Samantha Walton has produced a clearly structured and wonderfully deepening discussion of Nan Shepherd's remarkable expression of deceptively profound and vital lived experience. The Living World is a model of the ecocritical reading of a writer's work in a critical extension of its interwoven strands of environmental thought.

Green Letters: Studies in Ecocriticism

A much-needed ecocritical deep dive into Shepherd's writing, as well as into the Cairngorms and onto the high plateau.

Northern Scotland

The Living World presents a strong and innovative contribution to scholarship in Scottish studies, modernism, and the environmental humanities. As a well researched study that covers a wide range of topics through a small lens, it offers something of value to everyone, whether they are already familiar with or new to ecocritical theory and Nan Shepherd's writing.

Ecozon@

This is an admirable book in many respects. It contains many clear and extended definitions of concepts that are very helpful for the reader ... The author is very well-informed about both Scottish, English and international contexts.

Anthropological Journal of European Cultures

The Living World firmly establishes Nan Shepherd's significance as an ecological writer whose relevance continues to grow as we move further into the Anthropocene. With an admirably light touch, Walton provides an accessible and detailed account of Shepherd's work, underpinned by extensive contextual research, close reading, and dialogue with contemporary ecocriticism.

Pippa Marland, Research Fellow, University of Leeds, UK