REVIEW and GIVEAWAY
Child of the Earth
by Susan Crow
Child of the Earth by Susan Crow is currently on tour with Goddess Fish Promotions. The tour stops here today for my review, an excerpt, and a giveaway. Please be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.
Description
Here is a nest egg of memories and anecdotes teased from a life uplifted by an appreciation of the natural world.
Memories of childhood in rural England, raising a family in Orkney and Lincolnshire, and retirement in Northern Scotland are threaded together into a broad tapestry of the natural year. These experiences meet with a view of Earth’s uncertain future to illustrate the necessity for respect of all lifeforms and shares a passion for the wellbeing of this planet with all generations.
Child of the Earth is a source of inspiration and delight - a literary garland of hope.
Excerpt
The ninth day of January and it is frosty. Smells carry well. Hours earlier, we caught a whiff of cleaning-out-the-byre when we were coming down the hill and, a few moments ago, I went outside to empty the household rubbish and caught the same scent.
January in Caithness is not the same as January in Orkney. It isn't the same as January in Lincolnshire. January in Caithness is completely unpredictable. A couple of years ago, when the year changed, I noticed the plants in the window boxes were suffering from windburn and the pond at Newtonhill Croft was very full due to melting snow and rain. And yet, last year, daisies were flowering, and we had gnats indoors. This week we have had some strange winds which sometimes became aggressive and then suddenly dropped, waved the flag of peace, and left behind an absolute stillness. Last year, same week, one of our number was nervous about walking home from work due to the threat of falling roof tiles.
[Want more? Click below to read a longer excerpt.]
Praise for the Book
“Child of the Earth shares memories from her childhood, raising a family, and retirement. Stories of Christmas, Jack Frost, feathered friends, flowers, and more of nature fill the pages. Tidbits of history and poetry along with reflections about the world and its resources abound, with beautiful full color photos along the way.” ~ Cheryl Malandrinos on Goodreads
My Review
Child of the Earth is a memoir consisting
of Susan Crow’s month-by-month essays and musings on nature and the environment,
interwoven with previously published online articles, photographs, drawings,
excerpts from poems (both traditional and original) and songs, extracts from
her diaries, some fictional stories, and examples of life on the land as seen
through the eyes of a nineteenth century farmer.
The author says, “I write because I have something to share with you. In
this book I want to share my amazement at the detail in all forms of life.” And
that she does. She treats us to the sights, sounds, and smells of the world
around her. Recurring themes include nature, the seasons, gardening, and conservation.
There is a particular focus on the beauty and abundance of birdlife and flowers
in the places where she has lived, including myths and legends associated with particular
plants and animals and the history of different plants.
I might have enjoyed this book more if I was familiar with the places,
flowers, and birds so often mentioned. It would have been helpful if the
photographs had captions, were placed where they appear in the text, and were
in the correct orientation (problem in the Kindle version). I was disappointed
that the author didn’t include a photo of “an oil painting of a wild rose, done
by my mother many years ago, is an exquisite representation of the flower.” In
addition, while the author includes plenty of excerpts from poems, she also
mentions a lot of poems and songs without including the verses referenced.
In short, while the content is great, the presentation could be improved.
Some of My Favorite Lines
“There is tremendous satisfaction to be had from painting with words.”
“What the world needs now is for governments to ignore political point
scoring and to roll up their sleeves and take chances. Their ultimate aim needs
to be to save this planet for our children, their children and their children's
children. And to save it in all its glory.”
“Sometimes the water spilled over onto the tracks and roads and, as we
pedalled through it all, we were marbled with mud.”
Susan Crow grew up in the Isle of Axholme, which inspired the Crowvus best-seller, Child of the Isle. She has a deep love of nature which is apparent in all her writing from the poems she has had published in various anthologies, to her 2020 release, Child of the Earth.
Susan released Rosie Jane and the Swodgerump as part of the John O’Groats Book Festival. This story was written and inspired by raising her six children in Orkney. After moving to England for a while, Susan finally returned to North Scotland in 2009, and continues to write her monthly blogs, What’s It Like Up There?.
Her latest book, Child of the Earth, is a nature companion, drawn from her own experiences throughout her life. It provides a colourful telling of Susan’s encounters with nature, told with a style which makes it accessible to all readers.
Giveaway
Enter the tour-wide giveaway for a chance to win a $10 Amazon/B&N gift card.
Links
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