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By: HAMIL 018
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2025-03-12 10:10:58 |
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Whilst all very interested in the subtleties of the life of trees and their needs and characteristics to survive, we did not rate this as one of our best. Felt like a textbook and felt it did not need to be as long - editing? |
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By: NELS 044
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2024-10-16 10:11:58 |
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4-4.5. Engaging writing about complex systems made this a fascinating and thought-provoking read. It raises many questions about our approach to growing both forests and garden and park trees, and uncovers our ignorance of other species. |
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By: WELL 189
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2024-06-18 19:29:31 |
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Overall comment was that we had "never thought of trees this way". The book elicited some strong emotions from some of our group, with comments like "it made me feel sad about living in a city now' and "I don't think I can ever look at trees the same way again". Even those who didn't like the book as much noted that the writer speaks in an 'enthusiastic' way, and his enthusiasm comes through so the book is not "preachy" at all. |
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By: DUNED 063
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2024-06-10 10:13:26 |
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Interesting but too detailed. Most thought it was a good book to own and delve into every so often, but not a good read in one go. Too many interesting facts to digest over a short period of time. |
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By: AUCK 422
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2024-04-03 11:48:50 |
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Interesting and well written, but several members thought that somehow it didn't strike the right balance - neither serious scientific writing nor easy reading. Quite repetitive. |
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By: TAUP 005
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2023-11-16 11:18:02 |
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All members enjoyed, and were amazed by this book. "No tree walk will be the same again after this reading". |
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By: TAKA 004
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2023-06-22 12:22:40 |
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We liked the message but disliked the style of delivery - some loved it, while others disliked it and didn't finish. Great book club book - resulted in discussion about science, anthropomorphism, interbeing, and primordial fear of forests. |
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By: TAKA 001
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2022-10-11 18:53:13 |
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Overall people felt there were too many details and too much information although we also felt we learned things we had not known before. Some of us found the anthropomorphizing a step too far. The differing experiences of the book led to interesting discussions. |
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By: WANAK 010
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2021-08-11 19:57:58 |
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While most of our group read some of the book, only 2 finished the book. Some of us felt that some diagrammatic representation and/or photos might have helped illustrate points made. The anthropomorphism was a bit much for most of us. I |
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By: WHITIAN 002
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2021-07-09 14:29:48 |
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Several found it just too much information despite the amazing research, and some didn't finish it. We all have gained a greater appreciation of the whole system and how trees connect, warn others, and how everything is connected. Ratings varied from 1-4. |
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By: OPOTI 001
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2021-05-31 15:01:10 |
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The group discussed the author's way of attributing human qualities to trees and mostly agreed that while it made understanding the concept easier, they did not agree that trees could have these qualities such as love. One member of our group suggested that the book is most useful to keep on the bookcase as a reference. |
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By: TAUR 009
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2020-03-02 12:10:05 |
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This book makes one look at trees from a whole new perspective! A wonderful read, full of interesting facts and told in such a way that it was absorbing and very informative. Not a quick read - best to devour one chapter at a time, with breaks in between! Loved by all. |
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By: DIAM 001
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2020-01-27 14:32:17 |
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Many found the anthropomorphism a bit too over the top, but we all agreed it gave us a new appreciation of trees. |
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By: CHCH 333
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2019-11-13 13:33:55 |
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Most people really enjoyed the book. Two didn't like the 'humanising' side of it. |
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By: NGARB 001
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2019-10-15 14:22:00 |
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Not an easy read - a lot to absorb. Interesting ideas created a lot of good discussion. |
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By: NEWP 009
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2019-08-23 14:23:00 |
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Interesting, different and thought-provoking |
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By: COROM 002
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2019-07-04 13:40:57 |
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With one exception, we found this book most interesting. To learn about the way trees live their lives, so much slower and older than ourselves, helps us understand and look after them better. We were not so keen on the anthropomorphic style, but liked the ecological view (the interdependence of living things and their environment). Really good discussion. |
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By: CHCH 297
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2019-07-04 13:36:46 |
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Everyone loved the book. We all found it an easy read - the style and the anthropomorphising made it very easy to read. We all felt a new understanding of trees, and plants in general, and to realise that they live in a community with each other was a revelation. |
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By: CHCH 099
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2019-06-17 14:59:16 |
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If I knew then what I learnt from this book, no doubt I would have been nicer to my trees before I had them trimmed! Although none of the group are great gardeners now, we all in our time have had gardens and taken care of trees in them. This book however gave us a great deal of thought about how we have treated trees in the past and how, if we are to reduce or minimise climate change, we need to treat the trees in the future. It is a well-written scientific book aimed at "Joe Public". |
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