“Richie writes about the natural world’s complexity in a way that inspires and comforts, offering hope even as she discusses difficult environmental truths . . . Highly recommended for all.”—Library Journal
“Luminous. You can feel the deep, cool shadow of the great Western forest and the flicker of bird color flashing across it. The kind of book that inspires contemplation but also action.”—Bill McKibben, author of Here Comes the Sun
“What a glorious tangle! In these pages, Marina Richie brazenly dissolves false boundaries—between bird and forest, human and wild, observer and observed. In her beautiful telling, communion is not a metaphor but a practice: witness, listen, be changed. As the ancient forest sings a chorus of relations—owl! pine! fungus! finch!—Richie guides us along a path that leads inexorably from wonder to belonging to action.”—Lyanda Lynn Haupt, author of Rooted and Among the Birds
“Bird by bird and tree by tree, Marina Richie weaves a magical world of our forests and the birds that require them—just as we do—for survival and well-being. A must-read for tree and bird lovers alike.”—Lynda Mapes, author of The Trees are Speaking; 2025 Pulitzer Prize finalist
“By rhyming bird and tree, environmental and personal history, and close observation and activism, Marina Richie has created a literary refugium. Here, readers can find a moment of respite from capitalism’s disastrous monoculture and consider how we might return to interconnectedness with other species.”—Theo Downes-Le Guin, literary executor for Ursula K. Le Guin and head, Ursula K. Le Guin Foundation
“In a feast of wonder and winged delight, Marina Richie takes us from the heights of towering old-growth forests to the depths of their tangled roots, and from the past of her childhood to a future of unraveling—or renewal. Reminding us that the choice is ours, her fascinating and well-researched book is particularly important in a harrowing time. Highly recommended.”—Kathleen Dean Moore, author of Earth’s Wild Music
“Many people have written about birds, and many people have written about trees, but almost no one has written about birds and trees. Travel along with Marina Richie as she brings both these subjects together on her journeys through the forests of the Northwest. Without trees, we would not have the birds that live among us today, and without birds . . . well, we cannot imagine.”—Joan Maloof, author of Nature’s Temples
“The trees are the forest’s framework, the birds its vibrant soul. Together they comprise an ecological whole…Not since Loren Eiseley has a writer so effortlessly integrated the intellect of a scientist with the soulful insights of a poet. If you are reading this line, then Marina Richie already has you by the hand. Let her guide you through the enchanting landscape she knows so well: cathedral-like canopies and birds whose songs are the ‘om’ of the forest.”—Pete Dunne, author of Under Their Wing; former director, Cape May Bird Observatory
“[Marina’s] evocative writing brings to life the Pacific wilderness and amplifies the fact that her words are from the heart.”—David Lindo, The Urban Birder; vice president, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust
“Marina Richie’s life-long love of trees, abundant curiosity, and decades of forays into the Pacific Northwest forests imbue her stories with wisdom, authenticity, and delight. If you’re looking for the perfect guide to the ancient forests of Cascadia, look no further. Feathered Forest engages all our senses so that we both lose and find ourselves in each chapter, in each forest, and in each of the precious lives of the birds within it.”—Maria Mudd Ruth, author of The Bird with the Flaming Red Feet and Rare Bird
“In an adventure both personal and expansive, Richie lifts us from our earthbound anchors to explore the intricate, often unseen, and always astonishing world of birds…With lyrical descriptions and fine-tuned science, Richie shows a deep love for and expansive understanding of these ‘troubadours of rebirth.’ She tunes our ears and our hearts to hear the stories sung within the feathered forest.”—M. L. Herring, author of Born of Fire and Rain
“With evocative imagery and a poet’s flair, Richie blends natural history and personal experiences to illuminate the threads that weave together Cascadia’s ancient forests and the captivating birds that dwell in them. A story of community and connections—and the power of ancient forests to sustain biodiversity while nurturing our own well-being in a fast-changing world.”—Sophie Osborn, author of Feather Trails
“In Feathered Forest, Marina Richie delights readers with her eloquent and atmospheric prose, imagery, and sensory detail. Her lyrical language leads us on a journey through the vertical layers of the old-growth forests and giant trees of the Pacific Northwest, introducing us to the elusive birds who depend on these threatened ecosystems for their survival…By book’s end, Marina has become our teacher, our guide, our interpreter, and, most importantly, our forest companion. She has beckoned us with a call to action that we are ready to follow as we delight in this captivating and informative scientific memoir.”—Tina Morris, author of Return to the Sky
“Through richly detailed stories of birds and trees, Marina Richie’s deeply personal account brings readers into close connection with the worlds that are ancient forests. This wonderful book is an homage to refuge and refugia, to close observation, and to the beauty of interlocking systems: feathers, ecosystems, and kinships.”—Marguerite Holloway, author of Take to the Trees
“Science mixes with wonder in this beautiful book, which offers hope in our hard world.”—David Gessner, author of Return of the Osprey and All the Wild That Remains
