This is a contemplative journey experienced by Katherine May as she seeks to address what for her is a state of being overwhelmed by a pandemic that depleted and exhausted, exacerbated by the current non-stop flood of bad news and social media. This not a state of mind pertaining to May alone, but one shared by and resonates with so many of us, but she is not providing a prescriptive road map for us, simply informing what has worked for her in restoring some semblance of balance to her life. She aims to become more grounded and expand her capacity to notice the details of the ordinary and the mundane outside the doors of our homes, and open our eyes to the magic and healing awaiting us through connection to the universe and skies, nature and other human beings.

May is not embarking on this journey alone, there is her son, Bert, wanting him to carry the sparks of connection too, of magic, a spiritual magic of our own making, hierophany, sharing human stories of ritual, the sacred, nature and places, and building on our sense of identity, belonging and community. Replenishing our soul can be reinvigorating, inspiring, providing the energies to engage in new ways of being. This is a collection of essays of finding a way of living that works for you, with May giving us a template of possibilities, history, creating memories and enchantments that we take into the future and the kind of world we want to live in. Structurally, this is organised into 4 parts, the elements of earth, fire, air and water that guide, to encapsulate a journey, the journey being the aim as opposed to reaching a destination.

The epilogue is titled the Aether, where May talks of meteor showers and stars, looking up at the sky to see a universe with its own particular form of magic that reveals itself in the dark of the night, but often lost to those of us who live in cities or with high levels of light pollution. I think many will find something in this joyous book that is likely to enthuse, make you think and re-evaluate what it is to be human and counter the demanding and challenging environments we live in. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

Gentle and beautiful, and as full practicality and hope as May’s previous book – Wintering. A balm for the troubled spirit. Highly recommend.

I unfortunately didn't engage with this book. I don't think I was expecting it as a series of essays by the author - I thought it was a proper book. Perhaps that's why I couldn't finish it. I wouldn't want my judgement to impact others as they might like it more than I did and go in with their expectations set.

Firstly, huge thanks to the author, NetGalley and the publisher for sharing an advanced copy.

I loved Wintering and read it on a winter weekend away staying in windswept Dungeness, so reading this book came at a perfect time when we stayed for the week in Dorset, my birth county and a place rich in enchantment.

I love the books poetic nature and how you feel fully immersed in the world Katherine observes. But on top of this, the writing encourages you to stop and look around you, to use all your senses to engage with landscape and the history of a place, and you're on history, and your own sense of belonging. Reading this book feels like an experience in itself.

It always feels impossible to review Katherine May’s books - not because I don’t recommend them though, in fact it’s the complete opposite. No words I could write would ever come close to doing justice to such an insightful writer. I swear she can read my deepest thoughts as once again her words have struck like lightening to what ails, to carry me on another majestically empathetic and hopeful journey into the light,

Katherine May has written a book that can be described as an internal reflection or meditation towards life post Covid. The opening pages hit hard and really pinpoint how so many of us feel in this current moment -a sense of loss in our direction and feelings towards modern day life. This book albeit autobiographical leads us through Katherine May’s decision to explore what could be described as natural or ethereal components of life and enchantment. The book is divided into sections focussing on the four elements -earth, fire ,air ,water. Each piece can be read as a separate essay and explores May’s challenges to connect with the elements through various activities. Poignant, poetic, haunting, and also bringing the reader a sense of the challenges confronted by May as she attempts to find enchantment in different areas of her life. The natural world is the solution and this book directs that path. This is the first Katherine May book I have read and was intrigued having heard about her other books . Interesting and bewitching although at times a sense of melancholy pervades but ultimately a light to a future path is imagined and tentatively approached .

What a stunning book! I read Wintering by the same author at the end of last year, which was widely and accurately described as a balm for the soul. Similarly, Enchantment puts into words the emptiness, emotions and frustrations that many of us have experienced during the pandemic. Each chapter is short but of so sweet, almost poetic. I can't recommend this highly enough if you're in need of comfort and solace, and a feeling of someone else being able to articulate these tricky times.

