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To the River

A Journey Beneath the Surface
Series: Canons
3.77 goodreads logo

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( 2,434 ratings, 341 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
To the River by Olivia Laing is a blend of memoir, nature writing, and literary history. The author embarks on a midsummer walk along the River Ouse, connecting her journey with historical and personal reflections, including stories of Virginia Woolf. This contemplative narrative explores themes of landscape, memory, and the passage of time.
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Format: Paperback / softback

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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?

This book may appeal to you if you enjoy lyrical nature writing combined with personal reflection and literary history. It weaves together a journey along a river with stories of Virginia Woolf, exploring themes of memory, place, and the natural world.

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To the River

Olivia Laing's odyssey along the banks of the River Ouse, from source to sea; a profound and haunting reflection on history and landscape, and our place within them.

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

Over sixty years after Virginia Woolf's tragic drowning in the River Ouse, Olivia Laing embarks on a journey that intertwines the natural world with poignant reflections on life and literature. In To the River, Laing sets out to walk along the banks of this historic river, tracing its path from its source to the sea. This journey is not just a physical one but also an exploration of the river's place in mythology, science, social history, and the literary imagination.

As she meanders along the riverbanks, Laing delves into the haunting beauty and the often overlooked violence that rivers can embody. She weaves a rich tapestry of stories, drawing parallels between the river's flow and the eternal cycle of life, death, and rebirth. Through her lyrical prose, Laing sheds light on the relentless and mysterious nature of the River Ouse, invoking the spirits of those who have walked its paths before her, including Virginia Woolf herself.

To the River offers a captivating meditation on the landscape and our place within it. Laing's narrative is both a personal pilgrimage and an ode to the natural world, revealing how places retain the echoes of those who have passed through them. As she reflects on the intertwined fates of rivers and human lives, Laing's words resonate with a timeless truth: that ghosts, both literal and metaphorical, never truly leave the places they love. This evocative journey through the English countryside invites readers to consider their own relationship with nature and history, making To the River an unforgettable literary exploration.

Series: Canons

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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?

A beautifully written and elegant debut, Olivia Laing's To the River is praised for its lyrical, melancholic, and exultant prose. Critics commend its gentle wisdom, magical quality, and subtle meditation on the landscape. The book is noted for its allusive and meandering structure, evocative of Richard Mabey’s nature writing and Alice Oswald’s poetry, making it a distinguished addition to the best works of nature writing.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781786891587

Publisher: Canongate Books

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 05 October 2017

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Canongate Canons

Edition: Main - Canons Edition

Illustration: Integrated black and white photos and line drawings.

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 17.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 211g

Pages: 304

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About the Author

Olivia Laing is a widely acclaimed writer and critic. Her work appears in numerous publications, including the Guardian, Observer, New Statesman, Frieze and New York Times. She's a Yaddo and MacDowell Fellow and was 2014 Eccles Writer in Residence at the British Library. To the River was shortlisted for the Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize and the Dolman Travel Book of the Year. Her second book, The Trip to Echo Spring was shortlisted for the 2013 Costa Biography Award and the 2014 Gordon Burn Prize, and The Lonely City has been shortlisted for the 2016 Gordon Burn Prize. She lives in Cambridge.

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