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Some small books can feel very full, but this one was just a bit too slight. The content wasn't bad by any means; there just wasn't enough of it to make for an absorbing read. I think I was hoping for a more 'imaginative' take on the subject (and the marketing reinforced that expectation), however the author mainly sticks to surface-level descriptions of what she is observing on her walks.

Melissa Harrison's writing is clear, and at times her description really places you in the countryside. I particularly liked her account of sheltering from the Dartmoor rain in a forested nook and feeling as though she'd entered a magical space outside of time. That segment brought back a sudden childhood memory of playing for hours under giant mossy trees. It was interesting to learn about the role of the volunteer-driven British Rainfall Organisation and there is a charming anecdote about an invention, the 'Storm Prognosticator,' which aimed to predict storms using leeches (placed in containers facing each other so that they wouldn't get lonely.)

Overall, though, the mix of tones gives the book a disjointed feel. The writing is dense with scientific, geographical and geological terms and this is mingled with a matter-of-fact reporting of Harrison's own walks. I found my mind wandering off while reading some of these sentences and although it picked up slightly towards the end, the book didn't settle long enough on any one thread - the personal, the poetic, the historical, the philosophical - to be truly engaging.

It was just okay.

Edit: The cover is gorgeous though. Really well-designed.