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The Republic of Trees
This dark fable tells the story of four English children who run away to the French countryside to establish their own utopian community. All seems well in The Republic of Trees as the children hunt, fall in love and educate themselves in the principles of Jean-Jacques Rousseau's The Social Contract. But the sudden arrival of Joy and the new disciplines she brings, and their increasingly intense, obsessive and erotic relationships alter the mood of the camp irrevocably. As the shadows of a dystopian nightmare start to blend with reality in the forest, and the coded revolutionary language of the group takes on a clipped, macabre tone, The Republic of Trees powers towards a shocking, violent and terrifying conclusion. The Republic of Trees is a compelling, disturbing and imaginatively charged tale of adolescence, the desire to escape, and sexual fear and awakening.
223 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
3 people are currently reading
243 people want to read
About the author
Sam Taylor
154 books73 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
SAM TAYLOR / BIO
Novelist. Literary translator. Journalist.
Born in Nottinghamshire, England in 1970, Sam Taylor began his career as a journalist with The Observer.
In 2001, he quit his job and moved to southwest France, where he wrote four novels, learned French, and raised a family.
In 2010, he translated his first novel: Laurent Binet's HHhH.
He now lives in the United States and works as a literary translator and author.
SAM TAYLOR / BIO
Novelist. Literary translator. Journalist.
Born in Nottinghamshire, England in 1970, Sam Taylor began his career as a journalist with The Observer.
In 2001, he quit his job and moved to southwest France, where he wrote four novels, learned French, and raised a family.
In 2010, he translated his first novel: Laurent Binet's HHhH.
He now lives in the United States and works as a literary translator and author.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
October 19, 2011
What a dreadful book. Four bored kids decide to run off to the forest and start their own republic where they make the rules and decide what is right and wrong. So we get the developing Republic with the hints of romances starting-and then it all goes downhill rapidly. The characters start talking complete nonsense, acting like idiots, bullying and intimidating each other...and the plot becomes so incomprehensible that I was thinking 'what the hell is going on?'. It was like an insane, weird, depressing parody of Animal Farm! The ending is terrible and the book left me with that feeling of having totally wasted my time and I am barely able to write a review because there is so little of note to talk about! I feel like I want to remand a refund on the time I spent reading this guff. The book was a dull blur of nothing which finally ended in complete stupidity. I'll be staying well away from this author, that is for sure.
July 15, 2018
I like this weird, dark utopian novel about adolescents escaping to the woods to build a new republic. It's one I want to revisit at some point. Part young adult, part very adult, the novel is gruesome. The story has elements of history and theory; youth and coming of age; abject horror and suspense. This is a quick read, and worth more attention than it has received. Taylor works from a strong literary tradition. That said, the prose leaves something to be desired, even with the cool linguistic tricks that emerge as the republic develops. Biggest turn-off: Taylor plays with time and memory in really fun ways, including a narrator who suffers memory loss, and there are plenty of narrative hints explaining the condition, but the plotline merits more resolution than it got.
March 21, 2019
A sordid, depressing, nihilistic book based on the 'Lord of the Flies' premise that underneath it all we are just savages.
The plot groaned with all the absurdities. Four British children happen to make friends in a remote part of France where they escape by bicycle to a forest to live an idyllic lifestyle. Fortunately, for the author, the two brothers, Michael & Louis, are orphans and are being minded by an aunt who resents their presence. Their father died in a freak accident where he ran over the electric cable with the lawnmower. Having done it once or twice myself and simply blown a fuse I was wondering whether he was cutting the grass under about two inches of water in his bare feet. The chances of being electrocuted to death in this way must be one in a million, but I digress. Their mother then takes her own life out of grief, possibly at the absurdity of losing a husband to lawnmower accident. The other two, Isobel and Alex, are siblings with wealthy parents.
The book starts as a predictable author's coming-of-age story for the impressionable naive Michael. He is left every morning by Alex and Louis, who go hunting, while he stays back at camp with Isobel and a tube of sun tan lotion. What could possibly go wrong?
He conveniently suffers concussion in the second half of the book so that there isn't a clear narrative about how Joy turns up as the fifth member of their 'society' and how or why the relationships deteriorate so rapidly. He also drinks to excess so his memory of events is hazy at best and seems to confuse his drunken stupor with vivid dreams he starts having. Once Joy has written the 'laws' it is pretty obvious that someone is going to be executed and it's not too hard to work out who will be the victim.
The role of Alex in the story is particularly badly developed, how would a brother stand by and let what unfolds happen to his sister? Why is Louis so gutless too? He says he is in love with Isobel and thinks she loves him too. A funny way to show your love. How could the text book evil Joy have such an influence on them? Rousseau's 'Social Contract' is hardly a book that would have teenagers killing each other over their interpretation.
