THE HILL OF SUMMER

by J. A Baker ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 4, 1969

It is obvious from these intense, intent appreciations of seasonal flux and flow in a bucolic English landscape and at the seashore that Mr. Baker (The Peregrine, 1964) has the ability to communicate his fiercely directed perceptions of natural phenomena without sentiment. Although driven to a relentless, if fresh use of metaphor, he never blurs the objects of his attentions with an irrelevant image: ""The hawk looks down, the woodpecker stares up. The two prehistoric profiles have the profound stillness of weapons in repose."" One could fault this portfolio of sensitive observations only for length, for the reader's pitch of attention is difficult to maintain. There is really no relief from exterior focus by way of interior rumination. The most enduring nature writing has been prismatically diffused through a central strong personality--like a Carson or a Thoreau. However, taken in short spans, this is a stirring sortie through fields, woods and seashore.

Pub Date: Feb. 4, 1969

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Harper & Row

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1969

Categories: NONFICTION