I read Sara Maitland's previous memoir A Book Of Silence a few years ago, and absolutely loved it. This new book is similar in many ways, and I loved it even more. Sara Maitland spends a year walking in the forests of England and Scotland, and, in describing each walk, weaves a history of fairytales into the narrative. She describes the history of Britain's forests, those who lived and worked in and around them, and also the background and source of our best known fairytales, and cleverly links these to our experience of childhood. This is an extremely rich and fascinating book, full of magic and imagination, history, questing and secrets. It's a lovely book to hold, and is not quite like anything else I've read. This is a special book, which deserves a much wider readership than it will probably achieve.