leasummer's review against another edition
3.0
Please look for reviews from voices like that of the author, which is not me.
This is more family memoir than travel. We learn about her family as she discovers bits and pieces and share stories and snapshot of their lives. It’s short but the length felt appropriate. The parts in nature and traveling seem a bit disjointed from the family parts but it is all interconnected just like the land is to the people.
This is more family memoir than travel. We learn about her family as she discovers bits and pieces and share stories and snapshot of their lives. It’s short but the length felt appropriate. The parts in nature and traveling seem a bit disjointed from the family parts but it is all interconnected just like the land is to the people.
leak's review against another edition
2.0
I really tried to get myself engaged in this book, but just couldn't! The author talks about Taiwan's history, its unique geography and her family - but in SUCH a dull and very messy way.
thebacklistborrower's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
After finishing this book, I am very conflicted about which book to champion in Canada Reads this year. I loved Hench, but I love this book as well, but they are just so different, so how do I decide?
Two Trees Make a forest is a braiding together of Jessica Lee’s family history in Taiwan, and the natural history of the island, showing the reader how the land is shaped by people and how people shape the land. Lee tells the story of how her family ended up in Taiwan from China, and then in Canada from Taiwan, interspersed with stories of colonialism and Taiwanese mythology, descriptions of hikes, plants, birds, and even the formation of the island itself.
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by the author, and think it is one of the best things I have listened to in a long time. The poetry of Lee’s descriptions of plants, birds, and geology, interlaced with both the Mandarin and latin names, was something I felt I could listen to all day.
This book transported me deeply into the forests, beaches, and mountains of Taiwan. The descriptions of each are deep, thorough, and lyrical. Listening felt meditative. At the same time, I learned about Taiwan’s colonized history, the impacts of war, and also the impacts of humans on the natural world. I finished this book feeling peaceful yet also troubled. Its not hard to see the parallels of Chinese colonization of Taiwan against Canadian colonization, both of the impacts of the indigenous people, but also the land, evident in this line: “In cataloguing territory, map-making was a tool of colonial governance”, which reminded me of HBC maps tracing the routes of rivers in order to claim ownership of them.
I would recommend this book, especially the audiobook, to anybody who appreciates the vastness of nature, from the smells of a tiny flower clinging to a cliff to the grandness of tectonic action creating new earth, or anybody who understands that as humans we are connected to land, and wanted to hear a new story about connections made and lost.
Two Trees Make a forest is a braiding together of Jessica Lee’s family history in Taiwan, and the natural history of the island, showing the reader how the land is shaped by people and how people shape the land. Lee tells the story of how her family ended up in Taiwan from China, and then in Canada from Taiwan, interspersed with stories of colonialism and Taiwanese mythology, descriptions of hikes, plants, birds, and even the formation of the island itself.
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by the author, and think it is one of the best things I have listened to in a long time. The poetry of Lee’s descriptions of plants, birds, and geology, interlaced with both the Mandarin and latin names, was something I felt I could listen to all day.
This book transported me deeply into the forests, beaches, and mountains of Taiwan. The descriptions of each are deep, thorough, and lyrical. Listening felt meditative. At the same time, I learned about Taiwan’s colonized history, the impacts of war, and also the impacts of humans on the natural world. I finished this book feeling peaceful yet also troubled. Its not hard to see the parallels of Chinese colonization of Taiwan against Canadian colonization, both of the impacts of the indigenous people, but also the land, evident in this line: “In cataloguing territory, map-making was a tool of colonial governance”, which reminded me of HBC maps tracing the routes of rivers in order to claim ownership of them.
I would recommend this book, especially the audiobook, to anybody who appreciates the vastness of nature, from the smells of a tiny flower clinging to a cliff to the grandness of tectonic action creating new earth, or anybody who understands that as humans we are connected to land, and wanted to hear a new story about connections made and lost.
megannwray's review against another edition
3.0
(audiobook) as much as i love what this book tried to do, it didn’t land. the idea of family history/memoir writing through a geography and ecology in travel narrative is completely up my alley, but i found myself lost and longing for a through line. there wasn’t a clear, compelling story. despite this, many of lee’s passages are quite poetic and profound. the particular line “a longing to remember things i had not known” hits very close for me.
jennaothomson's review against another edition
5.0
This is beautiful story that I fell more in love with as I listened. The journey described took bravery and reflection. I am happy to have had the opportunity to listen and highly recommend the audio book.
lwc's review against another edition
This is a hard one for me to rate. I only read it as I'm reading all of the Canada Reads top 5 before it starts this week... but this isn't something I would normally pick up. I'm not really into historical or overly descriptive travel writing, so only enjoyed the bits about the family. However overall it was very beautifully written and I can see the appeal for those who are interested in this style of book.