Everyone Loves Overstory
It’s true! Overstory is making a comeback. Four of my blog readers have contacted me to tell me they recently either read the book or they are in the midst of reading it. I just checked it out from the library. I have read the first story so far. Why? Because I need to do more ‘deep reading’ and I want to go on to the author’s newest book Playground.
In Playground, Richard Powers takes us to the sea, the enormous and mysterious ocean. Following four main characters, he weaves their stories together while wrestling with AI and environmental issues. A reviewer for The Guardian calls the novel, “one long, clever magic trick. Some of the underwater scenes are so limpid and sensorially rich, it’s like watching an oceanic feature in Imax.”
Back to Overstory–Below are parts of comments my readers sent to me…..
“I thought Overstory was fantastic! A story about so much more than trees. About love and commitment and greed. Separate stories that all mesh together.” Martha Kaufman
“Dan and I both loved it. Unusual and fascinating.” Becky Peace
Bettie Tullis wrote to say she had just starting reading Overstory. ” I was aware of some people not being able to ‘get into’ it, but I was pleasantly surprised that the first few pages did draw me in.”
“I usually don’t remember the details of books I’ve read, but Overstory is an exception. I remember it all! That’s the kind of impression it made on me.” Susan Card
The picture below is of an American Chestnut, the subject of the first chapter of Overstory. Scientists are trying to bring these trees back to life again by creating fungus-resistent chestnut trees.
The author mentions White Spruces in the third chapter. I can’t wait to meet more trees while reading the book. I don’t think anyone who reads Overstory will ever look at a tree in the same way again.