The book concerns what happens when Birnam Wood—a radical gardening collective—votes to work with a tech billionaire whose motivations are questionable at best. That reaction is chemical, with an inevitable release of energy.

I was very much looking forward to reading this book, having enjoyed The Luminaries. While I can’t say I enjoyed the book in the same way, it certainly gave me a lot to think about.

I struggled with this book from the beginning. This began with the narrative voice, which was derisive and condescending. It felt throughout as if the narrator was not only speaking down about the characters, but continually speaking down to the reader. Take the rest of what I say with a grain of salt, because I suspect that much of the rest of this review will be a reaction to that narrative voice

Given the above and the fact that this book is self-consciously a Shakespearean tragedy, it’s no surprise that few of the characters are sympathetic. If the narrator despises the characters, what sympathy is the reader likely to have. (I did find one minor character sympathetic. This character is despised by the other characters, but is saved from the narrator’s critical gaze.)

I had trouble believing in the characters. This was not because I disliked them. Early in the novel, I felt that the characters were meant to be archetypes or to represent a certain philosophical point of view. Much of the dialogue could support this idea,. In the end, though, I saw the characters largely as objects of analysis. Almost as if the book contains a criticism of itself or a criticism of Macbeth or both. Although the characters motivations are explained and analyzed at length, they never really came to live as real, living human beings.

A great deal of time is spent on the characters’ politics. The question that is raised—without being answered—is whether it is possible anymore to be privileged and effectively political. Both the question and the lack of the answer come relentlessly (an unapologetically?) from a position of privilege.

To be fair, it is the previously mentioned sympathetic character that best represents today’s inclusive, representative and intersectional politics. Nevertheless, it is the eventual hero of the book (if the book can be said to have a hero) who rails eloquently against this character and the concept of intersectionality itself. The sympathetic character—seen as overly emotional and touchy by the other characters—seems to have been included only to speak briefly in a parody of voices one might hear on Twitter before being quickly sidelined. Although I don’t think “cancel culture” is ever explicitly mentioned, its specter looms large throughout the book.

All of this is to say that the main characters’ politics—decided left, but also decidedly and unabashedly privileged—felt tone deaf and left me deeply uncomfortable, which I suspect may have been the point.

I would rarely discuss an ending of book, but the ending is crucial to Birnam Wood. Given the title of the book and that we are repeatedly reminded where the title comes from, I don’t think the ending is meant to come as a surprise. Throughout the book, the reader is given hints that this is how things might turn out. I also didn’t feel the ending as any kind of a gut punch. Because of the narrative voice and the somewhat flat characters, the ending landed without any real emotional impact. It was more of a foregone conclusion than a shock.

This is a difficult and complex book. It is part political treatise and part critical analysis, both wrapped up in the package of a literary thriller. This is not something that is easy to pull off. Despite my reservations, I think Catton largely succeeds in this. This is not the type of book that I can say I enjoyed, but it made an impression. It’s one of those books that I will find my self thinking about for months to come. It certainly upended my expectations of Eleanor Catton.

I wrote the above to provide my honest reaction to the book. This review has not been published elsewhere.

I have a niche group of readers who will love this title. It was exciting from start to finish and I can't wait to recommend it!

I was so excited to read this novel as The Luminaries is one of the most interesting and unique books I have ever read (also assigned it to my book club not knowing the length. YIKES).

First off, the hat tip to Macbeth in multiple ways is something that Catton weaves in with care, not heavy-handedness. This book has many of the same characteristics that made me love Catton's works. Worldbuilding with incredible attention to detail. Complex and compelling characters. Plus an interesting take on environmental activism.

And while I knocked off a star because it had a really slow start (until Book II began I was ready to throw in the towel). But the last 300 pages are a "can't put it down" thriller. One of my favorite reads thus far in 2023.

I absolutely loved this. So much fun! Snappy thrillers aren’t often written so brilliantly, so it just felt like a treat.

I was not aware that my reading life was missing an ecological thriller about rogue gardeners in New Zealand… but alas, it WAS! This book hit the spot for me. I loved cycling through the various points of view, I loved the characters and how fleshed out they were, and I loved that I couldn’t have predicted the way everything came together. My heart was pounding by the end and I loved every second!

Not for me I’m afraid. This book didn’t read as well as I expected. I didn’t find any wit or drama, just a lot of ranting and whining.

Eleanor Catton is not just my fave Kiwi author, but one of my faves of all time. Like the Luminaries (5 stars), she writes such intertwined stories that draw you in. As the title suggests, the novel is Shakespearean in scope, and the woods they do indeed move as sort of symbolic goalposts do.

Do I like the characters? No; they are awful people. Am I in love with them? Yes! The billionaire, the pest control guy, the anticapitalist gardeners. They are all jerks but I found myself rooting for most of them as they deal with pending climate change in realistic ways.

