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Understory
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Understory
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
A memoir about staying in one place, told through trees, by the award-winning author of MR WIGG, NEST and WHERE THE TREES WERE.
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Description
'a controlled and literate work that earns its emotional peaks' - Saturday Paper
'a delight' - The Australian
A memoir about staying in one place, told through trees, by the award-winning author of MR WIGG, NEST, and WHERE THE TREES WERE.
"The understorey is where I live, alongside these plants and creatures. I tend the forest, stand at the foot of trees and look up, gather what has fallen."
This is the story of a tree-change, of escaping suburban Brisbane for a cottage on ten acres in search of a quiet life. Of establishing a writers' retreat shortly before the Global Financial Crisis hit, and of losing just about everything when it did.
It is also the story of what the author found there: the beauty of nature and her own path as a writer. Understory is a memoir about staying in one place, told through trees, by the award-winning author of MR WIGG, NEST, and WHERE THE TREES WERE.
'Something powerful ... takes hold of the reader and transports [you] to the forest floor in a kind of awe' - Sydney Morning Herald
'I love the way the reader gets lost in the trees and then lost in Inga's life and then lost in the trees again. Understory feels so rich and nourishing, as if the restorative power of the Australian bush is transmitted through her words.' - Richard Glover, bestselling author and radio presenter
'a fine addition to the genre of Australian nature writing' - Books + Publishing
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Understory by Inga Simpson is praised for its articulate narrative and emotional depth, offering readers a transportive experience into the richness of the forest ecosystem. The book is described as a compelling blend of personal memoir and nature writing, capturing the allure of the Australian bush and the profound connection between humans and nature. It's considered a notable contribution to Australian nature writing, effectively intertwining natural science with personal insights and reflections.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780733635960
Publisher: Hachette Australia
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 30 May 2017
Country: Australia
Imprint: Hachette Australia
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 28.0mm
Width: 152.0mm
Height: 232.0mm
Weight: 380g
Pages: 304
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About the Author
Inga Simpson began her career as a professional writer for government before gaining a PhD in creative writing. In 2011, she took part in the Queensland Writers Centre Manuscript Development Program and, as a result, Hachette Australia published her first novel, Mr Wigg, in 2013. Nest, Inga's second novel, was published in 2014 and was longlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award and the Stella Prize and shortlisted for the ALS Gold Medal. Inga's third novel, the acclaimed Where the Trees Were, was published in 2016.
Inga was awarded the final Eric Rolls Prize for her nature writing and has obtained a second PhD, exploring the history of Australian nature writers. Inga's account of her love of Australian nature and life with trees, Understory, was published in 2017. Her first book for children, The Book of Australian Trees, illustrated by Alicia Rogerson, was published in 2021. The Last Woman in the World, her critically acclaimed environmental thriller, was published in 2021 and shortlisted for the 2022 Fiction Indie Book Award. Her bestselling and critically acclaimed 2022 novel Willowman was shortlisted for the BookPeople Adult Fiction Book of the Year 2023 and in 2024 was selected by Australia's leading booksellers in BookPeople's 100 Must-Read Australian Novels. Her 2024 literary thriller The Thinning has been shortlisted for the 2025 ACT Literary Award for Fiction and was longlisted for the 2025 Stella Prize and the 2025 Fiction Indie Book Award. The Peach King, illustrated by Tannya Harricks, is her second book for children, and published in 2025. Once We Were Wildlife is her eighth novel. Inga lives on the New South Wales south coast among trees.Also by Inga Simpson
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The Thinning
A powerful literary page-turner about two young people in a race against time to reach a monumental solar eclipse, from famed Australian novelist Inga Simpson. We haven't always lived like this . . . Fin grew up by an observatory, learning about telescopes and planets, inspired by the passions of her parents, then leaders in their fields of astrophotography and...Paperback$3200Elsewhere:$3799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Willowman
SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKPEOPLE ADULT FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023 SHORTLISTED FOR THE ACT NOTABLE BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION 2023 Willowman may well be the perfect Australian novel. β Readings Beguiling and entertaining. β Peter Lalor, Weekend Australian A sweet strike that goes beyond the boundary. β The Age Joyous storytelling at its best. I was enthralled. β Sarah...Paperback$2799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Mr Wigg
Beautiful and absorbing β Sydney Morning Herald It's the summer of 1971, not far from the stone-fruit capital of New South Wales, where Mr Wigg lives on what is left of his family farm. Mrs Wigg has been gone a few years now, and he thinks about her every day. He misses his daughter, too, and wonders when he'll see...Paperback$2799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Nest
'[a] truly rich novel' SYDNEY MORNING HERALD Once an artist and teacher, Jen now spends her time watching the birds around her house and tending her lush sub-tropical garden near the small town where she grew up. The only person she sees regularly is Henry, who comes after school for drawing lessons. When a girl in Henry's class goes missing,...Paperback$2799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
The Last Woman in the World
AFTER THE FIRES. AFTER THE VIRUS. THEY CAME. A remarkable literary novel from the multi-award-nominated Australian writer It's night, and the walls of Rachel's home creak as they settle into the cover of darkness. Fear has led her to a reclusive life on the land, her only occasional contact with her sister. A hammering on the door. There stands a...Paperback$2799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Where The Trees Were
Shortlisted for the Indie Award for Fiction 2017 Longlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award 2017 'All in?' Kieran pulled me up, and the others followed. We gathered around the bigger tree. No one asked Matty - he just reached up and put his right hand on the trunk with ours. Kieran cleared his throat. 'We swear, on these trees,...Paperback$2799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
The Book of Australian Trees
Trees tell stories about places. Australia has some of the tallest, oldest, fattest and most unusual trees in the world. They have changed over thousands of years, adapting to this continent's deserts, mountains, and coasts. Many have found clever ways of dealing with drought and fire. Their leaves, flowers and seeds are food for birds, insects and mammals. Old trees...Hardback$2999Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
The Peach King
A contemporary fable about the resilience of nature from Inga Simpson, one of Australia's leading nature writers, with paintings by acclaimed illustrator Tannya HarricksWhen Little Peach Tree was just a sapling, all they could see was row upon row of other peach trees. And, on top of the hill, watching over the orchard - the Peach King.As seasons pass, bringing...Hardback$2999Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Once We Were Wildlife
A tender, luminous collection of interconnected tales that explore love, longing and the wilderness - both within and around us. In this compulsive compilation of eleven stories and one poem - set against scorched landscapes, wild oceans, and rocky terrain - Simpson follows people on the edge of desire, heartbreak and change. In 'Poached', an ex-soldier finds himself between a...Paperback$2999Elsewhere:$3499Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Thinning
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2025 STELLA PRIZE LONGLISTED FOR THE 2025 FICTION INDIE BOOK AWARD SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2025 ACT LITERARY AWARD FOR FICTIONA dying world. A race against time. Two unlikely heroes. The paperback edition of the critically acclaimed novel from Inga Simpson, perfect for teens. Fin grew up by an observatory, learning about telescopes and planets, and inspired by...Paperback$2799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks
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