They seem to survive quite a while on the supplies Alex thoughtfully brought! They raid local villages and houses quite easily, stealing and vandalising, when their supplies eventually run low and leave infantile messages about the revolution;they have been away for weeks; and yet, no one comes looking for them. I find it hard to imagine that 5 missing English teenagers would be ignored for 2 months or more by authorities. One suspects that the Police would be able to track them after their persistent theft sprees.
In the end Michael turns out to be some sort of psychopath, maybe brought on by all the blows to the head and alcohol he has consumed. The only positive note may be that he is falling to his death right at the end.
A thoroughly dis-likable book.
The plot groaned with all the absurdities. Four British children happen to make friends in a remote part of France where they escape by bicycle to a forest to live an idyllic lifestyle. Fortunately, for the author, the two brothers, Michael & Louis, are orphans and are being minded by an aunt who resents their presence. Their father died in a freak accident where he ran over the electric cable with the lawnmower. Having done it once or twice myself and simply blown a fuse I was wondering whether he was cutting the grass under about two inches of water in his bare feet. The chances of being electrocuted to death in this way must be one in a million, but I digress. Their mother then takes her own life out of grief, possibly at the absurdity of losing a husband to lawnmower accident. The other two, Isobel and Alex, are siblings with wealthy parents.
The book starts as a predictable author's coming-of-age story for the impressionable naive Michael. He is left every morning by Alex and Louis, who go hunting, while he stays back at camp with Isobel and a tube of sun tan lotion. What could possibly go wrong?
He conveniently suffers concussion in the second half of the book so that there isn't a clear narrative about how Joy turns up as the fifth member of their 'society' and how or why the relationships deteriorate so rapidly. He also drinks to excess so his memory of events is hazy at best and seems to confuse his drunken stupor with vivid dreams he starts having. Once Joy has written the 'laws' it is pretty obvious that someone is going to be executed and it's not too hard to work out who will be the victim.
The role of Alex in the story is particularly badly developed, how would a brother stand by and let what unfolds happen to his sister? Why is Louis so gutless too? He says he is in love with Isobel and thinks she loves him too. A funny way to show your love. How could the text book evil Joy have such an influence on them? Rousseau's 'Social Contract' is hardly a book that would have teenagers killing each other over their interpretation.
They seem to survive quite a while on the supplies Alex thoughtfully brought! They raid local villages and houses quite easily, stealing and vandalising, when their supplies eventually run low and leave infantile messages about the revolution;they have been away for weeks; and yet, no one comes looking for them. I find it hard to imagine that 5 missing English teenagers would be ignored for 2 months or more by authorities. One suspects that the Police would be able to track them after their persistent theft sprees.
In the end Michael turns out to be some sort of psychopath, maybe brought on by all the blows to the head and alcohol he has consumed. The only positive note may be that he is falling to his death right at the end.
A thoroughly dis-likable book.
May 9, 2020
For starters, I'll confess I love Lord of The Flies and that "young/teenager people start their own society from scratch" is a concept that 1) always draws me 2) makes me very demanding because I have such high expectations.
And this one, well...it would be an understatement to say it didn't meet these high expectations. First of all, the narrator was kinda boring - yeah I know it's the point - but to follow him through all this, especially at the end when he was becoming alcoholic/concussed/delirous, was really painful. The french forest atmosphere and its evolution from beautiful to nightmarish and oppressing was a neat idea, though given the author not so literary style, it didn't pay off as much I would have liked to. Female characters were done such a great disservice, although to be honest all the characters except unsefferable narrator suffer from a lack of development. And it's nitpicking at this point but I was quite unnerved too with the obvious 1984 plagiarism, given that it was so poorly handled and in my mind didn't mash with Rousseau at all.
To conclude, I would say the second half of the book , and the whole descent into hell were clearly botched. The only factor that really explains it is all the alcohol/concussion/memory losses of the narrator and the ~ evil and manipulative ~ newcomer which is far too easy. Given that it's always the essential part in this kind of story, it's rather a shame.
That being said, I was quite entertained at the beginning, which explains my indulgent rating.
And this one, well...it would be an understatement to say it didn't meet these high expectations. First of all, the narrator was kinda boring - yeah I know it's the point - but to follow him through all this, especially at the end when he was becoming alcoholic/concussed/delirous, was really painful. The french forest atmosphere and its evolution from beautiful to nightmarish and oppressing was a neat idea, though given the author not so literary style, it didn't pay off as much I would have liked to. Female characters were done such a great disservice, although to be honest all the characters except unsefferable narrator suffer from a lack of development. And it's nitpicking at this point but I was quite unnerved too with the obvious 1984 plagiarism, given that it was so poorly handled and in my mind didn't mash with Rousseau at all.
