What do you think?
Rate this book
Why Willows Weep: Contemporary Tales from the Woods
Tracy Chevalier, bestselling author Girl with a Pearl Earring, has edited a beautiful new short story collection with original contributions from nineteen of our best loved contemporary authors. Published by IndieBooks in association with Hamish Hamilton, Why Willows Weep: Contemporary Tales from the Woods is an enchanting new collection in support of the Woodland Trust. Contributors: William Fiennes, James Robertson, Richard Mabey, Tracey Chevalier, Susan Elderkin, Rachel Billington, Blake Morrison, Maria McCann, Terence Blacker, Joanne Harris, Philippa Gregory, Catherine O Flynn, Tahmima Anam, Maggie O Farrell, Amanda Craig, Ali Smith, Philip Hensher, Salley Vickers and Kate Mosse.
124 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
3 people are currently reading
630 people want to read
About the author
Tracy Chevalier
64 books11.4k followersBorn:
19 October 1962 in Washington, DC. Youngest of 3 children. Father was a photographer for The Washington Post.
Childhood:
Nerdy. Spent a lot of time lying on my bed reading. Favorite authors back then: Laura Ingalls Wilder, Madeleine L’Engle, Zilpha Keatley Snyder, Joan Aiken, Susan Cooper, Lloyd Alexander. Book I would have taken to a desert island: Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery.
Education:
BA in English, Oberlin College, Ohio, 1984. No one was surprised that I went there; I was made for such a progressive, liberal place.
MA in creative writing, University of East Anglia, Norwich, England, 1994. There’s a lot of debate about whether or not you can be taught to write. Why doesn’t anyone ask that of professional singers, painters, dancers? That year forced me to write all the time and take it seriously.
Geography:
Moved to London after graduating from Oberlin in 1984. I had studied for a semester in London and thought it was a great place, so came over for fun, expecting to go back to the US after 6 months to get serious. I’m still in London, and still not entirely serious. Even have dual citizenship – though I keep the American accent intact.
Family:
1 English husband + 1 English son.
Career:
Before writing, was a reference book editor, working on encyclopedias about writers. (Yup, still nerdy.) Learned how to research and how to make sentences better. Eventually I wanted to fix my own sentences rather than others’, so I quit and did the MA.
Writing:
Talked a lot about becoming a writer as a kid, but actual pen to paper contact was minimal. Started writing short stories in my 20s, then began first novel, The Virgin Blue, during the MA year. With Girl With a Pearl Earring (written in 1998), I became a full-time writer.
19 October 1962 in Washington, DC. Youngest of 3 children. Father was a photographer for The Washington Post.
Childhood:
Nerdy. Spent a lot of time lying on my bed reading. Favorite authors back then: Laura Ingalls Wilder, Madeleine L’Engle, Zilpha Keatley Snyder, Joan Aiken, Susan Cooper, Lloyd Alexander. Book I would have taken to a desert island: Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery.
Education:
BA in English, Oberlin College, Ohio, 1984. No one was surprised that I went there; I was made for such a progressive, liberal place.
MA in creative writing, University of East Anglia, Norwich, England, 1994. There’s a lot of debate about whether or not you can be taught to write. Why doesn’t anyone ask that of professional singers, painters, dancers? That year forced me to write all the time and take it seriously.
Geography:
Moved to London after graduating from Oberlin in 1984. I had studied for a semester in London and thought it was a great place, so came over for fun, expecting to go back to the US after 6 months to get serious. I’m still in London, and still not entirely serious. Even have dual citizenship – though I keep the American accent intact.
Family:
1 English husband + 1 English son.
Career:
Before writing, was a reference book editor, working on encyclopedias about writers. (Yup, still nerdy.) Learned how to research and how to make sentences better. Eventually I wanted to fix my own sentences rather than others’, so I quit and did the MA.
