Is a River Alive?

By: Robert Macfarlane

Narrated by: Robert Macfarlane

From the bestselling author of Underland and "the great nature writer . . . of this generation" (Wall Street Journal), a revelatory book that transforms how we imagine rivers—and life itself.

Hailed in the New York Times as "a naturalist who can unfurl a sentence with the breathless ease of a master angler," Robert Macfarlane brings his glittering style to a profound work of travel writing, reportage, and natural history. Is a River Alive? is a joyful, mind-expanding exploration of an ancient, urgent idea: that rivers are living beings who should be recognized as such in imagination and law.

Macfarlane takes listeners on three unforgettable journeys teeming with extraordinary people, stories, and places: to the miraculous cloud-forests and mountain streams of Ecuador, to the wounded creeks and lagoons of India, and to the spectacular wild rivers of Canada―imperiled respectively by mining, pollution, and dams. Braiding these journeys is the life story of the fragile chalk stream a mile from Macfarlane's house, a stream who flows through his own years and days. Powered by dazzling prose and lit throughout by other minds and voices, Is a River Alive? will open hearts, challenge perspectives, and remind us that our fate flows with that of rivers―and always has.

©2025 Robert Macfarlane (P)2025 Penguin Audio

fantastic book

I will be teaching this book in the MFA in nature writing that I direct. fantastic.

Must listen!!!

Profoundly moving call to action to protect rivers and in turn, our Earth, our home. Eloquent writing often moved me to tears and merited a second listen.

Wonderous in scope and imagination!

Macfarlane’s writing is absolutely superb. He weaves words and emotions into a lovely tapestry and his ability to grab and keep your attention is what separates this book from most others. I couldn’t recommend it more!

An extraordinarily poetic and inspiring read.

An awesome book. Elegant, personal, worldly and visionary. Wonderful narration. An amazing addition to the Rights of Nature movement.

Beautifully written

A joy of a listen. Tells the story of connection to Life via river adventures