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Treed
Eco-political 'friction'.
A consequence of getting older is current experiences inevitably get threaded to memories as Maybelline Emmons learns when she embarks on what she thinks will be a simple road trip to find an old friend that happens to be an old tree. Widowed, she doesn't have many old friends left. She gets way more than she bargained for. The easiest way out is just turn around and go back to her comfortable townhouse in Santa Barbara, sip her Pinot, and watch her hummingbirds. This was always enough before except it does seem kind of providential, and she is a nice person, and what should the check amount be? (Has she lost her mind? And suddenly she has a 30-something son (with a girlfriend who gets in her face about justice)). Maybelline doesn't know why they put all the ugly strip malls and box stores in the poorest part of town. She never even thought about it and why would she? What, the sheriff, again? A man named, what? Tank? And what is it Tamara and Terrence's mother knows about their family's connection with the tree?
This poignant, passionate yet hilarious story revolves around efforts to save an old-growth tree but things go off the rails in such a compelling way, it's sure to keep you on the edge of your branch (likely laughing, so don't fall off). Per Virginia Arthur's two previous novels, Treed will curl the tendrils of your heart, blow your leaves off, and maybe, just maybe, motivate you to save something in your own backyard.
A consequence of getting older is current experiences inevitably get threaded to memories as Maybelline Emmons learns when she embarks on what she thinks will be a simple road trip to find an old friend that happens to be an old tree. Widowed, she doesn't have many old friends left. She gets way more than she bargained for. The easiest way out is just turn around and go back to her comfortable townhouse in Santa Barbara, sip her Pinot, and watch her hummingbirds. This was always enough before except it does seem kind of providential, and she is a nice person, and what should the check amount be? (Has she lost her mind? And suddenly she has a 30-something son (with a girlfriend who gets in her face about justice)). Maybelline doesn't know why they put all the ugly strip malls and box stores in the poorest part of town. She never even thought about it and why would she? What, the sheriff, again? A man named, what? Tank? And what is it Tamara and Terrence's mother knows about their family's connection with the tree?
This poignant, passionate yet hilarious story revolves around efforts to save an old-growth tree but things go off the rails in such a compelling way, it's sure to keep you on the edge of your branch (likely laughing, so don't fall off). Per Virginia Arthur's two previous novels, Treed will curl the tendrils of your heart, blow your leaves off, and maybe, just maybe, motivate you to save something in your own backyard.
110 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 23, 2018
1 person is currently reading
315 people want to read
About the author
Virginia Arthur
4 books87 followersIn between hikes/trying to disappear in what is left of what we used to call the wilderness (now under the influence of climate change= dead and dying trees, dry lakes and ponds, fires), I am working on the next eco-fiction book.
Latest:
Stem and Leaf Plots. Ten Eco-fiction Short Stories (includes Winter Girl).
Enjoy (and review!).
https://books2read.com/u/3n880K
Thank you and be well, stay sane.
**********
Thank you for reading my work and leaving reviews.
La Dee Da
I am a (depressed) professional field biologist/ecologist of many years. (How can I not be?) I have worked all over the U.S. (including some fantastic field years in Alaska) and in some parts of Europe. Nearly every place I have worked has become ecologically more degraded if not destroyed.
*******
The question is if the human primate can survive the environmental destruction being caused by--the human primate. If this isn't the definition of absurdity, insanity, I don't know what is.
The human primate has no capacity to observe itself as a SPECIES. There is little to no reference in the media to "the human primate". Only the sub-variations thereof within which each seems to fight with the other for resources, recognition, money. Unless the human primate develops the capacity to assess itself, its behavior, AS A SPECIES, there is no hope. Then again, it may be a trap the human primate can never spring itself from due to biology.
The human species is failing in developing respect for its own planet, thereby threatening it's own existence. Why? I posit it is because the human primate is the only species on earth aware of its own mortality so it is inevitable this would affect human behavior=basically we are all consciously/subconsciously in a constant state of freaking out over our own pending deaths not to mention our life spans are relatively short: we are in a trap--and when will it spring shut? We have no idea, but it is the main driver of human primate behavior. Awareness of our death. It is our burden to bear.
