archerisonline's review
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
4.5
this book was so up my alley and i enjoyed it so much. here are my critiques, to get them out of the way: it was a bit fractured, a little repetitive, i wish there was a bit more time spent on some elements that got a bit muddled or felt underbaked. apart from those things, i found ‘understory’ to be so enriching and spellbinding. i feel like i understand the setting so well, and especially the author’s relationship to it. i got a bit teary at the end. it was an adventure, and surprisingly compelling. i’m glad to have spent my time on it.
kaydee's review
5.0
A truly wonderful memoir. Simpson paints an evocative picture of a creative life lived amongst the trees but is also very honest about the difficulties and the cost (both in monetary and other terms) of doing so.
I loved the structure of this, the balance between the informative and the personal is struck perfectly and the descriptive writing is just magical.
I haven't read any of Simpson's fiction and I feel like I need to make that a priority now.
A tremendously inspirational book that will stay with me for a long time.
I loved the structure of this, the balance between the informative and the personal is struck perfectly and the descriptive writing is just magical.
I haven't read any of Simpson's fiction and I feel like I need to make that a priority now.
A tremendously inspirational book that will stay with me for a long time.
biblio_kel's review
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I quite enjoyed this book. It's a memoir told via the trees that have existed within the author's life.
crazybooklady_'s review
4.0
I came across Inga Simpson at Adelaide Writer's Week. My interest was piqued after listening to her read an excerpt from her novel Where The Trees Were. I fell in love with that novel, have now devoured Understory and certainly plan to make my way through her first two novels. Understory is the tale of Simpson's tree change from suburbia to a cottage in the forest and interweaves the stories of her life that shaped her path as a writer.
Part of what I love about Understory was that I found Simpson so relatable. All the anecdotes, the passing details are so familiar to my own life that I could;t help but feel comfortable in her world. Gardening in your undies, finishing the day with a beer, the love for wine, good food and solitude. It was all too easy to picture and immerse myself in. I also loved the continuous references to Lord of the Rings and in particular the Ents. I adore LotR and loved reading about the parallels she found in her life in the forest.
Understory is not just a memoir of Simpson's life, but of the trees in the forest too. The reader visits the canopy, the middlestory and the understory. When reading this book be prepared with a device for googling images of the trees. While Simpson's descriptions are vivid and beautiful I also enjoyed a visual representation. Each chapter within each part is the story of that tree, the reader learns all about it, where it fits in the forest and hear a story from Simpson's life that relates back to that tree. This is not your typical memoir told in chronological order detailing life from infancy to present. This is something different, more personal, the reader understands just how intertwined Simpson's life is with the forest.
If you are ecologically-minded I highly recommend picking up Understory. If you aren't ecologically-minded I still recommend picking up Understory. I love the approach to life, the relationship with natures, the lessons learned all contained within this memoir and already know it is a book I will return to again and again over the years. In fact, I immediately went out and purchased Simpson's first novel, Mr Wigg, before I had even finished reading Understory after reading about the inspiration and process of writing it. I believe Simpson is becoming an important voice in Australian literature and highly recommend picking up something of hers if you have not yet. We can all do with a little reminder of just how much we influence our environment and what we can do to protect it. I give Understory four strong trees of the forest.
Part of what I love about Understory was that I found Simpson so relatable. All the anecdotes, the passing details are so familiar to my own life that I could;t help but feel comfortable in her world. Gardening in your undies, finishing the day with a beer, the love for wine, good food and solitude. It was all too easy to picture and immerse myself in. I also loved the continuous references to Lord of the Rings and in particular the Ents. I adore LotR and loved reading about the parallels she found in her life in the forest.
Understory is not just a memoir of Simpson's life, but of the trees in the forest too. The reader visits the canopy, the middlestory and the understory. When reading this book be prepared with a device for googling images of the trees. While Simpson's descriptions are vivid and beautiful I also enjoyed a visual representation. Each chapter within each part is the story of that tree, the reader learns all about it, where it fits in the forest and hear a story from Simpson's life that relates back to that tree. This is not your typical memoir told in chronological order detailing life from infancy to present. This is something different, more personal, the reader understands just how intertwined Simpson's life is with the forest.
If you are ecologically-minded I highly recommend picking up Understory. If you aren't ecologically-minded I still recommend picking up Understory. I love the approach to life, the relationship with natures, the lessons learned all contained within this memoir and already know it is a book I will return to again and again over the years. In fact, I immediately went out and purchased Simpson's first novel, Mr Wigg, before I had even finished reading Understory after reading about the inspiration and process of writing it. I believe Simpson is becoming an important voice in Australian literature and highly recommend picking up something of hers if you have not yet. We can all do with a little reminder of just how much we influence our environment and what we can do to protect it. I give Understory four strong trees of the forest.
lisa_setepenre's review
5.0
I just love Inga Simpson’s writing. There’s something so mediative about it, so like slipping into somewhere warm and cosy where you can curl up and be carried off into a world you know very little about. Understory is a memoir of Simpson’s life amongst trees and a love letter to the Australian forest. I feel as if I’ve gained new appreciation and new insight for the forests I’ve loved since I was a child.
wtb_michael's review
5.0
Beautifully written memoir, capturing the hardships and joys of a life lived in sub-tropical semi-wildness. Simpson writes about nature as well as anyone, and here she also captures something heartbreaking and true about life. One of my favourites of the year so far.
kali's review
5.0
I thought I might savour this book, immerse myself in Inga Simpson's descriptions of trees on her hinterland property but I consumed it like a bushfire. I wonder about the seedlings she planted and tended, whether they have survived the current fires. If they have, they will regenerate, if not, become habitat and charcoal for new growth.
My heart raced and stalled throughout this book: I found resonances. I have lived on a rural property for eight years, but apart from the fruit trees I planted, a bottlebrush, lilly pillies, and a port magnolia, I could not name the trees that surround me. By any name, in any language. I do not have "nature sight" as Inga Simpson does. I have battled weeds advancing on my house, like triffids, rather than noble tree warriors from Middle Earth, and suffered termite damage, rotting structural timbers, and an overwhelming lack of hope of living any sort of Good Life. I want out. Though I am hampered by banking arrangements. The bane of both mine and Inga Simpson's lives.
Where Inga Simpson differs, and what inspires in this hybrid memoir, is her vulnerability that, like the forest that loses limbs undergrowth and canopy, lets in the light. She suffers loss and the worst of human nature, yet, a little scarred, she grows with the trees.
My heart raced and stalled throughout this book: I found resonances. I have lived on a rural property for eight years, but apart from the fruit trees I planted, a bottlebrush, lilly pillies, and a port magnolia, I could not name the trees that surround me. By any name, in any language. I do not have "nature sight" as Inga Simpson does. I have battled weeds advancing on my house, like triffids, rather than noble tree warriors from Middle Earth, and suffered termite damage, rotting structural timbers, and an overwhelming lack of hope of living any sort of Good Life. I want out. Though I am hampered by banking arrangements. The bane of both mine and Inga Simpson's lives.
Where Inga Simpson differs, and what inspires in this hybrid memoir, is her vulnerability that, like the forest that loses limbs undergrowth and canopy, lets in the light. She suffers loss and the worst of human nature, yet, a little scarred, she grows with the trees.
brocc's review
5.0
I think I may be in love with this book. Review to come.
UPDATE: Find my review here: http://butterfly-elephant.blogspot.com.au/2017/05/book-review-understory-by-inga-simpson.html
UPDATE: Find my review here: http://butterfly-elephant.blogspot.com.au/2017/05/book-review-understory-by-inga-simpson.html
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