What do you think?
Rate this book
The Glorians: Visitations from the Holy Ordinary
“Williams is a master . . . She gives us a reason to follow her refusing to look away from the degradation, in hopes of preserving the wild places we have left.”—
Outside Magazine
From the acclaimed nature writer and New York Times bestselling author, a revelatory work of narrative nonfiction exploring beauty, climate change, and transformative moments of hope in a world beset by uncertainty
Whether we believe it or not, rapid change is upon us. I am searching for grace.
In this time of political fragility, climate chaos, and seeking hope wherever we can find its glimmer, Terry Tempest Williams introduces us to the Glorians. They are not distant deities, but the ordinary, often overlooked presences—animal, plant, memory, moment—that reveal our shared vulnerability and interconnectedness with the natural world. The Glorians can be as small as an ant ferrying a coyote willow blossom to its queen or as commonplace as the night sky. But what they can collectively teach us—about the radical act of attending to beauty and carrying forward against all odds—is immense.
Journeying through encounters with the Glorians in the red rock desert of Utah during the pandemic to Harvard University where she teaches in the Divinity School, Williams weaves a story of astonishing personal and societal insight. As she grapples with the unsettled state of the world, she turns not to despair but to deep reflection. She sees how the Glorians are calling us all to attention, not as an army, but as fellow inhabitants of our sacred, threatened home. They remind us of the power of contact between species and the profound courage—and awareness—it will take to dream a more cohesive future into being.
Wise and lyrical, The Glorians is a testament to the power of witness, a field guide to finding grace in the unexpected, and a moving invitation to engage with one another and our surroundings with renewed intention. In a modern world filled with increasing noise and anxiety, Terry Tempest Williams offers honest sustenance for the mind and spirit and distinguishes herself again as a trusted voice to whom we can turn to more fully understand our times.
From the acclaimed nature writer and New York Times bestselling author, a revelatory work of narrative nonfiction exploring beauty, climate change, and transformative moments of hope in a world beset by uncertainty
Whether we believe it or not, rapid change is upon us. I am searching for grace.
In this time of political fragility, climate chaos, and seeking hope wherever we can find its glimmer, Terry Tempest Williams introduces us to the Glorians. They are not distant deities, but the ordinary, often overlooked presences—animal, plant, memory, moment—that reveal our shared vulnerability and interconnectedness with the natural world. The Glorians can be as small as an ant ferrying a coyote willow blossom to its queen or as commonplace as the night sky. But what they can collectively teach us—about the radical act of attending to beauty and carrying forward against all odds—is immense.
Journeying through encounters with the Glorians in the red rock desert of Utah during the pandemic to Harvard University where she teaches in the Divinity School, Williams weaves a story of astonishing personal and societal insight. As she grapples with the unsettled state of the world, she turns not to despair but to deep reflection. She sees how the Glorians are calling us all to attention, not as an army, but as fellow inhabitants of our sacred, threatened home. They remind us of the power of contact between species and the profound courage—and awareness—it will take to dream a more cohesive future into being.
Wise and lyrical, The Glorians is a testament to the power of witness, a field guide to finding grace in the unexpected, and a moving invitation to engage with one another and our surroundings with renewed intention. In a modern world filled with increasing noise and anxiety, Terry Tempest Williams offers honest sustenance for the mind and spirit and distinguishes herself again as a trusted voice to whom we can turn to more fully understand our times.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published March 3, 2026
111 people are currently reading
5951 people want to read
About the author
Terry Tempest Williams
99 books1,481 followersTerry Tempest Williams is an American author, conservationist and activist. Williams’ writing is rooted in the American West and has been significantly influenced by the arid landscape of her native Utah in which she was raised. Her work ranges from issues of ecology and wilderness preservation, to women's health, to exploring our relationship to culture and nature.
She has testified before Congress on women’s health, committed acts of civil disobedience in the years 1987 - 1992 in protest against nuclear testing in the Nevada Desert, and again, in March, 2003 in Washington, D.C., with Code Pink, against the Iraq War. She has been a guest at the White House, has camped in the remote regions of the Utah and Alaska wildernesses and worked as "a barefoot artist" in Rwanda.
