From celebrated writer Robert Macfarlane comes this brilliant, perspective-shifting new book – which answers a resounding yes to the question of its title.
At its heart is a single, transformative idea: that rivers are not mere matter for human use, but living beings – who should be recognized as such in both imagination and law. Is a River Alive? takes the reader on an exhilarating exploration of the past, present and futures of this ancient, urgent concept.
The book flows first to northern Ecuador, where a miraculous cloud-forest and its rivers are threatened by goldmining.
Then, to the wounded rivers, creeks and lagoons of southern India, where a desperate battle to save the lives of these waterbodies is under way.
And finally, to north-eastern Quebec, where a spectacular wild river – the Mutehekau or Magpie – is being defended from death by damming in a river-rights campaign.
At once Macfarlane’s most personal and most political book to date, Is a River Alive? will open hearts, spark debates and lead us to the revelation that our fate flows with that of rivers – and always has
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Is a River Alive? 9780241624814 Hardback
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McFarlane's is a unique voice. You feel that he captures the world that he explores so fearlessly with superhumany sharp senses. You are swept away on a tide of prose that reads like poetry and astonished by novel insights and unexpected connections.
This is the fourth McFarlane book that I have read . His intelligent and burning and loving engagement with the most important issues of our time dont prevent his work from being riveting pleasures.
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Is A River Alive?
Robert Macfarlane helps me walk when I can't make it to the woods. Macfarlane gives voice to the experience of being in nature. He somehow puts down on paper what so many of us feel when wandering outside. Take this journey with him along rivers of water and meaning.
- Authors:
- Macfarlane, Robert
- Year Published:
- 2025
- Country of Publication:
- United Kingdom
- Format:
- Hardback
- ISBN:
- 9780241624814
- Number of Pages:
- 384
- Publication Date:
- 01/05/2025
- Publisher:
- Penguin Books Ltd
- Language:
- English
- Place of Publication:
- London
- SKU:
- 9780241624814