"A searingly honest and heartfelt memoir about living with a chronic illness and how mental and physical health can be affected by the natural world around us."
This emotionally intelligent, open, and inspiring book travels through the life of the author Nic Wilson, who is beset by an illness that wasn’t diagnosed for years. It is absolutely fascinating to journey with her into her childhood, to join her as she understands how she was affected by her own mother’s illness from a young age. Witnessing the effect of nature on health, and how the author prepares to explore and befriend our natural world, created a soothing balm as I read. It feels incredibly personal, the story here is intimate and at times hemmed in due to health, yet at the same time this memoir is set free as it focuses on the detail and realisations are made. She writes with a frankness that is endearing. I loved how honest Nic Wilson is, she is prepared to join with her younger self, to examine consequences, to admit to decisions made. One fragile step at a time she reaches into, leans against, and absorbs lessons, truths, wisdoms. Nature keeps her company, her knowledge and awareness connects in the best possible way and I particularly loved how the closer she came to home with her explorations of nature, the more she reached an understanding with herself. Thoughtful, generous, and energising, Land Beneath the Waves is a rewarding read we can highly recommend.
| Primary Genre | Biographies & Autobiographies |
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A moving, honest and revealing memoir of living with chronic illness, and an examination of the ways a relationship with the natural world can affect us, from debut author and nature writer Nic Wilson
When Nic Wilson begins researching the history of her local landscape and its wildlife, the last thing she wants to do is consider her own past. But as she unearths tales of giant sequoias, puss moths, nightingales and chalk streams, Nic realizes her affinity with the nearby wild began as a way to handle growing up with a mother who lived with a debilitating chronic illness.
Now in her forties, and struggling with mental and physical health herself, Nic revisits her childhood to trace the influence of the natural world on her life. As she grapples with revelations from the past, the boundaries between self and land become increasingly porous, and the lure of the wetlands around her home threatens to engulf her. Can she find the strength to face the waves of chronic illness - past and present - and learn to reach for steady ground?
With the natural world facing more threats than ever before, Land Beneath the Waves inspires us to develop a meaningful bond with our local natural spaces and landscapes, illuminating a hopeful path towards a better future for human and non-human life.
Land Beneath the Waves features in the following genres: Debut Books of the Month, Non-Fiction Books of the Month, Recommendations, Star Books, Biographies & Autobiographies, Mind, body, spirit, Nature and the natural world: general interest, Self Help and Personal Development, Nature therapy, Chronic diseases and conditions, Coping with / advice about mental health issues, Conservation of the environment, Memoirs
Land Beneath the Waves is available in Paperback, Hardback
Land Beneath the Waves was written by Nic Wilson and published by Summersdale
Land Beneath the Waves has 320 pages
£17.09
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