Listening to Laural Merlington narrate these pieces—which reflect on the quietly central role seaweed plays in the life of the ocean and in our own earthly lives—is strangely addictive. Merlington’s calmly intense delivery of Maine writer Shetterly’s insights offers a sense of conviction and urgency without ever hitting a strident note. Merlington’s mature thoughtfulness is well suited to the material, which is sometimes educational, sometimes inspirational, and always beautiful to listen to. Her excellent articulation, vocal variation, and lively tone make this production easy on the ear—which is especially helpful during the scientific parts, such as when she’s offering the dictionary definitions of a variety of seaweed species. Part elegiac tribute, part urgent call to arms, these chronicles invite us to pay attention to nature and to live with intention. J.C.G. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

You might not expect unfettered passion on the topic of seaweed, but Shetterly is such a great storyteller that you find yourself following along eagerly.”
—Mark Kurlansky

“After reading Susan Hand Shetterly’s Seaweed Chronicles, chances are that you’ll look at sushi rolls and the brackish tangles of seaweed washed up on beaches in a new light. Seaweed Chronicles is a fascinating portrait of this valuable, increasingly threatened resource and a passionate plea for its wise management. It’s a beautiful book, both educational and inspirational . . . Shetterly is a wise, attentive observer, open to the wonders of nature. Although generally more lyrical than didactic, she helpfully frontloads the book with important facts about seaweeds. Seaweed Chronicles adds up to a persuasive and loving argument for 'a new model of how to manage ocean resources that doesn’t edge them toward oblivion.'”
—Heller McAlpin, Washington Post
 
“Ms. Shetterly writes beautifully about the interconnectedness of humans and animals and the natural environment that we share. The twinned concepts of community and belonging are central to this story. By exploring the land where we live, we can begin to understand our place in the world. Seaweed Chronicles is an elegy to environmentalism and to the individuals in Ms. Shetterly’s local community who are committed to the stewardship of coastal Maine’s natural habitat. In the end, this is not about turning back the clock or calling for a global shift in behavior, but about a philosophy. Seaweed Chronicles is a local affair and, as such, gives more justice to Ms. Shetterly’s endeavor and closes in on something real. 'Attention,' Simone Weil once wrote, 'is the rarest and purest form of generosity.' Ms. Shetterly is simply urging us to pay attention to nature, to live deliberately, to take stock of the things around us that we don’t want to lose. There may be bigger challenges in the world today than the growing and harvesting of seaweed, but the responsibility and care—the paying attention—that the individuals in Ms. Shetterly’s seascape represent endow us with the fortitude to do the same.”
—Wall Street Journal
 
“Nature writer Shetterly details why this hardy alga deserves safeguarding. In evocative prose, she describes seaweed’s role in the environment, especially in her coastal home of “Downeast Maine,” and the people who study, harvest, sell, eat and protect it.”
—Scientific American
 
“Riveting . . . a lyrical and timely chronicle.”
—BBC Culture
 
“A lovely, first-person consideration of the diaphanous organisms—and an evaluation of their environmental history and promise: a carbon-absorbing environmental superhero, macro-algae biofuel may fuel your VWs and Hondas in the future, to boot.”
—Vogue

“Maine is linked to two profoundly important writers of the 20th century, E. B. White and Rachel Carson. Shetterly reminds me of both.”
—The Bangor Daily News
 
“A measured, wise little book . . . [Shetterly] has a gift for description.”
—Portland Press Herald

Praise for Settled in the Wild by Susan Hand Shetterly:

“Shetterly is a writer whose precise eye is directly connected not just to a quicksilver mind but also a good, generous heart. Her prose is spare, elegant, rich in metaphor, and haunting.”—Richard Russo

“With this tender and tough book, Shetterly creates an offering of native awareness that deserves to be placed alongside Aldo Leopold, Marjorie Stoneman Douglas, and Noel Perrin, all writers of community, insight and resolve.”—Terry Tempest Williams

“There is magic in the way Shetterly has proceeded into her life—with daily awe and hunger—and there is generosity, eloquence, and great intelligence in this telling.”—Rick Bass

“With wisdom and leavening humor, Susan Hand Shetterly tells tales of a small town and the woods around it, of her family and neighbors, two-legged and four, of the sound of wind and the cacophony of silence.”—Richard Louv

“Settled in the Wild draws a beautiful portrait of life lived in utter harmony with the natural world—life as it ought to be lived.”—Alice Waters

“What a beautiful little book. It reads like you're listening to water flowing over stones. Shetterly writes with great detail and understanding, and you feel immersed in her world.”—Lynne Cox

Listening to Laural Merlington narrate these pieces—which reflect on the quietly central role seaweed plays in the life of the ocean and in our own earthly lives—is strangely addictive. Merlington’s calmly intense delivery of Maine writer Shetterly’s insights offers a sense of conviction and urgency without ever hitting a strident note. Merlington’s mature thoughtfulness is well suited to the material, which is sometimes educational, sometimes inspirational, and always beautiful to listen to. Her excellent articulation, vocal variation, and lively tone make this production easy on the ear—which is especially helpful during the scientific parts, such as when she’s offering the dictionary definitions of a variety of seaweed species. Part elegiac tribute, part urgent call to arms, these chronicles invite us to pay attention to nature and to live with intention. J.C.G. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine