Have you ever stood beneath a majestic 300 year old oak tree and thought, this tree lived before I was born, and will be alive long after I’m dead? Have you ever wondered about such a tree might have witnessed during its long life, and thought, if only it could talk? This is the story of an oak tree, from birth to death. Using the tree as our witness, we see many small moments in history-moments that rippled outward to affect the world. Intimate family moments and tragedies all take place under the oak’s shade. But the tree is more than a witness, it is connected to all the life around it. It, too, has its tragedies, its suffering, and times of renewal. After reading this, you won’t think the same way about trees again.
The Tree That Talked is the story of the life of one oak tree grown from an acorn. We learn of its struggle to survive, its strength and vulnerability,
and all it witnesses beneath its boughs. It is also a riveting tale of
murder and intrigue, told with compassion for every character who passes by
the plot of land where the tree grows, as the terrain changes from sacred
grove to housing development. Jenny Smedley is a seamless storyteller. Set
in the historical context of industrial revolution and development, with a
root in nature and ecology, she interweaves a tendril of druidic paganism to
explain the spiritual and earthy cycle of life and death, release and
renewal. Engaging, redemptive, earthy and spiritually aware, this
deceptively simple book opens the mind to the limitless cycle of life.
Carolyn Burdet - editor Kindred Spirit