Writing:
Talked a lot about becoming a writer as a kid, but actual pen to paper contact was minimal. Started writing short stories in my 20s, then began first novel, The Virgin Blue, during the MA year. With Girl With a Pearl Earring (written in 1998), I became a full-time writer.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 27, 2024
These 19 short fictions, rather like Rudyard Kipling’s Just-So Stories, imagine how certain tree species developed their particular characteristics. I wasn’t expecting the fable setup and probably would have preferred a miscellany of essays and various fictional approaches. However, there is a run of great stories in the middle: from Susan Elderkin on “How the Blackthorn Got Its Flowers” to Terence Blacker on “Why Elms Die Young.” The stand-outs for me were by Rachel Billington and Maria McCann. It was a cute touch to have each author’s mini-bio end with their favourite tree, except, um, bamboo isn’t one (it’s a giant grass). I’ll probably keep this for the randomness of where I found it and the Leanne Shapton illustrations. (Secondhand purchase – La Monnerie recyclerie, France)
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
August 16, 2016
A fairly recent gift, it hasn't sat too long on the “unread” shelves.
'Contemporary Tales from the Woods'(the book's sub title). Many are “fairy tales”, woven around trees, as it were, incorporating folklore and more besides. It is a handsome volume, beautifully produced, a loving tribute to one of my favourite forms of life. Simply, yet boldly illustrated by Leanne Shapton, these paintings are a joy and alone worth the cost of the book.
It's a light, touching and thoroughly delightful read, just what I needed. The contributions are from a varied set of writers and novelists. Some very fine writing flourishes too, worthy of all the equally varied leaves and branches, some of which are described here. I'll use this from Maggie O'Farrell to illustrate my point. It comes from her tale 'How The Oak Tree Came To Life'. Here she describes the new born child who would be the inspiration behind the tree: “The mind got snagged on those wide blue eyes, the long lashes, the perfect symmetry of his lips”.
As well as being a lovely book to have and hold, its very material is a gift from its subject matter, the tree. And on the page normally reserved for a dedication we read the following: “Every book sold will enable the planting of five native trees by the Woodland Trust”. Lovingly recommended.
'Contemporary Tales from the Woods'(the book's sub title). Many are “fairy tales”, woven around trees, as it were, incorporating folklore and more besides. It is a handsome volume, beautifully produced, a loving tribute to one of my favourite forms of life. Simply, yet boldly illustrated by Leanne Shapton, these paintings are a joy and alone worth the cost of the book.
It's a light, touching and thoroughly delightful read, just what I needed. The contributions are from a varied set of writers and novelists. Some very fine writing flourishes too, worthy of all the equally varied leaves and branches, some of which are described here. I'll use this from Maggie O'Farrell to illustrate my point. It comes from her tale 'How The Oak Tree Came To Life'. Here she describes the new born child who would be the inspiration behind the tree: “The mind got snagged on those wide blue eyes, the long lashes, the perfect symmetry of his lips”.
As well as being a lovely book to have and hold, its very material is a gift from its subject matter, the tree. And on the page normally reserved for a dedication we read the following: “Every book sold will enable the planting of five native trees by the Woodland Trust”. Lovingly recommended.
July 3, 2018
Why the Ash Has Black Buds:
This beautiful story is about an Ash tree who saw men and women reading and writing beneath its shades. The author begins with:
The trees have always had some idea of what happens to them when they die.
Yes they do. They have seen their friends and neighbors being chopped down and converted to furniture, handles, wheels and what not. But the most noble of them were those who were converted to books. The trees saw these books changing lives and enlightening generations.
These trees took pride in the idea of being a Book: they thought a Book was a noble thing to become, if you had to become anything- a terrible bore to be a racer, after all, and a wheel would mean such a battering, though of course the travel was a bonus, and what tree in It’s right mind would wish to be a rack, coding, crucifix, gallows…
One such tree was Ash tree.
They saw the men and women holding their pens, and the ink that came out of them on to the paper, and although they didn’t have hands, they tried to curl their branches into fingers that might hold pens, and they dreamed it so vividly that the tips of their fingers turned black with ink as they waved against the blank white page of the sky, trying to write on it.
