There’s been a lot of noise about the state of our rivers these past few years, and quite right too. An Environment Agency report in 2020 revealed that not a single river, lake or stream in England was classified as in “good health” and during last year’s general election campaign, politicians felt the need to compete over what their parties would do to end the scandal of raw sewage entering the water system. There’s no doubt that, for a large section of the public, the issue has touched a nerve.
It’s into this societal whirlpool that the highly acclaimed and best-selling nature writer Robert Macfarlane — well known for The Old Ways, The Lost Words and Underland — dives in with his latest: Is a River Alive?
