Publishers Weekly
04/01/2024
In this wholesome report, novelist Stewart (From the Ground Up) explores the myriad motivations of 50 tree enthusiasts. Many of those profiled find symbolic meaning in their orchards. For instance, a Northern California woman recounts how she started planting persimmon trees in 2012 as a tribute to her Korean elders, explaining that the fruit is often “placed on altars and grave sites to honor the dead.” Others have more practical goals, such as the South Carolina man who intended to secure generational wealth for his children by growing loblolly pine for timber on a tract his formerly enslaved great-grandfather took over from his former master after the Civil War. For Mexican bonsai artist Enrique Castaño, the dedicated work of “learning how to read the tree by watching the size of the leaves, the curvature of the branches, and the direction of new growth” is its own reward. Elsewhere, Stewart details how a New Mexico botanist spent her retirement collecting pine cones from as many of the 115 pine species as she could find, and how a local leader in Piplantri, India, plants 111 trees for every girl born in the village to push back against the cultural preference for boys. The lighthearted character studies survey the diverse ways that humans relate to the natural world, and Stewart’s tranquil watercolor illustrations charm. Readers will breeze through this. Illus. Agent: Michelle Tessler, Tessler Literary. (June)
From the Publisher
After spending time [with The Tree Collectors], you’ll undoubtedly experience an intense desire to recline under the shade of a leafy canopy. But something even more profound is happening here: by creating a space for people to talk about something they love, Stewart made me feel more tender-hearted toward my fellow humans. ‘How often do any of us get a chance to pour our hearts out to a stranger?’ she writes. ‘Somehow, talking about trees made it possible.’”—Scientific American
“I love everything Amy Stewart has ever created, but this book is my favorite yet. I’m giving this book to everyone I know. Because it, like its subject, is a gift.”—Elizabeth Gilbert, author of The City of Girls and The Signature of All Things
“These mesmerizing trees, and the inspiring people they’ve transformed, will alter your perspective and give you hope.”—Peter Wohlleben, author of The Hidden Life of Trees
“What a gift! The Tree Collectors takes us on a whirlwind planetary journey into the wondrously entangled life of people and plants. With this book, Amy Stewart shows us how we are all related to one another, through trees.”—Katie Holten, author of The Language of Trees
“Blue gum eucalyptus, oaks, maples, ginkgoes, boxwoods, cottonwoods, dogwoods, mangos, flowering cherries . . . With graceful prose and tender watercolors, Amy Stewart’s arboreal global tour explores the fragility and resilience of Earth’s great canopy. The Tree Collectors ushers readers into the hidden groves and lush forests where the world’s most dedicated gardeners plant the landscape of the future.”—Lauren Redniss, author of Oak Flat
“Like the brushstrokes in the fine paintings alongside them, Stewart’s vignettes add up to something more: a powerful portrait of the human passion for plants and a paean to what the plants give back.”—Thor Hanson, author of The Triumph of Seeds
“Amy Stewart brings us inside the hidden world of tree collecting in this delightfully offbeat book about a group of otherwise normal people as diverse as the specimens they collect. The Tree Collectors will take root in your consciousness and nurture your soul.”—William Alexander, author of Ten Tomatoes that Changed the World
“Reading The Tree Collectors feels like sitting down and having the best kind of coffee date with one fascinating person after another. No matter your arboreal experience or expertise, you will learn something, while feeling uplifted by Stewart’s own thoughtful and bright botanical illustrations.”—Kathryn Aalto, author of Writing Wild
“Literary pointillism . . . a warm and brilliant mural of life that tells a larger story about humanity: our desires, our losses, our salvation, and our place on a beautiful living planet during a time of immense challenges.”—Greg King, author of The Ghost Forest