Every year I read scores of books I like, dozens I really enjoy and a handful which I love and become part of my book collection that I’m guaranteed to dip in and out of for the rest of my life. However sometimes another type of book comes along that makes you stop and think about the beauty of words. That show that letter by letter, word by word that something can be created, that ceases to be really about a plot or development, but instead creates a painting through sentences. May has that rare ability and the title of her book sums up what she has created best of all, an enchantment.

‘Enchantment’ is a collection of essays on May’s experiences of the past and present, about the wonders and joy in everyday life and essentially what it is to be human. This book is very aptly timed as as we come out of the pandemic I think so many of us feel a bit lost and floating through life unanchored, something the author herself experiences. Through the fragments of memories and her current life that she writes about we realise that living is a really a collection of things; the moments we take with us into the future, our hopes, dreams and maybe fears too- these are all things that shape us.

This is very much a book to read slowly and savour. I think many people will really enjoy it, especially those who working out what life will look like in this post-pandemic world. There is lots of hope, lots of curiosity but most of all lots of wonder within its pages.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After reading reviews of Katherine May’s other books I was excited to dive into this, however I don’t think it was as good as I expected it to be. There were parts of this book that I really enjoyed and there were parts that I struggled to get through because my mind kept wandering. Parts of it were very relatable to life, and others not so much.

I was lucky enough to get an ARC copy of this book through Net Gallery and I have just reviewed Enchantment by Katherine May. #Enchantment #NetGallery

This was such a personal journey of reawakening that at times I felt like I was reading someone's diary. Enchantment is a beautiful book which we could all do with reading in these times of disconnection and loneliness.

This was a very personal and introspective piece of work that I sometimes felt as if I was intruding into someones private thoughts. But it was a very clever and well rounded exploration of isolation and communication in a time where it was difficult to maintain.

In this follow-up to the excellent 'Wintering', Katherine May reflects on the loss in our lives of enchantment, which she defines as "small wonder magnified through meaning, fascination caught in the web of fable and memory". Beginning with her own sense of lassitude and malaise which is amplified by the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown, May charts her personal quest for enchantment and uses the four ancient elements of earth, water, fire and air to trace sources of wonder of which we may be losing sight in modern society - from swimming in the sea to watching shooting stars to beekeeping.

Throughout the book, May seeks connection with older ways of knowing and living in which enchantment was more present and also looks forward to future generations, reflecting on the sort of life she wants for her son Bert. One of the things that makes this such an engaging read is May's unfailing honesty about her own struggles in seeking enchantment after the challenges of the last few years; this means that rather than preaching at us from a position of superior enlightenment, she becomes our companion on this journey, offering to take us with her as she goes in search of something which she needs as much as we do. Her curiosity and the delight that she takes in small moments of beauty also feel deeply authentic and infectious.

This is another wise, wide-ranging and beautifully written book which will appeal to anyone who enjoyed 'Wintering' or who feels that there is something missing in the relentless pace of modern life. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC to review.

Enchantment
by Katherine May

When Katherine May published "Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times" in February 2020, her timing couldn't have been any better. At a time when the whole world was forced to retreat, isolate and yet somehow continue, her words were a calming balm and a reminder that acceptance and acknowledgement of sadness is often the first step towards healing, and that there is tremendous power in conserving our energy for the new season.

In "Enchantment", Kay invites us to find magic and awe in the world around us as we emerge from our forced hibernation. Using the restorative power of the natural world, she divides this book into four sections, the ancient elements Earth, Water, Fire and Air and the quintessential epilogue, Aether.

This book spoke volumes to me about existential exploration. It is calming, meditative and grounding. Interspersed with anecdotes from her own observations as she navigated her pathway through neurodiversity and the sensorial intensities associated with it, there is much to glean as we all endeavour to forge ahead into this forever changed life.

Keep a copy of this on your nightstand.