And this is why the Ash trees have black buds and branches bent upwards at their tips towards the sky.
I absolutely loved the story. It is a short feel good story about reading. Read it on a good morning under a tree. You will love it.😊
This One (or How the Blackthorn Got Its Flowers):
This is a cute story of Blackthorn. When once Blackthorn was young and the gifts were being distributed he got really late to the party. The gates were closed and he couldn’t get anything. He was okay though since all the other trees looks just like him. They all had stumps and branches.
On the day that the gifts were handed out they Blackthorn was late. By the time it got there,, the gate was shut and a sign had been put up saying ‘Creation complete’.
Soon when spring came Blackthorn realised what a mistake it was. The other trees started flowering. So that was the gift. Blackthorn remains the only tree with thorns. Mothers stopped children and dogs from getting near it. It also receives jibes from other trees. It was cruel.
It wanted only one thing: to hold this girl’s gaze, to spark her interest, her love, her joy- to make her come back, again and again. Something that wouldn’t tear at her tender skin, or dry out her tongue. Something from before the time when the gate had been closed, from when the Blackthorn was young and new and existed simply of greenness and a hunger for water and light.
So the hunger for water grew and the Blackthorn started storing water inside its body. Soon it swelled up and see a sudden shower of white flowers. Blackthorn was so joyful. Soon the mothers forgot the thorns and let the kids play with the white flowers on the Blackthorn.
Why Elms Die Young:
This is a story of why Elms die young. It is sort of a curse, mostly. Elm was the rudest tree in the forest where everyone was very tolerant.
The forest is a tolerant, live-and-let-live sort of place, where there is a general sense that trees should not judge one another but concentrate on their own growing.
In the midst of tolerant humble trees Elm was the only one with a severe attitude problem. He did think we was better than anyone else in the forest.
When the Ash tree finally confronted it, Elm did not have a better reason but only that he was Elm.
‘I am hornbeam,’ said the hornbeam. ‘So what? Statement of identity hardly constitutes a reason.’
‘I am Elm.’
Soon the willow tree got an idea. It called upon its beetle friend who has come down from Asia to take care of the matter. From then on as soon as the Elms got to a certain height they were plagued with the fungus. And ultimately died. This happened for a couple of centuries but everyone came back to Norma later.
A sad story though but really well written.
Scots Pine (A Valediction Forbidding Mourning):
Ali Smith’s writing has always put me at an awkward position. I love her writing. Not saying I don’t. But I sometimes fear that I am not understanding her well enough! Her thoughts are all over the stories. She is talking in multiple languages in multiple directions. It gets difficult sometimes but I am like a bee and she like a flower. I keep coming back to her and enjoy her writing nevertheless.
This particular story is about two friends with a difference in their ages. They are driving through in their car when they notice a Scots Pine tree fallen on the road. The conversations start and they talk about pines. They talk about the tree and it’s pines as if both of them know the tree better than the other. However, somewhere maturity sets in the older one. There are so many things that the younger one doesn’t know about the pine tree. It only comes with age.
The pine tree is the subject of the story but the author talks about old age and loneliness. She is trying to find a relationship with the pine tree. I really loved the story.
Here are a few lines from the beginning, if it moves you enough to read Ali Smith.
Every question holds its answer, like every answer holds its question, bound so close that they travel together like wings on either side of a seed.
Why Willows Weep:
This one tells us the tale of the trees before humans came into existence. It begins like this:
Long ago, when the world was still quite young, the trees and plants rules all living things. I say ‘ruled’ but there was no need then for rules; rather they were caretakers of creation as it emerged out of that obscure and uncharted place from which what is called ‘creation’ emerged.
Soon came the birds and the dinosaurs. Humankind took its time but it came into existence too. It learnt to feed itself, make wheel and transport itself. Started making habitats and thus the greed kept growing. So every time the Willow tree saw something unjust being done he sighed.