Stunning prose that I will recommend to all my friends, family, and followers until they break down and read it, just like I did with the Luminaries.

A really complicated plot and in depth characters that were quite deep, Better after I got through the first part of World building. A bit political with strong philosophical views in the group of twenty-something’s gardening collective set in New Zealand. Not quite a crime fiction but has those vibes along with mystery and literary fiction. Recommend to readers that enjoy this mixed genre, just too far outside of my normal reading subjects.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced digital copy. All opinions are my own.

A psychological thriller that takes place in gorgeous New Zealand. Not for the faint of heart! I wish I could have identified with (any of) the characters a little more as I prefer to care about the people I read about!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC digital copy. I was not compensated for this review and all opinions are my own.

The premise of Birnam Wood intrigued me with its eco-friendly plot. Unfortunately, the writing style was not to my liking. I appreciate parentheses (honest, I do) especially when it helps understand a character (by revealing their innermost thoughts), but it was simply overdone in this instance.

3.5 stars out of respect for the author and the fact that Birnam Wood is likely is just not the right book for me at this time. I may keep in on my "to be read" list and will update this review in the event that my opinion changes.

Set in rural New Zealand, Birnam Wood sets the stage for an environmental, psychological dooms day thriller. The reader is introduced to Mira, a leader of a gardening collective with leftist ideals that cultivates other people's lands without their knowledge. Their new target is a disaster laden area on the South Island where a farm has been abandoned. However, a billionaire American has laid claim to the farm and wants to prepare for the end times. A deal is made to allow the gardening group to use the land, but where the story begins is not where you ever think it would end.

Be prepared for long prose with lots of detail but also thrilling action sequences. Although the novel starts off slow, it does pick up and keeps your attention. The narrative jumps between the main characters, so it was interesting to see their different points of view.

Elanor Catton is an excellent writer. You just have to buckle up and be prepared to slog through some sequences to get to the good parts.

Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

Birnam Wood is a piece of environmental fiction that revolves around, well, Birnam Wood- an unregulated, sometimes criminal, sometimes-philanthropic guerrilla gardening collective dedicated to extreme gardening on unused land. The group's founder, Mira Bunting, meets billionaire Robert Lemoine, who wants to purchase land near a landslide for reasons unbeknownst to most, leading to a deal that seems mutually beneficial. Other significant characters include Tony, an aspiring journalist, Shelley, who holds Birnam Wood together with her accounting skills, and Owen and Jill Darvish, owners of the land on which the story takes place.

The book is a mix of character development and action, beginning with the former and ending with the latter. The beginning entailed such a detailed introduction of characters and gradual build up, in fact, that I found the pacing to be almost agonizing. However, it's worth pulling through as the book builds up to a fast-paced climax that had me on the edge of my seat!

The environmental theme is well explored, and the billionaire's intention to build a doomsday bunker as well as his use of drones and anything and everything he has at his disposal is a unique aspect of the story. Although the ending may not be to everyone's liking, I found it to be the best part of the book as a whole. Birnam Wood is a well-written and thought-provoking literary thriller that raises important social issues, while leaving many of the answers to such questions up to the discretion of the reader.

Thanks so much to Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux as well as NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I absolutely loved this book. Very different from Luminaries and I think even better. Perfectly structured with twists and turns that come from character not contrivance.
A real page turner where every detail is impeccably set up and paid off in the most satisfying way. Did I mention that I loved this book.

Did you think that gardening was a peaceful activity? After reading "Birnam Wood," Eleanor Catton's latest novel, you will surely change your mind.

Birnam Wood is a clandestine gardening collective with a great idea: the group cultivates unused strips of land, abandoned construction sites, and such to grow vegetables. They are young, sharing their idealistic view of the world, although there is friction between the group's leader Mira, and Shelley, seemingly her devoted follower and relentless organizer. Then another person returns to rejoin the collective – Tony Gallo, a jaded, anti-capitalist, aspiring journalist.

It looks like they all found a pot of gold, accidentally meeting an American billionaire, Robert Lemoine, who recently acquired one-hundred and fifty-three hectares of land next to Korowai National Park in New Zealand. He is interested in supporting their young, vibrant initiative; the money would help move the group to a new level. However, something feels wrong. Greed, ambition, and mistrust slowly grow under the surface to finally bring the novel to the exploding, unexpected finale.

This book starts with beautiful, long sentences meandering through the protagonists' minds and actions. The plot is intriguing, and I haven't read a book I would savor as much as this one in a long time. I would call it an environmental thriller or even a horror. Eleanor Catton is exceptionally good at describing people's thoughts, and the characters are authentic – although not necessarily likable. At the story's end, I was immersed in it and flew through the last chapter.