Consider as well the current state of human evolution: still primitive regardless how sophisticated our methods for altering our environment are. All of our actions to invent, exploit, etc. are motivated by a still infantile desire for self-gratification within our OWN lifespans, this drive so strong, it overrides any real concern regarding the catastrophic implications of climate change and destruction of earth's biodiversity. (As a species, our capacity to care about future generations is near nil).
Add in an economic system that depends on narcissism, consumption, individualism, dovetailing into the biological realities of the human primate (sex, violence, and aging), and perhaps the pathetic course of the human primate as a species is inevitable. (Case in point: the incoming President of the United States).
Let's make one thing clear. We are not the "most intelligent species on earth" unless "intelligence" is defined as the capacity to destroy an entire planet. This is stupidity and arrogance, not intelligence.
We should be talking about these things but instead we careen blindly to get to the sale at Walmart to get that big flat screen T.V. We watch news about other people dying, and down that 3rd martini, anxiety driving us all mad, the most "civilized species on earth". So goes the "modern" human primate.
Latest:
Stem and Leaf Plots. Ten Eco-fiction Short Stories (includes Winter Girl).
Enjoy (and review!).
https://books2read.com/u/3n880K
Thank you and be well, stay sane.
**********
Thank you for reading my work and leaving reviews.
La Dee Da
I am a (depressed) professional field biologist/ecologist of many years. (How can I not be?) I have worked all over the U.S. (including some fantastic field years in Alaska) and in some parts of Europe. Nearly every place I have worked has become ecologically more degraded if not destroyed.
*******
The question is if the human primate can survive the environmental destruction being caused by--the human primate. If this isn't the definition of absurdity, insanity, I don't know what is.
The human primate has no capacity to observe itself as a SPECIES. There is little to no reference in the media to "the human primate". Only the sub-variations thereof within which each seems to fight with the other for resources, recognition, money. Unless the human primate develops the capacity to assess itself, its behavior, AS A SPECIES, there is no hope. Then again, it may be a trap the human primate can never spring itself from due to biology.
The human species is failing in developing respect for its own planet, thereby threatening it's own existence. Why? I posit it is because the human primate is the only species on earth aware of its own mortality so it is inevitable this would affect human behavior=basically we are all consciously/subconsciously in a constant state of freaking out over our own pending deaths not to mention our life spans are relatively short: we are in a trap--and when will it spring shut? We have no idea, but it is the main driver of human primate behavior. Awareness of our death. It is our burden to bear.
Consider as well the current state of human evolution: still primitive regardless how sophisticated our methods for altering our environment are. All of our actions to invent, exploit, etc. are motivated by a still infantile desire for self-gratification within our OWN lifespans, this drive so strong, it overrides any real concern regarding the catastrophic implications of climate change and destruction of earth's biodiversity. (As a species, our capacity to care about future generations is near nil).
Add in an economic system that depends on narcissism, consumption, individualism, dovetailing into the biological realities of the human primate (sex, violence, and aging), and perhaps the pathetic course of the human primate as a species is inevitable. (Case in point: the incoming President of the United States).
Let's make one thing clear. We are not the "most intelligent species on earth" unless "intelligence" is defined as the capacity to destroy an entire planet. This is stupidity and arrogance, not intelligence.
We should be talking about these things but instead we careen blindly to get to the sale at Walmart to get that big flat screen T.V. We watch news about other people dying, and down that 3rd martini, anxiety driving us all mad, the most "civilized species on earth". So goes the "modern" human primate.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 4, 2018
This story is rather like a tree itself, in that its foliage sparkles in as much sunlight as reaches it where it stands, cornered among commercial monoliths; that the leaves rustle as they turn in the brisk breeze of the reader's flying fingers; that it contains a complex eco-system of characters, relationships, and motives; and that its roots go much deeper than this cheerful story first suggests.
