I did not enjoy this book as much as I had hoped. Only Chapter Five represents a fairly coherent piece of natural history writing, which captivated my attention. Other chapters are an oddly incoherent mass of family stories, history and anecdotes which do not ring true. Thrown in is a peculiar type of paganism and spirituality, regretfully often found among environmentalists. The authors style in not consistent, and some peculiar quips ought to have been removed by the publisher's editor. The book is more about the author's mind than about the Ozark Mountains, and we learn hardly anything about the landscape and natural history of the area. ( )