Soon, a female human heard the sigh as spoke to the willow tree.
‘Tell me, why do you sigh?’
‘I sigh at the sight of humankind’s wrongdoings.’
She soon learnt the art of sighing to stem the harm done. She learnt to sigh but the willow lost its gift. Now it could only bend its head and weep.
And that is why the willow weeps!
This beautiful story is about an Ash tree who saw men and women reading and writing beneath its shades. The author begins with:
The trees have always had some idea of what happens to them when they die.
Yes they do. They have seen their friends and neighbors being chopped down and converted to furniture, handles, wheels and what not. But the most noble of them were those who were converted to books. The trees saw these books changing lives and enlightening generations.
These trees took pride in the idea of being a Book: they thought a Book was a noble thing to become, if you had to become anything- a terrible bore to be a racer, after all, and a wheel would mean such a battering, though of course the travel was a bonus, and what tree in It’s right mind would wish to be a rack, coding, crucifix, gallows…
One such tree was Ash tree.
They saw the men and women holding their pens, and the ink that came out of them on to the paper, and although they didn’t have hands, they tried to curl their branches into fingers that might hold pens, and they dreamed it so vividly that the tips of their fingers turned black with ink as they waved against the blank white page of the sky, trying to write on it.
And this is why the Ash trees have black buds and branches bent upwards at their tips towards the sky.
I absolutely loved the story. It is a short feel good story about reading. Read it on a good morning under a tree. You will love it.😊
This One (or How the Blackthorn Got Its Flowers):
This is a cute story of Blackthorn. When once Blackthorn was young and the gifts were being distributed he got really late to the party. The gates were closed and he couldn’t get anything. He was okay though since all the other trees looks just like him. They all had stumps and branches.
On the day that the gifts were handed out they Blackthorn was late. By the time it got there,, the gate was shut and a sign had been put up saying ‘Creation complete’.
Soon when spring came Blackthorn realised what a mistake it was. The other trees started flowering. So that was the gift. Blackthorn remains the only tree with thorns. Mothers stopped children and dogs from getting near it. It also receives jibes from other trees. It was cruel.
It wanted only one thing: to hold this girl’s gaze, to spark her interest, her love, her joy- to make her come back, again and again. Something that wouldn’t tear at her tender skin, or dry out her tongue. Something from before the time when the gate had been closed, from when the Blackthorn was young and new and existed simply of greenness and a hunger for water and light.
So the hunger for water grew and the Blackthorn started storing water inside its body. Soon it swelled up and see a sudden shower of white flowers. Blackthorn was so joyful. Soon the mothers forgot the thorns and let the kids play with the white flowers on the Blackthorn.
Why Elms Die Young:
This is a story of why Elms die young. It is sort of a curse, mostly. Elm was the rudest tree in the forest where everyone was very tolerant.
The forest is a tolerant, live-and-let-live sort of place, where there is a general sense that trees should not judge one another but concentrate on their own growing.
In the midst of tolerant humble trees Elm was the only one with a severe attitude problem. He did think we was better than anyone else in the forest.
When the Ash tree finally confronted it, Elm did not have a better reason but only that he was Elm.
‘I am hornbeam,’ said the hornbeam. ‘So what? Statement of identity hardly constitutes a reason.’
‘I am Elm.’
Soon the willow tree got an idea. It called upon its beetle friend who has come down from Asia to take care of the matter. From then on as soon as the Elms got to a certain height they were plagued with the fungus. And ultimately died. This happened for a couple of centuries but everyone came back to Norma later.
A sad story though but really well written.
Scots Pine (A Valediction Forbidding Mourning):
Ali Smith’s writing has always put me at an awkward position. I love her writing. Not saying I don’t. But I sometimes fear that I am not understanding her well enough! Her thoughts are all over the stories. She is talking in multiple languages in multiple directions. It gets difficult sometimes but I am like a bee and she like a flower. I keep coming back to her and enjoy her writing nevertheless.