This is a light and entertaining read with a more earnest subtext, but mostly Virginia Arthur's purpose is allowed to reveal itself in the background. Maybelline is a wonderful character, right along with Millicent, and the cast of perhaps a dozen central characters are beautifully drawn. The plot is plausible and clever, with some unexpected jinks and twists which kept me hooked. The pace is good, if not very fast. Strongly recommended for those who love trees - and, really, who doesn't?
This is a light and entertaining read with a more earnest subtext, but mostly Virginia Arthur's purpose is allowed to reveal itself in the background. Maybelline is a wonderful character, right along with Millicent, and the cast of perhaps a dozen central characters are beautifully drawn. The plot is plausible and clever, with some unexpected jinks and twists which kept me hooked. The pace is good, if not very fast. Strongly recommended for those who love trees - and, really, who doesn't?
July 31, 2019
Okay so I gave my own book five stars but it's points too for winning (?) the battle to save an old-growth oak woodland from a Dollar General store as I was writing this book. When I started it, there was no real life battle. By the time I finished it, there was (as all the readers know). Since finishing Treed, the developer has backed out but the land still has a for sale sign on it. Won the battle but not the fight... The oaks still stand there in all their innocence, waiting. Thousands of years of combined ecosystem services that the human species must have or die versus a box store full of crap from China. It may still be coming but hey, you just can't have enough plastic storage containers and who needs an ancient oak woodland anyway.
VA
VA
October 24, 2019
This is a five star story that features comedy and sorrow, iconic characters, that shows us how anyone can make a big difference.
Treed is not your typical coming of age story in a number of different ways. The main character, an elderly woman, with a dead husband, money to burn, is not doing anything in particular. The central character is a tree that is older than the combined ages of all the characters combined. The younger in age the rest of the characters are the more set in their ways they are.
There are many ways to grow up to adolescence, maturity, sexuality, experimentation. None of these things have anything to do with responsibility. Responding to the bells, obeying the due dates, none of these artificial constraints work in the natural world. The freedom of taking without personally replenishing is what everyone learns adulthood is all about.
Thinning hair is a minor cosmetic problem for most people. Thinning trees out around the world, now down by fifty percent, that’s where the real story is.
Maybelline comes to realize with the help of all her new found friends, that true maturity is understanding that it helps everyone, to give back more than we all take from the natural world. A world that never objects, it only changes for better or worse, all the while offering us the free miracles we call life.
Treed is not your typical coming of age story in a number of different ways. The main character, an elderly woman, with a dead husband, money to burn, is not doing anything in particular. The central character is a tree that is older than the combined ages of all the characters combined. The younger in age the rest of the characters are the more set in their ways they are.
There are many ways to grow up to adolescence, maturity, sexuality, experimentation. None of these things have anything to do with responsibility. Responding to the bells, obeying the due dates, none of these artificial constraints work in the natural world. The freedom of taking without personally replenishing is what everyone learns adulthood is all about.
Thinning hair is a minor cosmetic problem for most people. Thinning trees out around the world, now down by fifty percent, that’s where the real story is.
Maybelline comes to realize with the help of all her new found friends, that true maturity is understanding that it helps everyone, to give back more than we all take from the natural world. A world that never objects, it only changes for better or worse, all the while offering us the free miracles we call life.
February 3, 2019
I would call this book an eco-fantasy, as does the author. It is a feel good story about an elder woman, grieving the loss of her husband who visits a beautiful old growth oak where they picnicked in their youth. Through gate and the machinations of an old, dying friend she ends up owning the land the tree is on, but not, possibly, the tree itself.
What follows is an interesting examination of what is worth preserving in our world, not just trees, but relationships, family groupings and community identities.
"Treed" is not great literature, but it is a pleasant, thoughtful way to spend a weekend.
I received this book free in exchange for an honest review on Goodreads.
What follows is an interesting examination of what is worth preserving in our world, not just trees, but relationships, family groupings and community identities.
