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The Heeding

(Longlisted for the Wainwright Prize 2022 for Nature Writing)
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( 259 ratings, 61 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Heeding by Rob Cowen is a beautifully illustrated exploration of the natural world and our place within it, capturing the essence of a year shaped by the events and circumstances of a global pandemic. Through vivid and evocative poetry, it delves into themes of observation, connection, and renewal, offering a powerful reflection on the human experience intertwined with the rhythms of nature.
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Format: Hardback
$3299
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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?

You might enjoy this book if you have a keen interest in the beauty of nature and the intersection of human experiences with the natural world. With its vivid imagery and insightful reflections, it appeals to those who appreciate lyrical writing and a contemplative exploration of life's rhythms and connections.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

From two bestselling and award-winning writers on landscape comes a luminously illustrated meditation on our relationship with the natural world and each other through four unprecedented seasons & a global pandemic.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The world changed in 2020. Gradually at first, then quickly and irreversibly, the patterns by which we once lived altered completely.

Full of love and loss, solidarity and suffering, The Heeding paints a picture of a year caught in the grip of history, yet filled with revelatory perspectives close at hand: a sparrowhawk hunting in a back street; the moon over a town with a loved one's hand held tight; butterflies massing in a high-summer yardβ€”remembrances of the moments that shape a life.

Collecting birds, animals, trees and people together, and surfacing memories along the way, The Heeding evolves to become a profound meditation to a time no-one will forget.

Across four seasons and through a sequence of luminous poems and illustrations, Rob Cowen and Nick Hayes lead us on a journey that takes its markers and signs from nature and a world filled with terror and pain, but beauty and wonder too.

At its heart, this is a book that helps us look again, to heed: to be attentive to this world we share and this history we're living through, to be aware of how valuable and fragile we are, to grieve what's lost, and to hope for a better and brighter tomorrow. It is an unforgettable book that will break your heart, but mend it also.

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?

The Heeding by Rob Cowen has been praised for its powerful and urgent prose that captures the essence of the times with clarity. Reviewers have highlighted its exceptional emotional depth and beauty, describing it as a dazzling and poignant collection. The writing is noted for its ability to uncover and address human emotions with care and humility, particularly amidst challenging times.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781783965977

Publisher: Elliott & Thompson Limited

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 17 June 2021

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Elliott & Thompson Limited

Illustration: Illustrations, black and white

Contributors:

  • Illustrated by Nick Hayes

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 138.0mm

Height: 216.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 112

About the Author

Rob Cowen is an award-winning writer, hailed as one of the UK’s most original voices on nature and place. His book, Common Ground (PRH; 2015) was shortlisted for the Portico, Richard Jefferies Society and Wainwright Prizes and voted one of the nation’s favourite nature books on BBC Winterwatch. His poems have featured on Caught By The River and in Letters to the Earth (Harper Collins). He lives in North Yorkshire. Nick Hayes is a writer, illustrator and print-maker. He is the author of the Sunday Times bestseller, The Book of Trespass: Crossing the Lines that Divide Us (Bloomsbury; 2020). He has published graphic novels with Jonathan Cape and worked for many renowned titles. He has exhibited across the country, including at the Hayward Gallery. He lives in London.

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  • The Heeding
    A year of looking, listening and noticing across four unique seasons and thirty-five beautifully illustrated poems. The world changed in 2020. Gradually at first, then quickly and irreversibly, the patterns by which we once lived altered completely. Across four seasons and a luminous series of poems and illustrations, Rob Cowen and Nick Hayes paint a picture of a year caught...
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