Reviewed by annieb123 on
The Glitter in the Green is a layman accessible cautionary tale of conservation by Jon Dunn. Due out 20th April 2021 from Hachette on their Basic Books imprint, it's 352 pages and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
This is a wonderfully descriptive book and will be especially relevant for birders. The author describes ten different destinations and their related hummingbird species and his descriptions of the terrain, the travels, the people he meets along the way, and the birds and other wildlife, are full of enthusiasm and beauty and very often pathos. The habitat is shrinking, the weather patterns are becoming more hostile, and introduced species are destroying indigenous species at a catastrophic rate.
Even though there's a pervasive sadness and quiet desperation written into the narrative, I found it a compelling and important read. I would recommend it for readers of nature and conservancy writing, fans of Rachel Carson, John Muir, David Attenborough, and related writers. In some ways it also reminded me of Douglas Adams and Mark Cawardine's Last Chance to See.
Five stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 3 April, 2021: Finished reading
- 3 April, 2021: Reviewed