"wood wide web"

Did you finish The Overstory, WV?

Powers uses that term, if memory serves, and talks about the same things.

He drew a great deal from Peter Wohlleben’s work, especially his The Hidden Life of Trees, which also uses the term. Worth a read. It’s short, too.

I’m pretty sure that book was fiction for the story itself. I tried to find it too.

Your take is interesting, and I agree with a lot of it. I think Powers should have trimmed the book a bit, to borrow some of his own metaphors. Lopped off a branch or two. I would have gotten rid of the couple introduced a bit later in the story, for instance. Had to jog my memory via wikipedia, but I think it was Dorothy and Ray. To me, they were the least integrated into the story, the least “organic.” I was also just so so about the computer whiz kid.

Arboretums. We have a pretty nice one in a nearby town, fairly new, and I like to go there to hike, think, than find one of its wooden benches to read a bit. Might do so today. But nothing compares to the Blue Ridge for me. It’s a longer drive, but the views are stunning and nature is the star all on its own, with nothing to prove. No cages. We’re the guests, etc.

I missed this conversation, probably on purpose, since I had never heard of the book in 2019. My son loved it so much, I started reading it in December. Finally finished a couple of weeks ago.

I grew impatient with the book. It seemed to drag a lot, (though I feel I take some of the responsibility for that since I took an unusually long time to read it). However, I don’t have any idea whatsoever what could be trimmed out.

Dorothy and Ray are indispensable. The book closes with Ray providing the “self-defense” argument which is certainly intriguing, and I would love it if that argument was actually used in real life by somebody. And I think Neelay (computer whiz kid) provides the possibility of transferring all life into virtual existence. I took that as a nod to the idea that we might all be living in a computer anyway. I don’t know if I misread that or not, but if that isn’t what Powers was going for, but if it wasn’t, I have no idea what function that character had. Pretty much that’s the only thing he did in the book, and his break from his company board is over the issue of making his game exactly the same as real life instead of some fantasy world where – in the end – nothing one does actually means anything. So whether you like those three characters much or not, practically the entire book’s meaning rests on them. They are far more important than the other characters in terms of the Final Takeaways. I agree, though, that they were the three Least Interesting characters.

Billy_T wrote:

nothing compares to the Blue Ridge for me. It’s a longer drive, but the views are stunning and nature is the star all on its own, with nothing to prove. No cages. We’re the guests, et

I have always had an affinity for the woods. It has always just been there. (I know you were talking about mountains but if I recall the Blue Ridge area is heavily forested.) My family was very into camping growing up and in fact they still have a cabin in western Ontario. So I like where the spouse-n-I live now cause it’s wooded. I will always take longer routes driving around if it takes me through wooded areas and will avoid the straighter routes that are full of stores and gas stations and concrete. In fact here’s a view of our house (we live on a cul de sac). The 2nd pic is our garden (or about 1/4th of it) as it stood 3 or 4 weeks ago. The third pic is the area where we live (which is called Cumberland Foreside).

Yep. The Blue Ridge is heavily forested. One of the best features of that beautiful and varied range. Very different from California mountains near LA — unless I missed those with forests. San Fran, of course, has the Muir Woods nearby, and those are stunning. Could spend days there. But, for me, the mountains need the forests too. They need the green, and then the explosion of colors in the Fall.

The trifecta for me would be forested mountains and the ocean. In another life, I’ll have a castle on a cliff overlooking a range to the left, a range to the right, and the ocean in the middle of that view.

Good for the soul, that walk in the woods. Good for the soul.

Billy_T wrote:

Flawed, a bit too long, but brilliant and important.

Yes. I think you nailed it in that sentence.

The knowledge he has is impressive. He knows a lot about trees, and seemed personally familiar with all the locations of the book. That is not a novel that some guy made up off the top of his head. He knows a hell of a lot, and the delivery method he used to unfold his knowledge of trees, as well as his philosophy, on the reader was brilliant. The way the narrative actually parallels the section headings (Roots, Trunk, Crown, Seeds) was interesting, and I thought it “worked.”

Billy_T wrote:

I wish they’d make a series out of it. HBO, Netflix, etc.

Oh, btw, Billy…

Television adaptation
In February 2021, it was reported that Netflix was developing a television adaptation of the novel. It will be executive-produced by David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, and Hugh Jackman.[7]

Zooey wrote:

Billy_T wrote:

I wish they’d make a series out of it. HBO, Netflix, etc.

Oh, btw, Billy…

Television adaptation
In February 2021, it was reported that Netflix was developing a television adaptation of the novel. It will be executive-produced by David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, and Hugh Jackman.[7]

Thanks, Zooey. That’s great news. Game of Thrones show-runners, plus Wolverine. Interesting!