What a ride this novel was! And on a deeper level, a cautionary tale, pointing out the difficult, if not impossible, relations between the big industry and environmentalists. The future of this fragile connection, especially considering how much people could differ in their motives and how deceitful or simply evil they can be, as shown in the novel, can quickly become Apocalypse.

taut fast paced thriller with incredible psychological insights - well paced, tightly constructed. a genius at work

This eco-thriller set in New Zealand’s South Island keeps ratcheting up the tension and culminating in a completely unexpected explosive ending. It’s such a worthy next novel after Catton’s brilliant first novel, The Luminaries, won the Booker Prize (she is the youngest author ever to have won) and you have to add this to your reading list as well!

This book starts slow, following a committed group of gardening activists who want to increase the use of the land for growing crops to feed the needy. To do so, they set up gardens in donated spaces, but they also frequently resort to guerilla tactics: secretly planting on private or public land without permission and stealing the gardening items they need. They’ve named themselves Birnan Wood, and frequently find themselves arguing among themselves about how to stay afloat financially and revisiting their core vision. Among them, there’s Mira the idealistic and perhaps unrealistic founder, Shelley her disillusioned second in command and roommate, and jaded Tony an earlier member who’s returned from abroad casting harsh critiques that the group has lost their way.

Mira heads out to scout a potential planting spot near Korowai National Park, where a recent landslide has shut the town down. While checking out a large farm that prior to the landslide had been slated for housing subdivisions, Mira stumbles upon American CEO-billionaire Robert who’s also scouting the property which he says he has bought for his doomsday survival bunker in the case of climate collapse. Charming Robert offers to give a grant of $100,000 to Birnam Wood if they set up a farming test pilot on the farm. Unbeknownst to Mira, the sale has not actually been completed.

With the evocative narrative continually shifting between the perspective main characters, tensions mount to edge-of-your-seat as underlying motives get uncovered, romantic sparks fly and lives become endangered.

Thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux & NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy.

In some ways, this book is the spiritual successor to Catton's previous novel, The Luminaries — nefarious businessmen, money to be made off elements in the ground, and the consequences of entangling yourself with the sort of person who sees you as a means to an end. However, Birnam Wood is definitely not the same book, moving us to the modern day fictional area of Thorndike, New Zealand. There are young idealists, gardeners who just want to save the world a little a time, and the willful ignorance of the always upwardly-grasping rich (and the ultra-rich taking advantage of them all). Everyone is compromised in their own way, despite their posturing and efforts to appear otherwise. You definitely won't like everyone here, but that's not the point.

If I had any complaints, the semi-abrupt ending left me with a few questions, but I also see what Catton was doing with it. When pressed against the wall, when you only have what is in front of you to work with, all your speeches and myth-making no longer matter. With the time remaining, what are you able to DO?

Sadly this was a DNF for me. I really pushed, got through 10% and had zero interest. It's descriptive to a bad fault. A paragraph is over a page long and 16 pages in I read about Mina and Shelley meeting on the day Shelley's parents separated twice. There was no dialog between characters for over 20 pages, just descriptive narration. I tried, but this is just too boring. Especially when it's only 3 chapters and each chapter is close to 100 pages..

This is a very well written book with a great premise, yet it wasn't quite the book for me.
At times I found myself very caught up in the prose , rereading sentences that were so packed with meaning.
The book is about a group called Birnam Wood - an environmentalist group dedicated to producing organic produce on unused plots of land. Mira, Shelley and Tony are the main characters the reader follows from the group. They come upon a bit of land ideal for their work and enter Robert Lemoine (a very wealthy developer) and Owen and Jill Darvish who own the land. Tony breaks from the group and becomes a lone journalist trying to follow the story of what is going on with Lemoine and the area which has recently suffered a natural disaster.
The characters were not likeable to me at all. The story pacing was initially very slow and then almost rocketed to a very bizarre ending.
I believe the author was making a very important point about capitalism and how business is done in the world. All though I very much agree with her perspective at times it felt like preaching from a soapbox.
Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for a honest review.

I enjoyed Eleanor Catton's psychological eco-thriller about a guerilla gardening collective. It took some time for the plot to get moving, but I didn't mind because I particularly liked the interiority of Catton's writing. The way she explored each character's personality, thoughts, and relationships was fascinating and reminded me of books by Jeffrey Eugenides, Lauren Groff, and Sally Rooney (to name a few authors).

Birnam Wood was thought-provoking and the last two thirds of the novel moved quickly. Despite finding the characters extremely interesting, I wish I had felt more invested in them. I also was not a fan of the ending. I don't think I will be able to fully process this book until I've had a chance to discuss it with other readers, so I'll be encouraging my friends to read this, if only for my own selfish aims! But in all seriousness, I think this would be a great pick for a book club.

Thank you to FSG and NetGalley for the e-ARC!