This particular story is about two friends with a difference in their ages. They are driving through in their car when they notice a Scots Pine tree fallen on the road. The conversations start and they talk about pines. They talk about the tree and it’s pines as if both of them know the tree better than the other. However, somewhere maturity sets in the older one. There are so many things that the younger one doesn’t know about the pine tree. It only comes with age.
The pine tree is the subject of the story but the author talks about old age and loneliness. She is trying to find a relationship with the pine tree. I really loved the story.
Here are a few lines from the beginning, if it moves you enough to read Ali Smith.
Every question holds its answer, like every answer holds its question, bound so close that they travel together like wings on either side of a seed.
Why Willows Weep:
This one tells us the tale of the trees before humans came into existence. It begins like this:
Long ago, when the world was still quite young, the trees and plants rules all living things. I say ‘ruled’ but there was no need then for rules; rather they were caretakers of creation as it emerged out of that obscure and uncharted place from which what is called ‘creation’ emerged.
Soon came the birds and the dinosaurs. Humankind took its time but it came into existence too. It learnt to feed itself, make wheel and transport itself. Started making habitats and thus the greed kept growing. So every time the Willow tree saw something unjust being done he sighed.
Soon, a female human heard the sigh as spoke to the willow tree.
‘Tell me, why do you sigh?’
‘I sigh at the sight of humankind’s wrongdoings.’
She soon learnt the art of sighing to stem the harm done. She learnt to sigh but the willow lost its gift. Now it could only bend its head and weep.
And that is why the willow weeps!
July 24, 2025
This is a book I've had on my physical TBR for ages - I didn't realise how long until I read the inscription; I've had it over ten years... that makes me feel quite bad (to put it mildly). But, I guess reading a gift late is better than never...
These are sort of 'just-so' stories in the style of Rudyard Kipling, like 'how lime trees became sticky' or 'why the ash has black buds.' Going in sort of blind (ie. having forgotten the premise of the book), I was expecting more of a miscellany, with maybe some essay type pieces, short fiction, flash fiction etc, but they basically all followed this fable structure, more or less. The nineteen contributing authors are nearly all 'big name' authors (Ali Smith, Philippa Gregory, Maggie O'Farrell, Catherine O'Flynn, Kate Mosse etc) with a just few I wasn't so familiar with (Tahmima Anam being the one that springs to mind who also lists her favourite tree as being bamboo... am I being thick, or is bamboo not a tree? Seems like a fairly important distinction in a book about trees...).
It was a mixed bag. I liked the concept a lot more than the execution. I'm not sure how the order of the stories were decided on (they weren't alphabetical although the author bios were), but it started out with a few strong stories, had a bit of a 'dead' patch for me in the middle, and then finished off strong with some really beautiful contributions. My personal favourites were Ali Smith's 'A Valediction Forbidding Mourning' (about Scott's Pines, and not in the just-so, fable-esque tradition; instead, a snapshot from a couple's life that beautifully incorporated the tree - it wasn't forced, but retained an equal importance to the human element); Maggie O'Farrell's 'How the Oak Tree Came to Life' (just some really gorgeous poetry-esque prose); and William Fiennes' 'How the Ash Tree Has Black Buds' (very much a just-so story but written with poise and thoughtfulness, worth a second read). (There were some other beautiful ones, but highlighting three is enough for my brain! - and this review. Quick mention to the yew story, the silver birch, and the lime trees).
Lots of connecting themes of longevity, preservation, the brief and sometimes 'petty' lives of humans, but the connections humans can have to the natural world, showing ways that time passes and nature remains. So, universal themes, but executed well by the majority of the writers; it's not a page-turner, nor is it a life-changing book. It's definitely a 'gift' sort of book - and as a bonus the Woodland Trust plants five trees for the sale of each book (the hardback at least).
