Great book. I enjoyed it from beginning to end. The writing was well done and it keeps the reader engaged in the words.

This is a beautiful examination of nature and living in and with nature. I love the title and loved the way that this is reflected in the actual writing. I will definitely read more from this author!!

Earthed was not the book I thought it would be, I was expecting more of the farm life story, and instead this book is about a woman's journey with her mental health. The book was well written and somewhat written in a lyrical voice which could be confusing at times, but also beautiful to read. The author chronicles her life on her plot of land with her family and the struggle she feels trying to do it all, it sounds very relatable but it actually was not at all. The author eventually is diagnosed with ADHD which helped her find a happier balance in her life. I appreciated her honesty about her diagnosis and how it made her realize that society tells people with ADHD that they are wrong simply because they don’t fit into the mold of what is “normal”. She goes on to explain that being different doesn't mean you are bad or less than, and maybe we should restructure society to fit people who are neurodivergent instead of trying to medicate them or change them to fit in with our standards. I had never thought of it that way and so it changed the way I look at the condition entirely. She also had to fight for a diagnoses that fit as she multiple times was put off as “not sick enough” or “doesn’t fit criteria” which was mind blowing since at times she was struggling with suicidal ideations.


At random parts of the book she bounces to these random facts that she wants to look up and then includes all she finds about that topic in the book. I think that she was trying to show the reader how random her thought process was but I found that it really slogged down the book and made it difficult to keep up. The whole book is a bit chaotic and does a good job at showing you what the author has lived with. That kind of chaotic mindset is exhausting to read so I can’t imagine living like that every day. I am glad she finally got some help and a correct diagnosis.

Memoires have been my cup of tea lately.
I thank the author for putting the focus on mental health in such a stunning way.

A very thought provoking memoir based on the authors struggling mental health whilst trying to organise and run her new plot of land. However settling is the beauty she still finds in the nature of it, the tree's and flowers and her animals.
My thanks go to the author, publisher and Netgalley for providing this arc in return for honest review.

A really thoughtful book that brings a light to mental health and neurodiversity. A very quaint book but a bit difficult to read.

This is a truly beautiful book about what it means to be neurodiverse in a neurotypical world and how nature helps us all to cope when things are tough. I will be turning to this book again and again.

This book is stunning!
Such a beautiful and thought provoking memoir focusing on mental health. I loved reading it, quoted some in my personal diary and recommended to others too.

Earthed is a very intimate exploration of mental illness. Its writing style is very literary and the author offers a detailed portrait of how her mind worked in the midst of a mental health crisis. Personally, I was expecting this book to be more about the smallholding farm and the author's life raising a family on the farm, but the book was almost entirely focused on the author's own mental health and neurodivergence. The story was dijointed and hard to follow, which makes sense given the subject matter but was not enjoyable to read. For me, the prose veered into being a little too purple and pretentious for me to love this book, but I hope this story will help others going to a similar struggle. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Honestly? I found this a painful read more than an enjoyable, relaxing one. Perhaps that’s a result if the current climate of ongoing fear ;pandemic/Russia) and a reflection of my own mental health. Or perhaps this observation is in fact a positive, a reflection of the skill of the writer.
Though I did not finish reading it, I can say the writer has openly shared her mental health experiences with a descriptive flair and for that she must be applauded.

An interesting and intense memoir about mental health.
I felt a bit mislead by the description of the book, but found it worthwhile regardless.

This is a really interesting book that combines gardening and the aim for sustainability with the author's search for her mental health diagnosis. I was surprised at how hard the author had to work to get her diagnosis - seemingly being mis-referred/ignored by the system. I also found a lot in common with the sheer stress of taking on a new plot of land - there seems to be a lot of pressure to just 'know' gardening straight away, and even a few years in there is still pressure (I must grow more etc). I really recognise that and wonder if Rebecca may write her next book on that - and combine her research and history skills (the psychology of gardening as opposed to it just being good for wellness).

What a stunning book! I loved the writing and there were so many sentences I highlighted. I can't wait to read more by this author.

Rebecca Schiller has written a raw intimate look at her family’s life.They move to a farm a change of life for ithem.Rebecca isa a strong proponent of back to the land food sourcing.At the same time she is suffering maental health issues.The scene where she trashes her kitchen breaking treasured objects in a fit of rage in front of her children stayed with me.At the same time her involvement with food movement in her new town is really interesting.A book that kept me involved well written emotional.#netgalley #earthed

“...I will think that while most people are made of 60% water, I am composed of smoke and mirrors largely held together with shame.”

