Fens, bogs, and swamps are all wetlands. The lack of oxygen under the water prevents things that fall into it (plants, animals, artifacts of human civilization) from decomposing, so it just builds up in thick layers of carbon, called peat. Peat is so dense that, if left untouched, wetlands hold more carbon than any other kind of environment. They’re also one of the most endangered environments on earth. Throughout the last several centuries they have been drained of water and pillaged for their resources, then turned into monoculture farmland.

Proulx discusses what led her to be interested in wetlands, a bit on the differences between types of wetlands. Then a chapter called “Fen” discusses the people who lived in the fens of prehistoric England, a chapter called “Bog” discusses human bodies found in bogs and the Battle of Teutoburg, and a chapter called “Swamp” details the draining of various North American swamps in the mid- to late-1800s.

I was very much looking forward to reading this and it was quite disappointing. Proulx is not a non-fiction writer or a science communicator. There is no real point here, no thesis statement nor call to action. There are many long tangents (it would be enough to say that the Germans lured the Romans into a swamp at the Battle of Teutoburg, I don’t need 10 pages on it!) and lots of idolizing ancient (white) people for being perfectly at-one with nature, as if they were omniscient instead of just not yet technologically capable of destroying the planet. Proulx rightly criticizes historians who allege that death-by-bog was the traditional punishment for being gay in ancient times, but alleges herself that ancient people would be upset at modern humans for draining wetlands for agriculture (I doubt it! They don’t know what climate change is but they definitely know what easy food is. And they did levee and redirect the wetlands themselves, just not to the modern extent). Most notably, while there are very brief mentions of wetlands elsewhere in the world, the book seems to be willfully only about white people. The fens of eastern England and the bogs of northern Germany together take up half the book, and discussion of swamps in the US begins and ends with white explorers, white politicians and white farmers. How can a book possibly talk about the Great Dismal Swamp and skip over the generations of escaped slaves who lived there? Let alone all of the native people who lived in wetlands across the continent for ten thousand years.

This is a white-washed nothing-burger that does not live up to its title. I want to learn more about peatlands but I’d like something both more scientific and more historical. This is just a few musings. If it was background for a novel it would be fine, but it is not a serious natural history book.

Also, I would never downgrade a book for this, but the lack of Oxford comma in the title and throughout the book drove me crazy. In my head I kept referring to it as “Fen Bognswamp”, which would be a great DnD character name. ( )

I've never really thought of swamps and bogs as beautiful but Annie Proulx describes them as wondrous but rapidly disappearing places. I was quite mesmerized listening to this book. Proulx describes the difference between the various kinds of wetland and the roles they play in sequestering carbon and protecting wildlife and plants. She also goes back in history to explore the fens of England and the peat bogs of Ireland and many other places. Sadly, many of these once large wetlands have almost totatlly disappeared. Proulx argues that if we want to reverse climate change we have to reintroduce these wetlands. Of course, that's not going to be popular with the many people who now live where they were located. Yet, with climate change comes rising ocean levels and more areas that will be submerged so maybe Mother Earth will return to the age of "fens, bogs and swamps".

Now, if only something could be done about all those mosquitoes that live in wet areas I'd be happy to have them return. ( )

A love song to the wetlands, this series of essays on different land/water habitats is comprehensive and informative without being dry (pun intended).
It captures aspects of humankind's interactions with watery land from ancient peoples to modern drainage and the massive implications that has for nature and the environment.
As someone with fenland heritage, I feel inspired to make some land soggy again. ( )

This short, accessible book explains the importance of peat in our ecosystem, and how its destruction has released CO2 and contributed to climate change. Much of the earth’s wetlands have been destroyed, with large swathes of land repurposed for agricultural use. Centuries ago, the long-term effects were not understood and it seemed logical to drain a huge wet area so it could be used to grow food for an increasing population. But in modern times we can measure the environmental impact of peat destruction and yet that doesn't stop the forces of capitalism.

Annie Proulx’s description of various wetlands in Europe, South America, and North America, and the events that led to their destruction, was clear and easy to understand.In her acknowledgements, Proulx describes writing this book during the 2020 pandemic, which limited her sources. Unfortunately the result is a book more anecdotal than science-based, lacking a call to action for the reader. It was good, but could have been better. ( )

A timely, important, and informative book. If you want a broad and useful perspective on peat bogs, mires, marshes, etc, this is an accessible and interesting place to start. The nature glossary is especially helpful. ( )