To conclude, I would say the second half of the book , and the whole descent into hell were clearly botched. The only factor that really explains it is all the alcohol/concussion/memory losses of the narrator and the ~ evil and manipulative ~ newcomer which is far too easy. Given that it's always the essential part in this kind of story, it's rather a shame.
That being said, I was quite entertained at the beginning, which explains my indulgent rating.
July 27, 2011
The first 100 pages were amazing, it was like reading Nabokov, but the whole dystopia thing didn't work for me. It's been done before and done much better.
July 8, 2011
I'm not sure how I actually feel about this book, it's intense and disturbing yet has this strange dystopia undercurrent that adds an unusual and unique edge to the story. We follow four English teens, now living in France, as they decide to run to the forest and live their own way by their own rules. They are well organised, taking the food, water and equipment they will need and rapidly adapt to life away from civilisation. And all is going well, life is a dream of hunting, swimming and tree climbing with a bit of adolescent self and sexual discovery thrown in. All until the arrival of Joy, another english teen, how and where she comes from is never really explained, nor do the four seem to care. But as a time goes on the arrival of Joy and the change she brings to the grooup takes on a sinister feel and the dream turns into a nightmare.
This is a very well written, descriptive and insightful book that pulls you right into the story, and as Michael slowly loses grip on reality, so do you. The ending is dramatic and unexpected despite the evident build up to it as you constantly reassure yourself that its not going to happen. But when it does, it hits you square between the eyes and leaves you reeling. A superbly strange and unusual work that still has me a little confused/disorientated/unsure but in way that seems to be right and fits the state of mind of our narrator as he takes to the trees.
This is a very well written, descriptive and insightful book that pulls you right into the story, and as Michael slowly loses grip on reality, so do you. The ending is dramatic and unexpected despite the evident build up to it as you constantly reassure yourself that its not going to happen. But when it does, it hits you square between the eyes and leaves you reeling. A superbly strange and unusual work that still has me a little confused/disorientated/unsure but in way that seems to be right and fits the state of mind of our narrator as he takes to the trees.
March 31, 2008
Describes a horrifying story of four kids that run away from home and create their own "republic" in the woods. Scary what these kids come up with.
April 7, 2020
This book over all was really good to me. It is about a group of kids who run away to the forest to create a utopian society. It follows the teenage protagonist Michael and his slow descent into madness through brain washing, heart break, head trauma, and a predisposition to impulsive and unexplained violence mixed with repressed rage. Some complaints that people might have worh this book are the idea that these 4 kids could hide away in a small stretch of woods for months on end with out the authorities finding them. To rebut this I would say that it's not so much about that. It is mentioned many times through out the book the idea that they deny the existence of the outside world so I think that you have to take there prolonged evasion of the law as a literary technique to represent their self inflicted isolation. Another thing that some people might find improper about this book is that after around a hundred pages or so it becomes increasingly hard to follow. With the protagonists repeated drunkenness, amnesia, and plunge into insanity many sections of story are lost and it becomes more and more unclear what is reality and what is fantasy. I for one actually really enjoyed this aspect of the book it made the protagonists insanity feel like it is your own. All in all I would say that this is a very well written book and if there is one thing I could possibly leave you with is that after reading it the vivid and at times horrific imagery, and the madness of this book will surely stick with you for some time afterwards.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 27, 2020
This book was intensely dark, more so than I expected given the characters are all children! Although the writing was sometimes quite simplistic, that was appropriate given the age of the main character, and I did still think there were some really well written lines in there.
I found that the book was less about Rousseau’s specific philosophical tenets than expected, given the description on the back of the book I had expected that to be a more focal point. The last portion of the book seemed fairly animal farm-like and it really worked, I like how the intensity and darkness built up, starting fairly innocent and ending in gruesome madness.
There were a few plot points that were left unexplained and don’t really make sense though, such as how a random Canadian girl turned up specifically where they were in the forest one day, or how no adults came looking for their missing children, even when they looted the nearby farms.
I found that the book was less about Rousseau’s specific philosophical tenets than expected, given the description on the back of the book I had expected that to be a more focal point. The last portion of the book seemed fairly animal farm-like and it really worked, I like how the intensity and darkness built up, starting fairly innocent and ending in gruesome madness.
