Richard Power's Pulitzer-winning book is a masterpiece of composition. His writing is pure poetry evoking my literary and philosophical favorites, such as Borges. His topic is one that stirs me -- the incredible diversity, communications, and sheer marvel of trees as well as their role in holding together the web and weave of the environment. So, for writing, Powers achieves a perfect 5. For structure, though, I find this book wanting. I almost abandoned it in the first nine chapters, which, together, are the backstory of the books many characters. And while the remainder of the book is riveting, the characters (excepting the trees) do seem a bit like superheros driven by mystic messages for the great beyond. I am confident movie rights are in its future. So, even though there are a few flaws in this magnificent work of beauty and power,I would read it again and savor it as I have few books.
