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Uprooting
- From the Caribbean to the Countryside – Finding Home in an English Country Garden
- Narrated by: Marchelle Farrell
- Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins
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Uprooting
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Summary
What is home? It’s a question that has troubled Marchelle Farrell for her entire life. A longed-for career in psychiatry saw her leave behind the pristine beaches and emerald hills of Trinidad. Until, disillusioned, she uprooted again, this time for the peaceful English countryside.
The only Black woman in her village, Marchelle hopes to grow a new life. But when a worldwide pandemic and a global racial reckoning collide, the upheaval of colonialism that has led her to this place begins to be unearthed. Is this really home? And can she ever feel truly grounded here?
Drawn to her new garden, Marchelle begins to examine this complex and emotional question through the psychotherapeutic lens of her work. As her relationship with the garden deepens, she discovers that her two conflicting identities are far more intertwined than she had realised.
Full of hope and healing, Uprooting is a book about finding home where we least expect it, and which invites us to reconnect to the land – and ourselves.
Critic reviews
'A beautiful memoir that shows how gardens can be a place to plant our most troubled feelings, to put down roots and to find peace.' (KATHERINE MAY)
'In this beautiful book, Marchelle Farrell excavates the troubled legacies of colonialism and her own uprooting as she brings her Somerset garden back to life. Over the course of a year she pours love into the depleted soil and is rewarded with an abundance - of plants, insights and friendships - and, most importantly, a sense of finding home.' (LULAH ELLENDER)
'Can the shifting sands upon which a diasporic life is built ever begin to settle? In her search for belonging, Farrell co-creates a garden and considers the wider cultural and political landscapes that have shaped her. A beautiful entanglement of soil and soul.' (JINI REDDY)
What listeners say about Uprooting
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Bernard Griffin
- 04-12-23
Brilliant
The best book I've read/heard in many the year...she is an excellent writer and I can't wait for her next work to become available!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- HCB
- 13-01-24
Beautiful
I loved this beautiful book weaving so much into the making of a garden and finding home. Calming, quiet and powerful.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Greenfingers
- 26-03-24
A unique account that blends deep thoughts and creative horticulture
There is so much to appreciate in this reading, from the keenly observed descriptions of a developing Somerset garden to the history of Trinidad and the author’s thought-provoking insights on her uprooting and final settling. The reminder of that long period of lockdown we all experienced is so poignant and contrasts government blunders with the kindness of neighbours in a strong community. I loved this work.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- James
- 16-10-23
My book / listen of the year 2023
It takes quite some wrangling to weave the disparate themes of colonialism and gardening seamlessly into those of personal discovery and raising a family. To then overlay them with the myriad challenges of trying to settle somewhere new, and doing this during a pandemic delivers a life story that is a phenomenal debut book by Marchelle Farrell. This book / listen was so many things: I felt it jump from joyous to vulnerable to angry, in fact to many different moods and places, in a manner that was completely relatable. The author recounting her experience of ordering beer still makes me chuckle, so I'm glad that I went for the audiobook option. This is my book / listen of the year (and it has even made me want to do more gardening!).
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