Hidden Nature cover art

Hidden Nature

A powerful memoir of exploration and self-discovery

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Hidden Nature

By: Alys Fowler
Narrated by: Miranda Cook
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.99

Buy Now for $26.99

About this listen

Leaving her garden to the mercy of the slugs, award-winning writer Alys Fowler set out in an inflatable kayak to explore Birmingham's canal network, full of little-used waterways where huge pike skulk and kingfishers dart. Her book is about noticing the wild everywhere and what it means to see beauty where you least expect it.

What happens when someone who has learned to observe her external world in such detail decides to examine her internal world with the same care? Beautifully written, honest and very moving, Hidden Nature is also the story of Alys Fowler's emotional journey: above all, this book is about losing and finding, exploring familiar places and discovering unknown horizons.

©2017 Alys Fowler (P)2017 Hodder & Stoughton Limited Biographies & Memoirs Biological Sciences Canoeing & Kayaking Europe Sailing & Boating Science Travel Writing & Commentary Water Sports Western Europe Sports Boating Sailing

Critic Reviews

"'I felt as if I'd paddled into a new country.' The gardening author and Guardian columnist with a distinctive memoir in which she forsakes her garden and takes to paddling Birmingham's little-used canal network in an inflatable kayak. The time and space she allows herself for nature observation - kingfishers, waterlilies, pikes, freshwater mussels and blackberries are all beautifully reflected on - is mirrored by her exploration of her internal self, particularly in the light of leaving her marriage and coming out as gay. An enchanting book which somehow manages to be both gutsy and delightfully soothing." ( The Bookseller)
All stars
Most relevant  
A story full of hope and wonderful descriptions of nature and the self. Perfect bedtime read

Raw and beautiful

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.