The East Country
Almanac Tales of Valley and Shore
by Jules Pretty
Cornell University Press
Comstock Publishing Associates
Nonfiction (Adult) , Outdoors & Nature
Pub Date 15 Sep 2017
FTC Reviewed ARC for Cornell University Press and Net Galley
Description
The East Country is a work of creative nonfiction in which the acclaimed nature writer Jules Pretty integrates memoir, natural history, cultural critique, and spiritual reflection into a single compelling narrative. Pretty frames his book around Aldo Leopold and his classic Sand Country Almanac, bringing Leopold's ethic—that so"The East Country, like all accomplished works of close ecological focus, moves cleverly between the intensely local and the universal. Jules Pretty unites his two distinguished careers—as a biologist and as a writer in the broad fields of nature, place, and landscape—to encourage 'long attachments to the local’ as profoundly valuable undertakings."—Robert Macfarlane, author of The Old Ways and Landmarks could live without nature but most should not—into the twenty-first century. In The East Country, Pretty follows the seasons through seventy-four tales set in a variety of landscapes from valley to salty shore. Pretty convinces us that we should all develop long attachments to the local, observing that the land can change us for the better.
My Thoughts
As the description states, acclaimed nature writer Jules Pretty frames 'The East Country' around Aldo Leopold's classic 'Sand Country Almanac'. So, when this description came across my desk, I knew I had to read Jules book.
Leonardo da Vinci suggested heightening senses to enhance life's experiences. And in this book Jules Pretty shows us he's done this.
When you read the first page, you'll find that Jules excels at situational awareness. Can you imagine? Honestly, for many of us when we look out across the horizon. We see land. We see the sky.
Jules Pretty provides us with close-ups of all this, and with everything in between.
Happily, I enthusiastically noted, these local and the universal collections and reflections occur not only out in the meadow where we'd normally see things detailed. But, also they appear on roads and in an around buildings and while chatting with friends and associates over tea.
In this book, his words come across like thousands of snowflakes - falling. Each having its own unique identity. And on the tongue, it's more like a melody than just mere words written on a page.
I surmise you could say, "I simply love his emotional output of text, his synthesizing mind, and his attachment to the land."
Bottom Line: This is a beautiful read.I highly recommend it.
If you want to check out some more of Jules' books, go here.