These are sort of 'just-so' stories in the style of Rudyard Kipling, like 'how lime trees became sticky' or 'why the ash has black buds.' Going in sort of blind (ie. having forgotten the premise of the book), I was expecting more of a miscellany, with maybe some essay type pieces, short fiction, flash fiction etc, but they basically all followed this fable structure, more or less. The nineteen contributing authors are nearly all 'big name' authors (Ali Smith, Philippa Gregory, Maggie O'Farrell, Catherine O'Flynn, Kate Mosse etc) with a just few I wasn't so familiar with (Tahmima Anam being the one that springs to mind who also lists her favourite tree as being bamboo... am I being thick, or is bamboo not a tree? Seems like a fairly important distinction in a book about trees...).
It was a mixed bag. I liked the concept a lot more than the execution. I'm not sure how the order of the stories were decided on (they weren't alphabetical although the author bios were), but it started out with a few strong stories, had a bit of a 'dead' patch for me in the middle, and then finished off strong with some really beautiful contributions. My personal favourites were Ali Smith's 'A Valediction Forbidding Mourning' (about Scott's Pines, and not in the just-so, fable-esque tradition; instead, a snapshot from a couple's life that beautifully incorporated the tree - it wasn't forced, but retained an equal importance to the human element); Maggie O'Farrell's 'How the Oak Tree Came to Life' (just some really gorgeous poetry-esque prose); and William Fiennes' 'How the Ash Tree Has Black Buds' (very much a just-so story but written with poise and thoughtfulness, worth a second read). (There were some other beautiful ones, but highlighting three is enough for my brain! - and this review. Quick mention to the yew story, the silver birch, and the lime trees).
Lots of connecting themes of longevity, preservation, the brief and sometimes 'petty' lives of humans, but the connections humans can have to the natural world, showing ways that time passes and nature remains. So, universal themes, but executed well by the majority of the writers; it's not a page-turner, nor is it a life-changing book. It's definitely a 'gift' sort of book - and as a bonus the Woodland Trust plants five trees for the sale of each book (the hardback at least).
October 19, 2021
Lovely collection of short stories all about trees. What more can you want?
July 24, 2025
Why Willows Weep is a collection of fables, each focused on one tree, written and anthologized as a fundraiser for the Woodland Trust. I love this as a fundraiser, and I love the concept. My favourite contributions were "Why the Ash Has Black Buds" by William Fiennes, "The Stickiness of Lime Trees" by Catherine O'Flynn, and "The Magic of the Maple" by Tahmima Anam. While the 'fable' structure lends cohesion to the collection, I do also feel like it has resulted in a strong sense of repetitiveness; I found the collection quite uneven, and enjoyed some fables but really really did not enjoy others.
August 14, 2021
RA
Many of these stories read like contemporary creation myths. The Cuckoo and the Cherry Tree flew in the face of evolutionary theory, but Ali Smith's scots pine story deftly combines fact with poetry in the shape of the man and woman's different outlooks. Philippa Gregory's story was pure poetry in prose. A quibble is that holly trees are male and female; the female bearing the berries. When you think of the events of the holly story such an observation becomes significant. The first story in the collection made me realise just how many diverse uses wood was put to before plastic, even against trees themselves! The silver birch story showed how hopeless men are at identifying trees. It always amazes me when people (not only men) can't even recognise the oak! The maple story by Tahmima Anam was a reminder of the dispossession of the Palestinian people by the construction of walls and illegal settlements. And a suggestion of the way trees can help overcome petty human divisions through shared experience. I was surprised her favourite 'tree' was bamboo. Bamboo is a non-woody plant and member of the grass family. Catherine O'flynn's lime tree piece was one of the stories that gave a sense of the longevity of trees compared to the brief existence of humans. But there is the fear those "soft fingers" are capable of terminating that very longevity. The longevity theme connected with Kate Mosse's story on the tree that truly lives through the ages: the yew. I was disappointed with this contribution. As a strong theme was warfare across time, I was expecting the use of yew to fashion the longbows of the Hundred Years War would be mentioned. I think the omission left an incompleteness to the closing story. Generally the stories were good, but some author's seemed to lack knowledge of their topical species. Hence four stars.
