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Underland
- Narrated by: Roy McMillan
- Length: 13 hrs and 2 mins
- Categories: Science & Engineering, Science
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All over the country, there are words disappearing from children's lives. Words like Dandelion, Otter, Bramble, Acorn and Lark represent the natural world of childhood, a rich landscape of discovery and imagination that is fading from children's minds. The Lost Words stands against the disappearance of wild childhood. It is a joyful celebration of the poetry of nature words and the living glory of our distinctive British countryside. With acrostic spell-poems by peerless wordsmith Robert Macfarlane, this enchanting audiobook captures the irreplaceable magic of language and nature for all ages.
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Very sweet
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Summary
Penguin presents the audiobook edition of Underland by Robert Macfarlane.
Shortlisted for the Best Nonfiction Audiobook at the New York Festival Radio Awards 2020.
A Guardian Best Book of the 21st Century.
The highly anticipated new book from the internationally best-selling, prize-winning author of Landmarks, The Lost Words and The Old Ways.
Discover the hidden worlds beneath our feet....
In Underland, Robert Macfarlane takes us on a journey into the worlds beneath our feet. From the ice-blue depths of Greenland's glaciers, to the underground networks by which trees communicate, from Bronze Age burial chambers to the rock art of remote Arctic sea-caves, this is a deep-time voyage into the planet's past and future. Global in its geography, gripping in its voice and haunting in its implications, Underland is a work of huge range and power and a remarkable new chapter in Macfarlane's long-term exploration of landscape and the human heart.
Critic reviews
"He is the great nature writer, and nature poet, of this generation." (Wall Street Journal)
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What listeners say about Underland
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Sararara
- 13-05-19
Epic. Sobering. Wonderful.
I feel quite exhausted, as if i had joined the author in his (insane) journeys across glaciers, out to remote icy islands, then down into catacombs and other terrifying constricted spaces deep in the earth.
Despite covering some seriously heavy material on microbiology, geology and nuclear physics (and lots more besides), his eloquent writing style makes you feel as if you know what’s going on.
I kept a notepad to hand to google things later, altho spellings can be tricky.
It’s a fascinating book, with faultless narration, but one to take slowly as it’s quite intense.
And it’s not just about the natural world but takes in history, art, politics and poetry.
The author is erudite and astute but has a lightness of touch with some laugh-out-loud descriptions of places and people.
Amazing book which I shall dip in to again.
20 people found this helpful
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- MR M N Jones
- 31-05-19
Exceptional
Gripping, fascinating and wholly absorbing. The easiest listen yet, highly recommended and deeply thought provoking, not to mention claustrophobia inducing.
7 people found this helpful
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- Mr. Jr Baker
- 16-09-19
Poetic and lyrical, maybe too much so
Beautifully written but I was expecting something more scientific and factual. Very well read but my attention wondered regularly.
4 people found this helpful
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- Heidi
- 01-02-20
Beautifiul, unsettling, essential.
The best non fiction book I've ever read. Every human should read this book to understand our place in the world.
3 people found this helpful
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- Orchak
- 18-06-19
Excellent
A truly outstanding work combining beautiful prose with science, folk-lore, history and anthropology. I strongly recommend this book.
3 people found this helpful
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- A. Jones
- 14-06-19
Thought provoking and powerful
I loved this book and feel like I need to start again to really take it in as it as densely packed with treasures and the earth it praises.
2 people found this helpful
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- John Dalek
- 09-11-20
Not bad...
Some interesting thoughts and ideas, but goes on a bit and the language is somewhat flowery; occasionally a tad pretentious and pompous.
Also, the narrator enunciates like Alan Partridge, once that thought is in your head it's impossible to take the book seriously.
1 person found this helpful
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- Bill
- 27-01-20
A wonderful tour of another world beneath us
Beautifully written and so wonderfully descriptive I could imagine myself in so many of the places (strange given I would never have normally considered to explore such places) and now I cannot wait to go and explore them in person. A truly / listen great read for any lover of the outdoors even if they have never been one for exploring the Underland, caves or any subterranean network.
Most enjoyable from start to finish.
1 person found this helpful
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- Laura
- 06-11-19
Educational and enlightening
Really enjoyed this book, the concept grew as the book progressed, digging deeper with each chapter, and it helped me learn and think a lot along the way. I found myself constantly looking for pictures or articles about the places and people mentioned, and feel much more well-versed having read it. The latter 3rd of the book dragged a little, if I'm honest, the section about the Scandinavian cold and glaciers didn't quite grip me as much as the previous ones, but it was all tied up nicely in the last few chapters. A great book, mind expanding and sobering. An easy entertaining listen too, well read, atmospheric and intriguing. McFarlane writes with a poetic quality that elevates this book to more than you'd expect.
1 person found this helpful
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- Mo
- 03-09-19
Beautiful.
Uterly captivating will listen to this over and over again, and added more places i wish to go.
1 person found this helpful
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- Carmen Herbert
- 26-11-20
Absolutely wonderful
Macfarlane is such a talented writer. I’ve never had nonfiction that feels like a fairytale - truly mythological. And the performance of this audiobook enhanced it. I will listen to this over and over for the rest of my life.