The Living Mountain is a lyrical meditation on nature and our relationship with it by Nan Shepherd (4.25/5 stars)

The Living Mountain is a lyrical meditation on nature and our relationship with it by Nan Shepherd.

I listened to the audiobook (which is read by Tilda freaking Swinton) via my Spotify Premium audiobook hours while following along in my physical review copy. Swinton does a phenomenal job with the lyrical nature of Shepherd’s prose. There’s also an introduction by Robert Macfarlane and an afterward from Jenny Odell and they both narrate those segments themselves.

I love doing blended reads for memoirs, they really help me get a feel for the authorial voice. And gosh, is the authorial voice strong here. This memoir is definitely a classic for a reason.

Shepherd wrote this during World War II and the manuscript stayed untouched until four decades later. But at the same time, it feels pretty ageless. I’ve definitely felt similarly when I’ve gone hiking in the mountains, and I can’t wait until I can get out into the wilds again for more.

I received a complimentary review copy from Scribner Books. All opinions contained herein are my own.

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