With her pleasant British accent, Rebecca Lee narrates this meditation on wonder in our everyday lives. Lee's voice is an apt stand-in for the author's as May grapples with pleasures she has lost and attempts to recapture the joy in them. Much of ENCHANTMENT is a snapshot of a particular place in a particular moment in time--England during strict Covid lockdowns--but many listeners will find May's feelings familiar and relatable. Mixed with philosophical reflections are moments of true magic, as when May gently touches honeybees as they buzz busily in their hive. This audiobook is less a prescription and more an invitation; May suggests "putting your feet on the ground, every now and then, and feeling the tingle of life that the earth offers in return." J.M.D. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

PRAISE FOR ENCHANTMENT

“Profound” – NPR Morning Edition
 
“Shimmering… An invocation of a better story to tell ourselves.” – Maria Popova, The Marginalian

“I love Katherine May’s new book, Enchantment. She is so smart, tender hearted, thoughtful.  It’s actually enchanting, so wise and lyrical, down to earth and mystical, personal and universal. It’s a beautiful offering of light, truth and charm in these strange, dark times.” – New York Times bestselling author Anne Lamott
 
“Katherine May gave so many of us language and vision for the long communal ‘wintering’ of the last years. Welcome this beautiful meditation for the time we've now entered. I cannot imagine a more gracious companion. This book is a gift.” – New York Times bestselling author Krista Tippett

“Luminous. Enchantment is truly enchanting. Katherine May’s authorial voice casts a spell that helps us see the magic in everything, including ourselves.” – New York Times bestselling author Martha Beck


PRAISE FOR KATHERINE MAY’S PREVIOUS WORK

“There is power and clarity and wisdom to be gained from accepting these difficult times. Wintering offered me empathy, acceptance and perspective that will stay with me long after the pandemic.” – New York Times

“Honest and deeply sympathetic...proves that there is grace in letting go, stepping back and giving yourself time to repair in the dark...May is a clear-eyed observer and her language is steady, honest and accurate—capturing the sense, the beauty and the latent power of our resting landscapes.” – Wall Street Journal
 
“May writes beautifully….A contemplative, hopeful, consoling book.” – NPR

“A gorgeous book, a generous book, a layered book of uncommon sensitivity and substance…A splendid and soul-salving read.” – Maria Popova, Brain Pickings

“Wintering is every bit as beautiful and healing as the season itself. Katherine May thoughtfully examines the emotional, spiritual, and geographical reality of the cold times, the dark days, and those periods of our lives when things are neither soft nor easy. In so doing, she offers a great and humane service to her readers: she shows us that wintering cannot be avoided, but need not be feared. This is truly a beautiful book.” – New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert

With her pleasant British accent, Rebecca Lee narrates this meditation on wonder in our everyday lives. Lee's voice is an apt stand-in for the author's as May grapples with pleasures she has lost and attempts to recapture the joy in them. Much of ENCHANTMENT is a snapshot of a particular place in a particular moment in time--England during strict Covid lockdowns--but many listeners will find May's feelings familiar and relatable. Mixed with philosophical reflections are moments of true magic, as when May gently touches honeybees as they buzz busily in their hive. This audiobook is less a prescription and more an invitation; May suggests "putting your feet on the ground, every now and then, and feeling the tingle of life that the earth offers in return." J.M.D. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

2022-12-23
A journey to reawaken the wonder and awe within us all.

When May, the author of Wintering and The Electricity of Every Living Thing, realized her feeling of extreme exhaustion and isolation in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic wasn’t disappearing anytime soon, she set out to uncover the sense of awe she remembered accessing so readily as a child. At the heart of this memoir are the author’s often rocky attempts to figure out enchantment, which she defines as “small wonder magnified through meaning, fascination caught in the web of fable and memory.” Each section of the book—“Earth,” “Water,” “Fire,” and “Air”—brings the author closer to that sense of wonder. May chronicles her experiences swimming in the ocean, beekeeping, and watching meteor showers, among other quotidian joys. Featuring lyrical writing and clear open-mindedness, the narrative will speak to anyone feeling lonely in the modern world. May shows us that enchantment is present all around us—in our shared cultural histories, the names of wildflowers, and natural phenomena—if we only allow ourselves to look. However, “if we wait passively to become enchanted, we could wait a long time.” The active pursuit of wonder does not demand extreme, specialized circumstances but rather the ability to look at the world with an open heart and mind. Simple knowledge can provide its own kind of wonder as well. “You do not need to walk in the wilderness to make contact with the wild,” writes the author. “If you know your stories—if you understand the mythologies of your land—then you can leap from a sunlit stroll with your dog into the ancient, chthonic wood.” This book will appeal to fans of Ross Gay’s two collections of essays, Inciting Joy and The Book of Delights.

May’s pursuit of enchantment will resonate with anyone feeling burned out or disconnected.