There were a few plot points that were left unexplained and don’t really make sense though, such as how a random Canadian girl turned up specifically where they were in the forest one day, or how no adults came looking for their missing children, even when they looted the nearby farms.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 9, 2020
Difficult book to judge. I heavily disliked the detailed descriptions of the underage children's sexual endeavours. How can I be comfortable reading an erotic scene involving a 14 year old???
The last two chapters were also particularly disturbing, I felt like throwing up reading them. It wasn't pleasant.
However, I did enjoy the writing style and I thought the general progression of the characters and their republic was interesting.
The last two chapters were also particularly disturbing, I felt like throwing up reading them. It wasn't pleasant.
However, I did enjoy the writing style and I thought the general progression of the characters and their republic was interesting.
December 24, 2017
I thought a novel exploring Rousseauian ideals with a group of kids in a forest promised an interesting mix of Lord of the Flies and My side of the Mountain. Alas, it soon degenerated into teen angst and erotic adventures. Might suit some but a young boy's sexual fantasies with the cardboard cliched older girl was pretty off-putting and I gave up half way through.
December 22, 2017
A weird book.
Or maybe philosophy and politics are not my cup.of tea.
An interesting premise because it involved the shaping of young minds but yet it failed to deliver to me something that i could appreciate.
Or maybe philosophy and politics are not my cup.of tea.
An interesting premise because it involved the shaping of young minds but yet it failed to deliver to me something that i could appreciate.
January 11, 2021
Unexplained events and implausible character development made this a wasted read for me. I rushed to get through the final pages.
June 30, 2022
Not impressed. Just felt like a reworking of Lord Of The Flies.
June 18, 2023
Reignited a love of reading. An exploration of fundamental values and the construction of a familial structure.
August 10, 2023
Cruel dreaming
November 30, 2023
Part 1 had promise and innocently intriguing...
Part 2 held my curiosity, though difficult to follow and left many unanswered questions.
Part 3 was horrifying, disturbing and chilling.
Part 2 held my curiosity, though difficult to follow and left many unanswered questions.
Part 3 was horrifying, disturbing and chilling.
June 28, 2017
This was.. well, .. *insert nervous maniacal laughter here*
I guess I would say this is a bit umm.. horror-ish (?) but it's more "wtf" than actual horror to me. Or I guess just plain creepy. But I've honestly no idea what genre this book falls in
The main character's nuts, their plan is nuts, what they're doing is nuts, and throughout the whole book, I just went "Y'all are nuts wtf"
It's not the typical book is what I got from this.
Some kids run into a forest and start a "revolution" (for whatever particular reason, is unclear) and they're just.. how do I phrase this.. just realfucking high ?. Maybe it was just the summer heat.
But it's not a bad read- I was entertained all the way. I absolutely enjoyed this wicked and horrifying tale. I was captivated and it just felt really surreal at some point so it managed to truly immerse me into it's world (which I don't recommend going to because these kids are n u t s). It had given me some food for thought, which to some would be insightful, but it didn't had much impact on me.
There were some things that were rather vague and questions still hang in the air. I might re-read it someday just to figure it out. The story's just captivating ~
I guess I would say this is a bit umm.. horror-ish (?) but it's more "wtf" than actual horror to me. Or I guess just plain creepy. But I've honestly no idea what genre this book falls in
The main character's nuts, their plan is nuts, what they're doing is nuts, and throughout the whole book, I just went "Y'all are nuts wtf"
It's not the typical book is what I got from this.
Some kids run into a forest and start a "revolution" (for whatever particular reason, is unclear) and they're just.. how do I phrase this.. just real
But it's not a bad read- I was entertained all the way. I absolutely enjoyed this wicked and horrifying tale. I was captivated and it just felt really surreal at some point so it managed to truly immerse me into it's world (which I don't recommend going to because these kids are n u t s). It had given me some food for thought, which to some would be insightful, but it didn't had much impact on me.
There were some things that were rather vague and questions still hang in the air. I might re-read it someday just to figure it out. The story's just captivating ~
May 30, 2018
The trouble is that all the time the children are in the forest you're constantly thinking that surely some aduts will soon find them.The 'frontier' is not a long distance from the camp and once the children start breaking into houses and public buildings you feel the authorities would do something more than sending helicopters to search for them (in a forest?!).
Perhaps its all to do with sense of the detachment from reality which runs through the book and increases as the narrative unfolds.
How old is Michael meant to be? He seems at different times to be either too old or too young to be thinking/saying/doing what he does.
I enjoyed the atmoshere of the pre republic time in the forest.The events of the period following the completely unexplained appearance of Joy were somewhat predictable once the course had been set-(but Louis had, rather strangely, wanted to build a guillotine pretty soon after the children got to the forest- had a 'reign of terror' been in his mind all along?)
