Please do more of these!! I always wondered what the words of an author sounds like with their own voice. Today I read a lot of birthday wishes towards Marcus Aurelius and wondered what greatness he held as he delivered his philosophy. Today I answer that question, and the voice of an authors workings through their own voice brings an intense feeling of euphoria. It was exactly what I needed today on the anniversary of a relatives passing. Thank you for the incredible reading and concept.
I love this and I love your fig tree narrator! She is very wise. Non-linear time is one of my favourite subjects! I wondered of you'd heard about certain Aboriginal Australian concepts of non-linear time, I read about this at university a very long time ago in a music context. From what I understand..the idea of time as a "rolling hoop" which touches the earth and moves in multiple directions at once, connecting past and present continuously..and the Songlines which criss-cross the land as a complex map of place and time and memory, constantly re-singing the world into existence, even invoking the time before time. Past, present and future are all part of the same - I think this is something we can learn from, remembering what has gone before and trying to make things better for everyone on the next go-round. 💜x
You did great!! 🎉 First times always feel like an opening of a door and peeking through it. And sometimes I could be a tree 🥰 Growing in spirals, pieces of me shaping this way and that inside my brain and body. Thank you for sharing!
“They are incompatible, human-time and tree time” - what timeless but unaware true ! This is just one of numerous memorable sentences in the book. Thanks for this short, but authentic and emotional introduction - reading aloud by an author helps readers to connect with him.
What makes this novel to me so great? There are various aspects. Let me share with you and your subscribers my reading impressions. The novel itself and the plot are stunning in all respects: language (human language and the language of the trees), charming writing style, modest and honest figures (esp. Ada, Kostas and last but not least - the Fig Tree as narrator). Social-political and historical treads meet human being emotions: love, compassion, appreciation of diversity, search for identity, war and peace. Cruel events on Cyprus in 1970s meet todays Europe. Very symbolic. Relatively short chapters and clear narrative make the reading experience exceptional enjoyable, and - all in all - captivating, - almost hypnotizing. What more should we expect from an HONEST author? This is a REAL masterclass storytelling which resonates with attentive readers.
Let me to point out one important detail, that could be overlooked – Mrs. Shafak is not a professional botanist but her research work on this field is astonishing (the author refers to various reliable sources of information, including scientific publications). The famous German botanist, naturalist and explorer - Alexander von Humboldt would have been proud of the idea how a contemporary storyteller can verbalize the emotions of the trees!!!.
Finally, my recommendation for book and nature lovers: Read every passage of this novel slowly, because every single word counts, every sentence, every paragraph matters. Only by slowly reading you can fully appreciate the language of non-human life and its feelings. At last you might experience something beyond human imagination - the wisdom of the trees, their communication abilities and supernatural imagination.
I loved it, thank you so much! I love all your books and this one is special to my tearful heart because it’s the last book my beloved mother read before she left this world… candan teşekkür ederim …
I just finished this book. I’m never one to easily say which novel has been a favorite of all time. This is one. I loved the reading. As an audio storyteller and book narrator, I’m so aware that the way we absorb meaning and emotion differs depending on whether we see words on the page or hear them in our ears. One complements the other. Magical.
Please do more of these!! I always wondered what the words of an author sounds like with their own voice. Today I read a lot of birthday wishes towards Marcus Aurelius and wondered what greatness he held as he delivered his philosophy. Today I answer that question, and the voice of an authors workings through their own voice brings an intense feeling of euphoria. It was exactly what I needed today on the anniversary of a relatives passing. Thank you for the incredible reading and concept.
I totally agree! when you hear the author's voice and accent and tone, then when you read her afterwards, you HEAR the text.
Serious scientists have shown that trees communicate. It would be lovely to think they are as articulate as yours.
I love this and I love your fig tree narrator! She is very wise. Non-linear time is one of my favourite subjects! I wondered of you'd heard about certain Aboriginal Australian concepts of non-linear time, I read about this at university a very long time ago in a music context. From what I understand..the idea of time as a "rolling hoop" which touches the earth and moves in multiple directions at once, connecting past and present continuously..and the Songlines which criss-cross the land as a complex map of place and time and memory, constantly re-singing the world into existence, even invoking the time before time. Past, present and future are all part of the same - I think this is something we can learn from, remembering what has gone before and trying to make things better for everyone on the next go-round. 💜x
You did great!! 🎉 First times always feel like an opening of a door and peeking through it. And sometimes I could be a tree 🥰 Growing in spirals, pieces of me shaping this way and that inside my brain and body. Thank you for sharing!
One of my favorite books. Thank you for writing it with such wisdom and sensitivity.
“They are incompatible, human-time and tree time” - what timeless but unaware true ! This is just one of numerous memorable sentences in the book. Thanks for this short, but authentic and emotional introduction - reading aloud by an author helps readers to connect with him.
What makes this novel to me so great? There are various aspects. Let me share with you and your subscribers my reading impressions. The novel itself and the plot are stunning in all respects: language (human language and the language of the trees), charming writing style, modest and honest figures (esp. Ada, Kostas and last but not least - the Fig Tree as narrator). Social-political and historical treads meet human being emotions: love, compassion, appreciation of diversity, search for identity, war and peace. Cruel events on Cyprus in 1970s meet todays Europe. Very symbolic. Relatively short chapters and clear narrative make the reading experience exceptional enjoyable, and - all in all - captivating, - almost hypnotizing. What more should we expect from an HONEST author? This is a REAL masterclass storytelling which resonates with attentive readers.
Let me to point out one important detail, that could be overlooked – Mrs. Shafak is not a professional botanist but her research work on this field is astonishing (the author refers to various reliable sources of information, including scientific publications). The famous German botanist, naturalist and explorer - Alexander von Humboldt would have been proud of the idea how a contemporary storyteller can verbalize the emotions of the trees!!!.
Finally, my recommendation for book and nature lovers: Read every passage of this novel slowly, because every single word counts, every sentence, every paragraph matters. Only by slowly reading you can fully appreciate the language of non-human life and its feelings. At last you might experience something beyond human imagination - the wisdom of the trees, their communication abilities and supernatural imagination.
The video was brilliantly articulated with such calmness and serenity.
I have yet to buy this book, have most of your other books.
I love the way you add the concept of spirituality in your books in such a subtle way
Rozmin
This is so well spoken with wisdom and wildness that is wreathed in truth. Thankyou.
I loved it, thank you so much! I love all your books and this one is special to my tearful heart because it’s the last book my beloved mother read before she left this world… candan teşekkür ederim …
I just finished this book. I’m never one to easily say which novel has been a favorite of all time. This is one. I loved the reading. As an audio storyteller and book narrator, I’m so aware that the way we absorb meaning and emotion differs depending on whether we see words on the page or hear them in our ears. One complements the other. Magical.
This book is my favorite of all times: “cyclical, recurrent, perennial…” rereading because it breathes within me.” Thank you.
Thank you for this!
I read this book for my English book club and loved it so much...
A month ago in Bali I had lunch in a place at the centre of which there is a tree and I thought about your fig tree...
p.s. unfortunately I cannot upload the picture
The reading was recorded perfectly and you were wonderful. No need for fancy titles. ♥️
We read this as a selection for book club. I loved this book and I know it will be one of my favorites of the year.
Your words are always inspiring. Thank you for sharing, cannot wait to read your book -already in my bookshelf.
Haven't listened yet, just wanted to say I love your last there sentence/pars. I will carry them around with me today, thinking about them.