"Treed" is not great literature, but it is a pleasant, thoughtful way to spend a weekend.
I received this book free in exchange for an honest review on Goodreads.
June 22, 2019
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving an honest review. As I’ve said before, I always give honest reviews whether people appreciate them or not.
This story begins with a bit of history about what the author calls ‘Old Growth’ trees. Of course, when I think of old growth trees I think of Redwoods and Sequoias, not Oaks. This history is about old oak forests in California before everyone decided to move there. Anyway, when the main story begins we meet Maybelline Emmons, a widow visiting an old oak she, her husband and some friends used to picnic under. She eventually finds it but it’s for sale.
I honestly wasn’t sure what this book was really about when I chose it to read and review. When the description said Maybelline was older I was expecting a woman between the ages of forty and sixty. I was not expecting a septuagenarian. She decides on a lark to call the realtor about the sale of the tree. Well, her old, old, old friend Millicent is one of the owners of the Realty office and happens to answer the phone! Millicent, after catching up some with Maybelline, convinces her friend to purchase the lot with the tree. Millicent is a very ill octogenarian and her convincing Maybelline to write a check and sign on the dotted line leads Maybelline on a roller coaster of drama and excitement.
At a depressing then dramatic public hearing Maybelline meets Oak (his name is really Michael) and he resembles her enough that everyone thinks he’s her son. Sighs. Oak and his girlfriend Joni ‘professionally’ climb endangered trees to save them from being taken down. From this point on, everyone seems to want to talk to Maybelline about the tree. I learned a lot in this book about Timber Rights that I didn’t even know! Ms. Arthur gave us a very well written book that also educates us about our environment. It was slower paced book than I usually read, but the characters got me very attached to what was going on. My favorite part? It’s a love affair with a tree!
This story begins with a bit of history about what the author calls ‘Old Growth’ trees. Of course, when I think of old growth trees I think of Redwoods and Sequoias, not Oaks. This history is about old oak forests in California before everyone decided to move there. Anyway, when the main story begins we meet Maybelline Emmons, a widow visiting an old oak she, her husband and some friends used to picnic under. She eventually finds it but it’s for sale.
I honestly wasn’t sure what this book was really about when I chose it to read and review. When the description said Maybelline was older I was expecting a woman between the ages of forty and sixty. I was not expecting a septuagenarian. She decides on a lark to call the realtor about the sale of the tree. Well, her old, old, old friend Millicent is one of the owners of the Realty office and happens to answer the phone! Millicent, after catching up some with Maybelline, convinces her friend to purchase the lot with the tree. Millicent is a very ill octogenarian and her convincing Maybelline to write a check and sign on the dotted line leads Maybelline on a roller coaster of drama and excitement.
At a depressing then dramatic public hearing Maybelline meets Oak (his name is really Michael) and he resembles her enough that everyone thinks he’s her son. Sighs. Oak and his girlfriend Joni ‘professionally’ climb endangered trees to save them from being taken down. From this point on, everyone seems to want to talk to Maybelline about the tree. I learned a lot in this book about Timber Rights that I didn’t even know! Ms. Arthur gave us a very well written book that also educates us about our environment. It was slower paced book than I usually read, but the characters got me very attached to what was going on. My favorite part? It’s a love affair with a tree!
January 19, 2021
Maybelline visits her old town, Santa Rosa and searches out her favourite tree where she and her late husband used to picnic when they were young. Amazingly the tree is still there, but the land where it stands is for sale. Maybelline goes for dinner with the realtor (who happens to be an old friend) and finds herself "the owner of a lot that used to be part of a 25,000-acre ranch, a 25,000-acre ranch covered in wildflowers, hawks, deer, bobcats, oak trees, all but two-acres of it now under somebody's bathroom"
Maybelline wonders why she allowed herself to be persuaded to buy the land, but as she meets children who play near the tree and finds out the connections their families also had to the tree, she comes to understand its value and the importance of what she can do to save the tree for future generations. She then finds herself in a war over the lot, which a company has earmarked to build a store, and finds common purpose with Oak and Joni, a couple of young eco-activists. Their battle to save the tree isn't easy, involving as it does endless literature searches, excess bureaucracy, greedy business owners and Joni and Oak's own personal arguments.