Thanks to #netgalley and #faberandfaber for the egalley.

The perfect book to read as we come out of winter. Katherine May has written a beautiful, thoughtful/thought provoking book about connecting with the world around us and connecting with the magic.
Part personal anecdote, part musings on the elements of water, fire, earth and air I found this book both a soothing and inspiring read.
Remarkable! I loved it!!

A beautiful poetic book, that resonated in many parts, with myself. It isn't my normal style of book to read, so was pleasantly pleased with what I read, but could be quite confusing and drift off in parts.

I was immediately excited to see that Katherine May had a new book coming out. I really enjoyed Wintering, in which she guided us through some of the darker times, and her style of combining her personal journey through depression with a mirroring journey through place was a perfect foil for her experience-guided wisdom.

In Enchantment she is looking at her desire to recapture a sense of wonder at the world, having found the pandemic months of lockdowns emotionally draining. Her usual retreat of words and books is eluding her and so she looks outside of herself into the special places that imbue meaning. From hidden springs to the vastness of the dark skies and the mere company of bees, connection is made, and a quiet joy opens.

In essence this is a spiritual journey, but perhaps its strength is that it is understated. Katherine does not have a pre-determined goal, or God, in mind but is seeking something beyond the confines of her physical self and that knocking at the door is answered. Enchantment is not an exultation to follow the author’s path, but rather a conversation had with a friend about a personal discovery.

For some, everything I have said above will grate against their certainty, and that is okay. We are all on different journeys and respond to different stimuli and even to different language. For me, Katherine’s style of writing is an attractive model for discussing a spiritual journey, to share the stories of our ups and downs, our struggles and our revelations.

It is a little ironic that whilst Katherine is quite careful when she explicitly talks about faith to avoid declaring for one or another of the established religions, she speaks with such clarity to them about what the faith journey is. She describes our worldly prejudices often distort spiritual truths and a tendency to want easy, comfortable answers distracts from the crucial responsibility of inner work.

There are times during the reading when it would be nice to dig a little deeper, other times when one might like a little more clarity but, on closing the book, this isn’t the place. Enchantment is not a self-help guide; it is an encouragement to look up and see the world around us in all its beautiful detail and its awesome vastness and experience being a part of it. That is where we find the wonder that is beyond all understanding.

"Enchantment is small wonder magnified through meaning, fascination caught in the web of fable and memory. . . . It is the sense that we are joined together in one continuous thread of existence with the elements constituting this earth, and that there is a potency trapped in this interconnection."

I love the concept, as the author's slowly works her way through ways to find wonder and enchantment, particularly in the natural world, in everyday life. It is perhaps a limited perspective, from a place of privilege, but beautifully written with hope and joy nonetheless. I liked the division into the four elements, with reflections on her childhood, parenting and enchantment through the ages. In our fast-paced lives, we would all do with a little more wonder.

I enjoyed this book, it's one of those books that really gets you thinking and makes you appreciate the little things more helping to find the enchantment among the ordinary.

This is the first book I have read by Katherine May so I had no preconceived ideas on what to expect.

I enjoyed the anecdotes such as searching for the Leonids meteor shower or how Katherine came to stop sea swimming and her subsequent swimming lessons, but found I often got lost in the meandering musings, and found that I had to go back to see if it was me losing focus or the narrative.

I think this is not the book for me, rather than anything negative about the book per se.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is such a lovely book! It's a book to read slowly and treasure the language, which is as glorious as the natural world described in the pages. Katherine lives in Kent, which is also where I live, so it was an extra element to be able to recognise some of the places mentioned and nod in agreement at the beautiful descriptions.
I have mobility problems, so being able to read about places I would never be able to get to, but are still quite local to me, was bittersweet but wonderful.
The biggest thing that I took from the book was allowing myself to be soft. There always seems to be so much in life about being resilient and emotionally tough, so it was a great comfort to read about the benefits of being a soft person in the world. Here's to being soft and enchanted!