading at this point, but I flipped forward a few pages and the next chapter title suggested the rewilding part was coming. And these chapters had some really interesting discussions. But the tone of it felt...off. It felt like a memoir, in which we are told the story of how George decided that places would be better with more animals, more varied plants, more nature, and how we might go about that. There were references everywhere, but it wasn't as scientific as I was expecting and hoping. The argument felt too positive. There seemed to be almost no discussion of downsides to rewilding, only annoying bureaucracy and rich people getting in the way of an obviously good plan. I would've liked to hear more about ways it could go wrong, the risks involved, and why the benefits outweighed the risks. Instead we got tables of animals with Monbiot's ratings on how suitable each animal would be to introduce, with very little explanation of how he came up with these numbers.
Some people loved Monbiot's style. It's not a typical science non-fiction, which is a genre I particularly enjoy, and maybe if my expectations had been tempered a bit, I would have been able to persist further with this book. In the end, it became too much of a chore to keep going, so I DNF at about 65%.
Some people loved Monbiot's style. It's not a typical science non-fiction, which is a genre I particularly enjoy, and maybe if my expectations had been tempered a bit, I would have been able to persist further with this book. In the end, it became too much of a chore to keep going, so I DNF at about 65%.
deedoo's review against another edition
1.0
I had high hopes for this book. It’s just story after story of him in the “wild“. Descriptions of him kayaking and catching fish. How sad he is at the state of the wilderness, particularly in his backyard. I feel like he was getting very close to actually explaining himself in one chapter and then it just ended. The blurb about the guy who beat a child and then killed his ex girlfriend and her new boyfriend was confusing. Long description of this criminal evading the police for a couple of weeks only to have a six hour show down where he ultimately kills himself, and I can’t tell if the author was condemning the guy or looked up to him. Seriously I could absolutely see the author saying “see this is an example of needing to be wild and that’s why he did all these things, etc.”
Maybe later on in the book he does more than wax poetic about how he would like to leave the suburbs and how badass various tribes are, but I can’t waste my time reading in that hope.
Maybe later on in the book he does more than wax poetic about how he would like to leave the suburbs and how badass various tribes are, but I can’t waste my time reading in that hope.
charlottemeo's review against another edition
4.0
This would have been pretty useful for A-Level geography I reckon
orangemulli's review against another edition
5.0
Mind blown by Monbiot! Amazing round up of environmental research and first hand experience delivered in deliciously descriptive prose.
bluestarfish's review
3.0
I think many thoughts about this book. How I really value the concept of "ecological boredom" as one that has given me a lot to think about. How I felt aggrevated about some of the writing style and anecdotes that feel like they belong in a different book. How I got cross about the conservationist-bashing. How I got excited about some of the ideas of rewilding and value GM's input as the bringer of crazy ideas into the discussion and why shoudln't they be there. How I like the idea of wolves and beavers in the isles, but not so sure about elephants. So yeah, mixed feelings. But I'm glad he's pouring grand ideas into the conversation.
I'm not sure that I can relate to ecological boredom only being alleviated by access to experiences with predatory megafauna. That seems to narrow the field down far too much and deny the joy of finding woodlice in your garden. And I wonder where all the women were in his book...
I'm not sure that I can relate to ecological boredom only being alleviated by access to experiences with predatory megafauna. That seems to narrow the field down far too much and deny the joy of finding woodlice in your garden. And I wonder where all the women were in his book...
eilidhwarnock's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.75