The book gets off to an interesting start as we meet the author undergoing some kind of test. It is engaging because we want to know what it’s about. The author makes it clear how she feels about the test with vivid descriptions and staccatoed thoughts. In them we learn that she maintains a plot of land in the country, though it is unclear, to both the reader and the writer, if that is what is keeping her sane, or if it is the reason she is unraveling. As we learn more about the daily chores, local wildlife, and what flowers and vegetables are in season, it becomes apparent that the author’s mental health is in decline. The author’s struggles on the farm, and with various members of her family, are reflected in her hunt for a medical diagnosis. She spends long hours down internet rabbit holes, researching the history (or, more accurately, the herstory) of the land, a way to distract herself from the unknown diagnosis, while at the same time, growing closer to the land and its past.

This book hooked me with its illustrative writing style, doing an excellent job of showing, not telling, both in the garden and in regards to her mental state. The author’s anxiety is palpable in both her uncontrolled outbursts and runaway, occasionally self-berating, thoughts. I enjoyed the repetitive elements of defining words and their origins, and how they tied neatly to the topic at hand. I breezed through this book in a matter of hours, needing to know her diagnosis, as though it would make me feel better about what's going on in my own brain, because much what she recounts is very relatable. I did get lost in the weeds towards the end, which seems like the writer’s diagnosis rearing its ugly head. The pace changes, becoming choppy prose and then lengthy narrative. It’s over in a few pages, but it did sour my opinion just the tiniest bit of an otherwise fascinating book of what life is like living with an undiagnosed mental condition.

This book might be appreciated by those familiar with the Back to Land Movement, more recent works on the topic include Melissa Coleman’s memoir This Life is in Your Hands and Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. This book also sparked some similarities to Sylvia Plath.

Earthed by Rebecca Schiller
When I read a book and publish a review, I first ask myself would I recommend to a friend to go out and buy it and spend time reading it so perhaps we can discuss it? In the case of Earthed, I can’t give a positive rating. Why? Certainly Ms. Schiller has a descriptive and feel for writing about nature, the land and the change of seasons in Wales. It is almost poetry. I could feel the damp, the crunch of frost and the first signs of Spring when there is a hint of warmth in the air from a sun still low in the sky. All very good but I cringed as a read about her mental and emotional troubles that prevented her from loving or being loved by her husband and two daughters. I am writing this on Christmas eve and can’t imagine sending this book as a present to a friend. Reading of her children’s 1st day of school in the country and she can’t walk with them and her husband across the fields past the gamboling sheep and goats is just awful. I suppose I should be sympathetic but instead I am just annoyed.
I have read many glowing reviews by fellow readers and I understand how they came to this conclusion but for me it is too much to suggest read this book and enjoy.

When I started this book I didn't know what the author's diagnosis would be, I only knew that she would have mental health issues. As I read I started to see myself in the pages. The need to move fast from one thing to the next. The distractions, frustrations, overthinking, difficulty making a decision, needing to get everything right, but being in such a hurry that you don't want to take things one step at a time to DO it right you just want it DONE. The quandry of so many great ideas for projects, with no starting and ending point, just ideas in various stages of being incomplete. Then there's the constant anxiety that depresses and you wonder "what can't I just relax!?" It turns out that her diagnosis mirrored mine. Even though I had known what my problem was I had not appreciated the impact it actually had on my daily life until I read this book and looked at the impact it has as an outsider. This book has taught me to be kinder to myself. This is not a personality flaw, it's brain chemistry. This would also be a great book for loved ones to read so that they may be more patient and understanding. Thank you #Netgalley for allowing me to read and review #Earthed.

I take great interest in living and growing in the world around us, I was interested to read about Rebecca’s views.
Connection to the earth and dealing with your thoughts and emotions is an individual journey.
I’m sorry to say that I didn’t really connect with the way this story unfolds or is written. I found it hard to read, follow and relate to the writer’s message. Disappointing as I kept waiting for something to click.

Thanks to Elliott Thompson & Rebecca Schiller for the opportunity to read and offer a honest review.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.