The Trees of Pride [Paperback]

G. K. Chesterton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2004

"We wish you'd get rid of what you've got here, sir," he observed, digging doggedly. "Nothing'll grow right with them here." "Shrubs!" said the Squire, laughing. "You don't call the peacock trees shrubs, do you? Fine tall trees -- you ought to be proud of them." "Ill weeds grow apace," observed the gardener. "Weeds can grow as houses when somebody plants them." Then he added: "Him that sowed tares in the Bible, Squire." "Oh, blast your --" began the Squire, and then replaced the more apt and alliterative word "Bible" by the general word "superstition." He was himself a robust rationalist, but he went to church to set his tenants an example. Of what, it would have puzzled him to say.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: Wildside Press (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809592568
• ISBN-13: 978-0809592562
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,394,704 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "It is never the believer who is afraid.", April 25, 2011

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This review is from: The Trees of Pride (Paperback)

The world of G.K. Chesterton is a strange one -- there are sensible explanations for everything, but they aren't always ones that mere humans can understand. And his novella "The Trees of Pride" is all about the people who intentionally blind themselves to the possibitilies of the world around them.

Squire Vane is one of those men who doesn't believe in much of anything, and he definitely doesn't believe any of the stories about his "peacock trees" (which the locals claim spread disease and eat people). But when an American poet, a Cornish poet and a lawyer visit the squire and his daughter Barbara, the peacock trees become the favorite topic.

When a comment infuriates Squire Vane, he storms off to go down to the trees during the night... and vanishes without a trace. Is he dead? Is he somehow alive? The three guests and the local doctor begin investigating the garden, and uncover the possibility that the squire was murdered -- but of course, things aren't that simple.

Like most of G.K. Chesterton's stories, "The Trees of Pride" is based on devoutly Christian philosophy ("Squire, if there were a legend of hay fever, you would not believe in hay fever"). He explores the folds of human nature, in particular our willingness to believe in the supernatural, and how essential it is to the human soul.

But despite its Christian bones, this novella is wrapped in a glorious pagan wildness from the ancient shores of Cornwall ("the dance of the green summer leaves was repeated beyond in the dance of the green summer sea"). His writing is vivid and lush ("Little clouds curled like feathers"), and that writing sways you into seeing the supernatural everywhere even if it isn't there.

The characters are pretty solid -- they're somber and serious compared to most of Chesterton's other characters, but Barbara, Ashe, Trevayne and Paynter are fairly likable characters in their own way. The doctor is an enigma, and Vane is one of those pompous old guys who think they know everything.

The one downside: the ending. It's not a bad ending, but it's so... abrupt. I would have liked to hear what the various characters thought afterwards.

Chesterton combines lushly haunting writing and the philosophy of belief in "The Trees of Pride," a beautiful little book that deserves appreciation.