The story is engaging and by focussing on the details of trying to save one tree, highlights various aspects of a type of dispute becoming more common all the time and the tragedy of how small are the remnants of wilderness that are left to save in some places. The narrative also really brings to life Maybelline's conflicted feelings about getting involved in something so complicated at her advanced age and her intergenerational friendship with Joni and Oak. The story is lightened with amusing incidents too to prevent it feeling all doom and gloom.
It's great to read a book where the protagonist is an older woman and inspiring to read of such a spirited environmental campaign to save a tree. The story would make a brilliant film!
Maybelline wonders why she allowed herself to be persuaded to buy the land, but as she meets children who play near the tree and finds out the connections their families also had to the tree, she comes to understand its value and the importance of what she can do to save the tree for future generations. She then finds herself in a war over the lot, which a company has earmarked to build a store, and finds common purpose with Oak and Joni, a couple of young eco-activists. Their battle to save the tree isn't easy, involving as it does endless literature searches, excess bureaucracy, greedy business owners and Joni and Oak's own personal arguments.
The story is engaging and by focussing on the details of trying to save one tree, highlights various aspects of a type of dispute becoming more common all the time and the tragedy of how small are the remnants of wilderness that are left to save in some places. The narrative also really brings to life Maybelline's conflicted feelings about getting involved in something so complicated at her advanced age and her intergenerational friendship with Joni and Oak. The story is lightened with amusing incidents too to prevent it feeling all doom and gloom.
It's great to read a book where the protagonist is an older woman and inspiring to read of such a spirited environmental campaign to save a tree. The story would make a brilliant film!
November 20, 2018
Tears rolled down my eyes as i got close to the end of this awesome book! I never wanted this story to end, This book deserves more than a 5star because i enjoyed reading every single page of it.
You can only tell a beautiful book by its content and this book has proven to be a better on at that. This story talks about Maybelline who happened to be a very wonderful character! The over all plot of this beautiful book is so moving and interesting. This is the best and ideal book for tree lovers!
I really think others will enjoy this book and I would say they should give it a try. THANKS Arthur I CANT WAIT TO READ MORE FROM YOU!!
You can only tell a beautiful book by its content and this book has proven to be a better on at that. This story talks about Maybelline who happened to be a very wonderful character! The over all plot of this beautiful book is so moving and interesting. This is the best and ideal book for tree lovers!
I really think others will enjoy this book and I would say they should give it a try. THANKS Arthur I CANT WAIT TO READ MORE FROM YOU!!
Want to read
September 28, 2018Netgalley
pub date
pub date
January 13, 2019
Different
This is a different kind of book than I am accustomed to reading. A little preachy at times but that goes with the territory and some of the characters. Get why Joni is upset with Oak but not why she takes it out on Maybelline. Seems neither are especially good at listening to others or placing themselves in other people's shoes. Really liked the Acorn Gang. Near the beginning, the tree has a voice and is an actual character, I would have liked that to happen periodically throughout the book and was disappointed that it didn't. Also, I liked the section where we looked in on a Native American woman was teaching a boy and a girl about the trees, etc. At the end there was a mention of the Native Americans but no more really than that. I had the impression at the beginning of the story that we would be perhaps traveling in time I suppose, the history or rather the life of the tree. My mistake but I was really looking forward to something of that nature. Glad that it ended well in terms of the story, it was touching, realize it doesn't always. This book will give some a lot to think about however it may be just "preaching to the choir" for most readers.