Many of these stories read like contemporary creation myths. The Cuckoo and the Cherry Tree flew in the face of evolutionary theory, but Ali Smith's scots pine story deftly combines fact with poetry in the shape of the man and woman's different outlooks. Philippa Gregory's story was pure poetry in prose. A quibble is that holly trees are male and female; the female bearing the berries. When you think of the events of the holly story such an observation becomes significant. The first story in the collection made me realise just how many diverse uses wood was put to before plastic, even against trees themselves! The silver birch story showed how hopeless men are at identifying trees. It always amazes me when people (not only men) can't even recognise the oak! The maple story by Tahmima Anam was a reminder of the dispossession of the Palestinian people by the construction of walls and illegal settlements. And a suggestion of the way trees can help overcome petty human divisions through shared experience. I was surprised her favourite 'tree' was bamboo. Bamboo is a non-woody plant and member of the grass family. Catherine O'flynn's lime tree piece was one of the stories that gave a sense of the longevity of trees compared to the brief existence of humans. But there is the fear those "soft fingers" are capable of terminating that very longevity. The longevity theme connected with Kate Mosse's story on the tree that truly lives through the ages: the yew. I was disappointed with this contribution. As a strong theme was warfare across time, I was expecting the use of yew to fashion the longbows of the Hundred Years War would be mentioned. I think the omission left an incompleteness to the closing story. Generally the stories were good, but some author's seemed to lack knowledge of their topical species. Hence four stars.
October 19, 2016
A fun little book of tree-themed tales. Each chapter is written by a different contemporary author and gives an imaginative account of how a particular type of tree came to have berries, or die young, or be beautiful or give nice-sounding wood. Universal themes, large print and large spacing make it a good gift for all ages, and, as it says on the back: "Every book sold will enable the planting of five native trees by the Woodland Trust."
These may not be the most riveting stories you've ever read, but they'll warm your heart like no fire ever would. Not to mention the good cause. Go and buy a copy.
These may not be the most riveting stories you've ever read, but they'll warm your heart like no fire ever would. Not to mention the good cause. Go and buy a copy.
June 22, 2014
Very beautiful book, filled with whimsical stories of why trees are.....
I enjoyed it immensely, also each copy bought contributes 5 trees to be planted for The Woodland Trust. Good stories and a worthy cause can't be beaten.
I enjoyed it immensely, also each copy bought contributes 5 trees to be planted for The Woodland Trust. Good stories and a worthy cause can't be beaten.
January 1, 2023
This is a beautifully illustrated collection of fable-like short stories, many in the form of pourqoui stories, all about different trees of the UK. A percentage of the cover price goes to support the Woodland Trust. Personal favourites were 'Why the Ash has Black Buds' by William Fiennes, 'Why the Crab Apple is sour' by Maria McCann, and 'Why the Yew lives so long' by Kate Mosse.
January 25, 2020
A sweet concept. A great cause -- the planting of trees in tree-denuded England. Most of the tales were wise. Some were pretentious. The book is definitely a good thing to buy. Its worth is on many levels.
June 5, 2018
Being a fan both of nature writing and short stories, I have wanted to read Why Willows Weep for quite some time. I really love the concept. Here are collected 'nineteen writers, nineteen UK native trees, nineteen grown-up fables', all of which have been specifically written for this collection. I (unsurprisingly) really enjoyed Ali Smith's contribution here, but I found some of the others a bit odd. Many of them felt more like short essays than stories. In all, I liked the idea behind the collection more than I liked the book itself.
March 10, 2022
So beautifully written, bringing me back to my love for poetry. I enjoyed the theme of trees and its focus on the importance and history behind our natural world.
June 28, 2014
Very enjoyable read.
June 13, 2018
Funny light hearted read imaginative collection of stories well written thank you for letting me read it enjoyed
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews