If you share my interest in the complex role of trees in the ecological community, as well as in climate change, I highly recommend Rawlence’s deep dive into the boreal forests of the north. In his investigative journey, he travels to the treelines of places such as Norway, Siberia, Alaska, and Greenland to examine six hardy tree species and how the world is changing on the edges.

It’s a fascinating examination of the intricacies of nature, and what you think you know is often turned on its head. Expanding forests in the north may sound like a good thing–more trees!–but the shift in climate that wrought the change has devastating cascading effects at the treelines, through the forests, in the economy, and even in the oceans.

The amount of information here is truly overwhelming–and Rawlence weaves it all into a riveting narrative that combines science with local lore and tradition. The climate predictions across the board are dire, and while this book provides little in the way of solutions or even hope, the hope there is lies in the long-proven adaptability and ingenuity of the forests.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this digital audiobook in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.

You can officially count me as a fan of both Ben Rawlence (the author) and Jamie Parker (the narrator). Both of them blew me away with the quality and beauty of their work. In fact, despite this being nonfiction, I never once felt like I was listening to a nonfiction audiobook. Rawlence writes so beautifully that it felt more like listening to a fiction novel.

Parker paired wonderfully as the narrator, his intimate tones soothing the ear despite the often soul-crushing hints of the future. Major kudos to him for also pronouncing such diverse terms and city names with ease and confidence.

This is a book that everyone should read (scratch that - LISTEN TO THIS) to not only experience Rawlence's writing, but to understand the interconnectedness humans have with trees and nature. Just absolutely beautiful.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* really great book, wow, loved it! going to need to own this book for sure! already know an arborist who would love this too

This audiobook had a lot of great information overall, but was hard to focus on at times due to the narrator reading monotone here and there. I will definitely still be suggesting this book to those who show interest in the topic, but will likely suggest EBook or print book format.

Very well performed. An interesting example of modern British nature writing. The author combines a travelog, a popular science book, and a personal essay into a coherent and engaging story. The audio version is even better than the regular – the narrator did a great job. His voice is nice, his pronunciation clear, and he makes the writing even more relatable.

The northern forests receive far less attention than their southern equivalents so it's refreshing to learn more about them. Yes, they are not as colorful and diverse as tropical jungles but can be no less fascinating. You will learn that from this book, and much more – there are a lot of surprising scientific facts here (not only about the boreal tree species). It also brings an interesting new perspective on the issue of the climate crisis and nature conservation, with many examples of possible strategies and actions.

Thanks to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this audiobook.

This was an outstanding read.

A very interesting book. Actually quite unlike other environmental books.

I really enjoyed this book.

Scary and sad, while at the same time, really informative and fascinating.

As for Ben, I would keep an eye on his career. I forsee big things!

I would recommend it!

4.6/5