This is a different kind of book than I am accustomed to reading. A little preachy at times but that goes with the territory and some of the characters. Get why Joni is upset with Oak but not why she takes it out on Maybelline. Seems neither are especially good at listening to others or placing themselves in other people's shoes. Really liked the Acorn Gang. Near the beginning, the tree has a voice and is an actual character, I would have liked that to happen periodically throughout the book and was disappointed that it didn't. Also, I liked the section where we looked in on a Native American woman was teaching a boy and a girl about the trees, etc. At the end there was a mention of the Native Americans but no more really than that. I had the impression at the beginning of the story that we would be perhaps traveling in time I suppose, the history or rather the life of the tree. My mistake but I was really looking forward to something of that nature. Glad that it ended well in terms of the story, it was touching, realize it doesn't always. This book will give some a lot to think about however it may be just "preaching to the choir" for most readers.
November 26, 2018
I loved this book and was glad I won it. The characters are such fun. Back in the day, saving trees, sea creatures, animals, etc., was the thing to do. People would chain themselves to a tree to save it. I really feel that in today's world, that kind of commitment to nature is sadly lacking. Beginning with that phony president, too many people value money and power over our environment. This book brings back Respect which is sadly lacking today. This is a book to be shared or buy a copy for a present.
December 5, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. Maybelline reminisces about sharing a picnic with her late husband under a beautiful oak tree, when she visits her friend Millicent who appears to be unwell. She returns to the tree, apartment blocks have been built around it and new generations have their own stories about this tree. The tree needs saving from developers, Maybelline is saved from drinking (alone) every day by her new friends who also want to save the tree. This book is a feel-good story that highlights the importance of keeping the landmark trees. It is such a good story.
June 22, 2019
Simple evenings, a bit of wine and reflections. And then...
It should have been simple to save a bit of history, nostalgia, life- instead she got treed - and nothing is quite the same now.
Change happens when you don’t want it, and you might be paying attention to something else.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
It should have been simple to save a bit of history, nostalgia, life- instead she got treed - and nothing is quite the same now.
Change happens when you don’t want it, and you might be paying attention to something else.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 11, 2019
Treed by Virginia Arthur is a fabulous book.
Treed is well-written with every character & scene created precisely as it should be to pull you deeper into the story until you can’t put it down. I felt like I was right there in every setting whether it was picnicking under a tree in the 1970’s to scrambling to protect that very same tree today. It’s not often you find a story that entertains you so well while providing you with valuable lessons in conservation.
I laughed at many of the situations Maybelline found herself in, including sneaking out of a relaxation retreat to buy a cheap bottle of gas station wine in the middle of Napa Valley wine country. She displayed incredible courage in facing many challenges and obstacles not of her own making. Along the way she rediscovered the joy of living a purposeful and productive life. She was able to begin opening her heart to people after many years of grief and loneliness. An important factor for me was she embraces aging without becoming the stereotypical “senior citizen”.
The book has something for everyone. You’ll find great fiction that reads like an autobiography, a little mystery, a few lessons on conservation, and of course, friendship and romance.
Treed is well-written with every character & scene created precisely as it should be to pull you deeper into the story until you can’t put it down. I felt like I was right there in every setting whether it was picnicking under a tree in the 1970’s to scrambling to protect that very same tree today. It’s not often you find a story that entertains you so well while providing you with valuable lessons in conservation.
I laughed at many of the situations Maybelline found herself in, including sneaking out of a relaxation retreat to buy a cheap bottle of gas station wine in the middle of Napa Valley wine country. She displayed incredible courage in facing many challenges and obstacles not of her own making. Along the way she rediscovered the joy of living a purposeful and productive life. She was able to begin opening her heart to people after many years of grief and loneliness. An important factor for me was she embraces aging without becoming the stereotypical “senior citizen”.
The book has something for everyone. You’ll find great fiction that reads like an autobiography, a little mystery, a few lessons on conservation, and of course, friendship and romance.
June 9, 2019
This is short and really nice. With well-written characters, an interesting plot, and an emotional arc, this will probably make those seeking a light read happy. Recommended.
I really appreciate the complimentary copy for review!!
I really appreciate the complimentary copy for review!!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews