I am probably guilty of overusing the word "exquisite' - it comes easily when dealing with nature - but this book and its author both deserve high acclaim.
The book is a novel, but if you have read Henry David Thoreau you will have no difficulty making the connections to the great naturalist. In fact the book is linked by a series of brief scenes that illustrate his life. They flow seamlessly; they enable us to get to know Thoreau in a unique and personal way. Not only was he a naturalist, but briefly a schoolteacher, repelled by the requirement to impose harsh corporal punishment on his students, whether they deserved it or not. It was a way to instill fear into them; fear translating to respect in the values of the day. Thoreau and his family were devout abolitionists, giving aid and comfort to those fleeing slavery and oppression on the Underground Railroad. Unusual for his time, Thoreau rejected religious dogma in favour of the universal connection to nature that links all of humankind.
One shares in the deep sorrow Thoreau endured when his brother, John, died of lockjaw, triggering in him a case of sympathetic lockjaw.
Thoreau's life shares many connections with contemporary existence. Forests were being felled, wildlife slaughtered on a massive scale, the countryside was being overtaken by urbanization, industry was disseminating pollution into the air, soil and water, and noisy trains belching smoke disturbed every quiet corner of New England.
He sought solace at Walden Pond - and the world has been enriched by that experience.
Thoreau counted Ralph Waldo Emerson among his friends, although he was disappointed and irritated at Emerson's lack of interest (verging on disdain) for field studies, the very essence of Thoreau's experience of nature.
There is a great deal more than I have outlined here, and Humphreys humanizes a great naturalist, with all his foibles and eccentricities. It is a fascinating and satisfying read, characterized by a splendid command of language to weave a story in so evocative a fashion. Let Helen Humphreys introduce you to Thoreau as never before.
You may rest assured that I will return to this work often.
Followed by the Lark - HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Helen Humphrey
Hardcover - 227 pages - ISBN: 978-0-374-61149-1
Published - 2024
