This book was clearly a labor of love. The author loves Wales so much and wants to share that love with everyone around her. She goes in depth about why she feels so at home in Wales and what it is about her personality that resonated so much with the feel of the country. The writing is beautiful and well-done.

Unfortunately, I didn't really connect with this book as much as I thought I would, and I ultimately made the decision not to finish it. I've never been to Wales, but am currently planning a trip there. I hoped that this book would help me discover what makes it so unique so that I could better plan my visit. However, in my reading, I felt like I was an outsider who didn't quite get it yet. I wanted access to that beauty, but having never experienced it before, it felt just out of reach.

Beautiful writing, beautiful book, but better if you're already enamored with the subject. Thank you to NetGalley for the free book in exchange for this review.

Sometimes the magical actually happens. We are inexplicably drawn to places we’ve never visited, and yet they feel like home to us. Studying abroad in Wales for a masters degree in English, Pamela Petro finds herself in just such a position, newly arrived in a country she knows nothing about. This feeling of longing for Wales has now lasted for over three decades and is at the heart of this beautifully written book, The Long Field.

Part memoir, part travel journal, The Long Field represents years of love for Wales and the experiences and people she meets in the country. The writing style is very poetic which paints a rich picture of the beautiful landscape and culture. Much of the book focuses less on the events and more about her emotions and feelings at the time which leads her to love this wild land that she has adopted as her own. Interspersed with details about her own personal life such as her mother’s health struggles and her own sexuality, a clear picture of her relationship with Wales comes through with great vividness.

While I was drawn into the beautifully written text of the book, I did find at times that it lost its cohesiveness and direction, though usually only briefly. I wouldn’t say that it rambles, but perhaps it’s more of a skipping around. Not being a true travel journal, the element of time was not always clearly shown, which could be confusing as to when in her journeys, which were many, the story was at.

Overall, this was a beautiful read with such an emotional pull that was unexpected from what I thought it would be. I look forward to reading more from this author.