Book Review
The Nature of Spring by Jim Crumley

Spring is nature's season of rebirth and rejuvenation. Earth's northern hemisphere tilts towards the sun, winter yields to intensifying light and warmth, and a wild, elemental beauty transforms the Highland landscape and a repertoire of islands from Colonsay to Lindisfarne. Jim Crumley chronicles the wonder, tumult and spectacle of that transformation, but he shows too that it is no Wordsworthian idyll that unfolds.

Climate chaos brings unwanted drama to the lives of badger and fox, seal and seabird and raptor, pine marten and sand martin. Jim lays bare the impact of global warming and urges us all towards a more daring conservation vision that embraces everything from the mountain treeline to a second spring for the wolf.

The Nature of Spring continues Crumley’s seasonal writing series. Just like Autumn and winter, Spring is beautiful and extraordinary. There is a softness to the cover, with bluebells in the undergrowth. Ye

Crumley reminds us that nature is not the cheery, purple petunia, yellow fluffy Easter duckling we have come to think it as. It can be harsh, jarring, with the sudden thaw of winter snow. Or the hungry hibernators emerging from their dens. He reminds us how temporary it is and the realities of human habitation and global warming.

Nature is both personal and global. The intimate approach to the animals and environments he comes across result in almost tactile prose.

In the end, I found it hopeful. The Nature of Spring is an excellent addition to the world, worth every moment of your time and enjoyment.

Reviewed by Kelsey Ward. 05 Apr, 2019

 

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