Beyond Spring: Wanderings through Nature

by Matthew Oates

Beyond Spring describes a sequence of wanderings through the natural world of England, from spring’s genesis through to summer’s fulfilment.

Some of the chapters explore renowned wildlife localities, such as the Scilly Isles and the Norfolk Broads, or classic landscapes like Borrowdale and Dovedale. Others were drafted on train journeys, in Hyde Park, at a motorway service station, and along the mesmeric A272 which meanders through West Sussex. It is meant for snatch-reading, especially in winter, when we can hardly remember the brighter months to come.

It includes memorable quotes from the Romantic poets, the great Victorian and Edwardian nature writers (Richard Jefferies, WH Hudson and, in particular, Edward Thomas) and several of today’s leading nature poets. It is part prose-poem, part musing, part deep-end natural history – and all is blended with modern ecological and conservation perspectives.

Genres: Nonfiction, Natural History

258 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 21, 2018

Reviews

[Ginni · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a present from my husband, who gave me ‘His Imperial Majesty’ by the same author; I’ve also read ‘In Pursuit of Butterflies’. It did literally take me two years to read this, as I was dipping into it when reading other books...the descriptions of natural history are excellent, and obviously if one has visited the various locations in the U.K., that gives the book personal resonance. However, I do find the author’s prose style rather overpowering. I particularly enjoyed the quotes of poetry, and I want to follow these up to read more of certain poets, particularly Edward Thomas.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

At its best when highly descriptive of place and form. Oates is obviously passionate about Nature, and very knowledgeable about the various species of flora and fauna he encounters, but unless you want to stop and look them up every time he drops a name, it can be hard to picture the exact scene he wants to communicate. That's a relatively minor complaint, though; overall, this is a lovely and poetic ode to the warmer months amidst the English landscapes.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book. This collection of short prose pieces and poems is an absolute joy. It should be read slowly, savoured and sent as a gift to people you love.

[Malcolm Pinch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I have heard Mathew Oates speak a couple of times and even had the honour once of singing a song I had written for him at a Butterfly Conservation event. He is very entertaining. Butterflies, his main interest turn up a lot in this book of course- but it is very much about being in and responding to nature as a whole. As such the book is a collections of writings on places and times which often captures those joyful epiphanic moments which one can spend a lifetime trying to recapture. (The Germans have a nice word for this desire which I like -Sehnsucht - not that it turns up in this book I should add) The section on the long hot summer of 1976 is especially enjoyable. Not surprisingly favourite poets such as Edward Thomas turn up quite a bit.

[MR ANDREW SMITH · Rating 5 out of 5]

An inspirational read

Matthew Kate's has a rare gift of conveying his own deep love of nature, and in particular, butterflies, through his use of quoted passages and his own eloquence. His writing makes me, as a fellow butterfly lover, wish to visit each place he mentions.