Review
"...an eloquent chronicle of a likable family's attempt to live a more nature-centric life...Tomine writes with respect and humor...refreshingly unsanctimonious...a lovely homage to the oldest seductress around: Mother Nature." --The Washington Post
"Tomine is too modest to boast, but he's clearly an adept writer, and Closer to the Ground is as understated as its author, a quietly compelling account of four seasons of foraging just out the back door... This is some of the most evocative, mouthwatering food writing I've ever read... The strength of the book, of course, is that, like Tomine, it leads by example. It's a paean to eating locally without ever being preachy."--Outside
"...Tomine expresses peace, gratitude, and satisfaction with life and Mother Nature in an homage reminiscent of Noel Perrin's ruminations on the pleasures of the simple life... While Tomine's memoir is decidedly food-focused...he also shares thoughts on matters large and small, whether the many uses of plastic buckets or the trade-offs that must be made in choosing a budget-friendly sustainable lifestyle. That their lifestyle creates quality time for the family is evident from a conversation with his daughter and sweet moments in the woods with his son."--
Publishers Weekly
"A decade ago, Dylan Tomine, 46, was an advertising copywriter living in high-rise Seattle. In 2004, he moved his family across the sound to Bainbridge Island, where they now grow their own vegetables, forage for clams and mushrooms and even run a blueberry farm. He still makes trips to Safeway...but now he can tell you where to dig for geoduck clams. And he does so in his new book,
Closer to the Ground, which documents a year in his family's life."--
The New York Times"Tomine weaves his memoir with lyrical passages, family dialogues and accounts of gathering shellfish and chanterelles--as well as delicious descriptions of cooking them--in an engaging, slightly self-deprecating tone...
Closer to the Ground inspires readers to examine their own daily lives and rediscover their surroundings."--
Shelf Awareness
About the Author
Dylan Tomine, formerly a fly fishing guide, is now a writer, conservation advocate, blueberry farmer and father, not necessarily in that order. His work has appeared in the Flyfish Journal, the Drake, Golfweek, the New York Times and numerous other publications. He lives with his family on an island in Puget Sound.
Nikki McClure of Olympia, Washington is known for her painstakingly intricate and beautiful paper cuts. Armed with an X-acto knife, she cuts out her images from a single sheet of paper and creates a bold language that translates the complex poetry of motherhood, nature, and activism into a simple and endearing picture.
