The Wild Remedy- Book Review

/ karen

A Diary. How Nature Mends Us.

Emma Mitchell

Michael O’Mara Books. Hardback £14.99

ISBN: 978-1-78929-042-4

It’s entirely appropriate for a review of Emma Mitchell’s diary The Wild Remedy to appear here on Valentine’s Day. For Emma’s beautiful new book is a love letter to nature.

In almost 200 pages, Emma walks with us through woodland and the quiet country lanes of her Cambridge home. Through her eyes, we see wild flowers, birds and wildlife, bees and insects. It’s an inspiring and joyful journey. Her commentary is like taking a walk with a friend. She’s talking about how she feels and I’m nodding agreement at her side. Sometimes I find myself mumbling soft words of comfort and encouragement.

It’s a personal journey, written from the heart. Emma has suffered from depression for the past 25 years. Her response to illness is to walk, taking photographs and drawing what she sees. As I follow her journey, I’m hoping she finds solace in the beauty around her, in being outdoors in fresh air and sunshine. And although she never simplifies the struggles of depression and mental illness, Emma shines a light on her own discoveries, detailing how her encounters with nature significantly influence her mental well-being. Emma touches on new research into natural remedies, how nature affects our neurochemistry, for example.

Fortunately, I’ve never suffered from depression. But I’ve watched friends and relatives suffer, and felt lost and helpless to know what to do for the best. Alongside the medical treatments available, we are all realising that maybe nature has more to offer. Reconnecting with nature might be the salve we need as life becomes more pressured and stressful.

It can only be a good thing to take time to stop, look about us, and appreciate the beauty of simple things; watching the birds, finding a feather, turning over a smooth stone in our hands. Simple things. Powerful as any medicine, maybe.

The publishers have kindly offered one book free for a prize draw. Please comment below to be included. There’s no cash alternative and the publisher’s decision is final. The publishers will randomly pull a name out of a hat and will send the book direct from their offices.

Thank you for reading, and please feel free to share this review on any social media platform. The pictures above are my camera phone photos from Emma’s book.

Links :

The Wild Remedy contains 100 hand-drawn illustrations and 35 colour photographs.

The Wild Remedy https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wild-Remedy-Nature-Mends-Diary/dp/1789290422.

I wrote about Emma’s book, Making Winter here: https://bramblegarden.com/2017/12/16/last-minute-christmas-present-ideas-for-gardeners/

About Emma Mitchell https://silverpebble.net/about-me

About Michael O’Mara Books https://www.mombooks.com/

39 thoughts on “The Wild Remedy- Book Review”

  1. Pingback: Congratulations to the Winner of The Wild Remedy Prize Draw | Bramble Garden

  2. I am sorry to have missed this draw, Karen. I read about this book in the Sunday Times recently and it really appealed… I was thinking it might prove useful for Elder Daughter. Your photos show what a beautiful book it is and I think I will be to Amazon soon!

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  3. Lovely review, and it looks like a really fantastic book. I’m very fortunate not to have suffered with depression, but have witnessed it first hand through my mum, who is thankfully much healthier now than she was during parts of my childhood. If I don’t win a copy of the book I think I will buy one anyway, as I would like to share it with her.

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  4. I would love to give this to my daughter
    She has also struggled with depression for almost 30 years and has just discovered the joy of walking and how much it helps.

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  9. Karen The photos and drawings of the book are magnificent. It seems a very personal book, talking to the reader and telling him what he sees on his walks through nature: flowers, wildlife, herbs, insects …, all wild. And it makes the reader see it through their eyes to imply more. It is a wonderful book, I love it, that connects us with Nature again. It is true that nature walks or living in a house with a large garden in the countryside is good for depression. I had depression 25 years ago when my older brother died of cancer and I had to leave the University. My parents took me all the weekends to walk to Natural Parks accompanied by my dog ​​Rufo, my companion and inseparable and faithful friend, to whom I counted my troubles and he understood me because he was a very special dog, with a privileged intelligence. Also dogs and cats help with depression. Thank you Karen for describing this very special book and for the links that are very interesting. Love, health, strength and happiness for your family and for you. Have a good weekend. Take care and rest. Very loving greetings from Margarita.

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    • Thank you Margarita. Thank you for sharing your experiences with me. I’m sure that walking in the countryside lifts our mood and helps with depression. So very sorry to hear about your older brother, and your dear Rufo. I’m hoping that my blog, and all the journeys I take you on, help to soothe your pain and bring some happiness and comfort. Sending strength and joy. Wishing that it was within my power to make things better for you, dear friend. Loving greetings to you and your family. xx

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      • My dear friend Karen: thank you very much for your wonderful and kind words of comfort and encouragement. Thanks for Rufo’s, he died in 2004, I loved him very much. Then came Anton, who was inseparable friend and companion of walks and a baby with how big it was. It was the last one, he died on 02/02/2017. Before Rufo and Anton there have been many other dogs, and I have loved them all and they have been my friends and playmates and crying, my hair brothers. Each one has had a different personality, like people, and I carry them all in my heart, as well as my beloved cats. Karen your blogs, your travels and your friendship help me a lot. Thanks for everything. Love, health, strengths and memories. Take care. Loving greetings from Margarita.

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      • And your love and concern has been a help to me also. Your kind and sensible words have made me stop and think, reassess what I’m doing, take a step a back and take care of myself so that I am able to take care of others. It’s so easy to get carried away with everything that needs to be done. Take good care of yourself. As you would say to me. Sending love and strength and memories. Kind greetings from Karen xx

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    • Thank you Mike. I hope you are having a lovely weekend. I’ve been out with papaver today to see a local snowdrop garden. We had such a lovely afternoon out walking, with tea and cake to follow , and usual. xx

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    • Thank you. It’s a little gem with hope on every page. Please keep checking back as I don’t have your details to tell you the results of the draw. Many thanks for reading.

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    • Thank you. I enjoyed reading the book. There’s hope on every page. Emma’s drawings are delightful. I love to see her nature walk “findings” on social media. It’s lovely to have a book containing them . Good luck in the draw 🙂

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    • Thanks for reading the review. It’s a beautifully illustrated book. Many thought provoking ideas on how the natural world might offer some answers to today’s mental health epidemic.

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