Just in case you'd forgotten- there is badness in us all and all societies inevitably distort any worthy values they are founded on.Enjoy.
Perhaps its all to do with sense of the detachment from reality which runs through the book and increases as the narrative unfolds.
How old is Michael meant to be? He seems at different times to be either too old or too young to be thinking/saying/doing what he does.
I enjoyed the atmoshere of the pre republic time in the forest.The events of the period following the completely unexplained appearance of Joy were somewhat predictable once the course had been set-(but Louis had, rather strangely, wanted to build a guillotine pretty soon after the children got to the forest- had a 'reign of terror' been in his mind all along?)
Just in case you'd forgotten- there is badness in us all and all societies inevitably distort any worthy values they are founded on.Enjoy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 30, 2022
This book is a trip. I also read this book while I was on a trip. A 10 day tramp through the woods to be precise. The book started how I expected and then descended at the end into chaos and madness. This book left a weird taste in my mouth and I was happy to be rid of the story when I'd finished reading. Once I was 3/4 the way through I was hooked right until the end (as in I had to finish it or I'd have nightmares).
For being such a short book that packs such a general eerie feeling into such a short development time I found it to be worth the read. I'm unsure why but for some reason it gave me a similar feeling to reading one of Chuck Palahniuks books but unsure why because it was a completely different thing.
I wouldn't recommend this book for youngsters but at the same time as a 30+ year old I didn't really feel like this book was for me. Still it was a short enjoyable read and the fact that I'd read it while tramping myself added to the whole vibe of the story.
For being such a short book that packs such a general eerie feeling into such a short development time I found it to be worth the read. I'm unsure why but for some reason it gave me a similar feeling to reading one of Chuck Palahniuks books but unsure why because it was a completely different thing.
I wouldn't recommend this book for youngsters but at the same time as a 30+ year old I didn't really feel like this book was for me. Still it was a short enjoyable read and the fact that I'd read it while tramping myself added to the whole vibe of the story.
December 15, 2013
Can't decide whether I liked this book or not. I read it in one sitting, through a night, so it held my attention. I definitely wanted to follow the plot through to the end and thought it portrayed aspects of teenage growing up well, first love/crush experiences, wanting to break out of being a child and explore the world on your own initiative. I liked the building tension as the book took a darker turn with the introduction of one character, and I liked the references to Rousseau. The only downside was I found the book pretty dark and creepy. It's like watching a horror movie where children commit all the evil acts.
Well written but it's a bit disturbing.
Well written but it's a bit disturbing.
January 25, 2011
I cannot start to imagine what this authors mind is like. I loved the idea of the four children making their own republic. Reading the blurb, I thought the children would have the difficulties of finding food, a few romances may occur ect, then they would give up and go home. I was quite disturbed by the easy way in which these chidren could kill a 'loved one'.
The language used and the images created including the eyes always watching you created such a dramatic atmosphere, despite the fact that what i was reading was a bit sick, i was glued to the pages.
The language used and the images created including the eyes always watching you created such a dramatic atmosphere, despite the fact that what i was reading was a bit sick, i was glued to the pages.
August 13, 2010
A different, unexpected plot coming from the author. The four kids involved are swept up by freedom, and their early unaccounted innocence is tainted, and twisted with the arrival of another. Their predicament slowly degenerates into something vile. Very good read, keeps the reader informed about the current situation, but only just.
June 20, 2012
Though readable this is really a sensationalised version of Lord of the Flies, with some Tom Sawyer thrown in. Quite a bit of rubbish in it, but holds one's attention. (Lord of the Flies with drugs, sex and gore).
I have read all of Sam Taylor's books now. Amnesiac for me is the best, and Island at the Top of the World is extremely interesting although strange.
I have read all of Sam Taylor's books now. Amnesiac for me is the best, and Island at the Top of the World is extremely interesting although strange.
April 25, 2014
Excellent Read! Gripping from start to finish. Magical blend inspired by George Orwell's 1964 as well as Lord of the Flies and other authors. Would definitely recommend it. It shows the nuances of teenage uncertainty and at the same time their adult experiences in the forest climax to an expectantly gruesome outcome.
March 4, 2010
Extremely odd book, talks about 4 kids running away in France to the woods where they make their own "country" basically. Includes odd sexual scenes but in the end I found the book very interesting on what children would do when they run off.
September 13, 2010
Kind of a postmodern 1984.
Read
March 3, 2011This (not very long book) has taken 4 years to finish. Not awful but i doubt I waould recommend it to anyone.
May 11, 2013
This is great. French Lord of the Flies-ness with a bit of Rousseau thrown in.
September 25, 2012
Strange but absorbing!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews