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Seeds

One Man's Serendipitous Journey To Find the Trees That Inspired Famous American Writers from Faulkner to Kerouac, Welty to Wharton
Seeds: One Man's Serendipitous Journey To Find the Trees That Inspired Famous American Writers from Faulkner to Kerouac, Welty to Wharton. HarperPerennial: HarperCollins. May 2011. c.368p. illus. ISBN 9780061861680. pap. $14.99. LIT
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You need the subtitle to understand the intent here. Novelist Horan (Goose Music) traveled to various regions in his quest and visited the homes of both literary and historical figures, such as Eudora Welty, Robert Frost, and Thomas Jefferson. He posits the influence of the trees at these homes, whether as subject matter or vantage point. His rationale for then collecting seeds from these trees and trying to propagate them is a little less clear. The illustrations (by his sister and nephew) of the leaves of the various trees are a lovely addition. Horan is evidently a raconteur: readers may pick up a few interesting tidbits and political parallels about the famous writers, but often Horan simply comes across as chatty and self-indulgent. It's as if he has taken this journey as a way to expound on his own philosophy and approach to life rather than on that of the famous figures.
VERDICT This is a light read, but for whom? An optional purchase.
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