I really wanted to enjoy this book. A woman and her husband buy mountaintop acreage in the Blue Ridge foothills of Virginia with the goal of restoring it to its natural state. This restoration is a tall order for someone with no experience in doing so, and the author realizes very quickly that she has taken on a rather mammoth and expensive project. Along the way we meet people who help her out in this quest to reclaim the land from invasive trees and plants, and we experience her frustrations with the pace and scope of the project. I enjoyed her relationship with her neighbors, the few we met.
The story was not as interesting as I expected it to be, there was a lot of minutiae about the various species of invasive plant interspersed with an occasional funny anecdote about her inexperience. At times it felt repetitive. If you’re really into the flora and fauna of mountain foothills, you’ll enjoy this book. For me, I was hoping for a more conversational tone about how the rest of her life was going as she and her husband planned to reside on the mountaintop, and a more satisfying resolution to the state of the mountaintop.
I appreciate NetGalley and Timber Press giving me an advance copy to read.
The Amy Experience 