Williams is the author of Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place; An Unspoken Hunger: Stories from the Field; Desert Quartet; Leap; Red: Patience and Passion in the Desert; and The Open Space of Democracy. Her book Finding Beauty in a Broken World was published in 2008 by Pantheon Books.
In 2006, Williams received the Robert Marshall Award from The Wilderness Society, their highest honor given to an American citizen. She also received the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Western American Literature Association and the Wallace Stegner Award given by The Center for the American West. She is the recipient of a Lannan Literary Award for Nonfictionand a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship in creative nonfiction. Williams was featured in Ken Burns' PBS series The National Parks: America's Best Idea (2009). In 2011, she received the 18th International Peace Award given by the Community of Christ Church.
Williams is currently the Annie Clark Tanner Scholar in Environmental Humanities at the University of Utah and a columnist for the magazine The Progressive. She has been a Montgomery Fellow at Dartmouth College where she continues to teach. She divides her time between Wilson, Wyoming and Castle Valley, Utah, where her husband Brooke is field coordinator for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.
She has testified before Congress on women’s health, committed acts of civil disobedience in the years 1987 - 1992 in protest against nuclear testing in the Nevada Desert, and again, in March, 2003 in Washington, D.C., with Code Pink, against the Iraq War. She has been a guest at the White House, has camped in the remote regions of the Utah and Alaska wildernesses and worked as "a barefoot artist" in Rwanda.
Williams is the author of Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place; An Unspoken Hunger: Stories from the Field; Desert Quartet; Leap; Red: Patience and Passion in the Desert; and The Open Space of Democracy. Her book Finding Beauty in a Broken World was published in 2008 by Pantheon Books.
In 2006, Williams received the Robert Marshall Award from The Wilderness Society, their highest honor given to an American citizen. She also received the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Western American Literature Association and the Wallace Stegner Award given by The Center for the American West. She is the recipient of a Lannan Literary Award for Nonfictionand a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship in creative nonfiction. Williams was featured in Ken Burns' PBS series The National Parks: America's Best Idea (2009). In 2011, she received the 18th International Peace Award given by the Community of Christ Church.
Williams is currently the Annie Clark Tanner Scholar in Environmental Humanities at the University of Utah and a columnist for the magazine The Progressive. She has been a Montgomery Fellow at Dartmouth College where she continues to teach. She divides her time between Wilson, Wyoming and Castle Valley, Utah, where her husband Brooke is field coordinator for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
Read
January 7, 2026
Book Riot’s Most Anticipated Books of 2026:
As a fellow Utahn, I may be biased in my love for Terry Tempest Williams' nature essays. Her latest collection, in which she finds the sacred in ordinary moments, sounds especially needed. It speaks to the desire I and many others have to express spirituality, whether that's a connection to the divine or just something greater than themselves. By observing small beauties in nature, she finds hope to sustain her through a global sense of despair. —Andy Minshew
As a fellow Utahn, I may be biased in my love for Terry Tempest Williams' nature essays. Her latest collection, in which she finds the sacred in ordinary moments, sounds especially needed. It speaks to the desire I and many others have to express spirituality, whether that's a connection to the divine or just something greater than themselves. By observing small beauties in nature, she finds hope to sustain her through a global sense of despair. —Andy Minshew
November 10, 2025
Essays, stories and musings. The writing is warm and intimate.; beautiful. This is Terry Tempest Williams at her best.
When she writes about nature she remembers we are part of the landscape. The Glorians are the divine essence, the spark she describes as the holy ordinary. The book is divided in sections. The first essays take place during the pandemic, they are not a medicalized account, what is in the forefront is what we lost and what we gained and what we've forgotten now that it is over.
My favorite section is Home where the author writes short essays on the creatures she shares her world with. There are Rattlesnakes, Black Widow spiders, horny toads, ladybugs and butterflies, All are given equal appreciation and attention.
The essential feeling here is hope in a chaotic, complex, confusing time. The book is an inspiration. Highly recommended.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advance reader copy.
When she writes about nature she remembers we are part of the landscape. The Glorians are the divine essence, the spark she describes as the holy ordinary. The book is divided in sections. The first essays take place during the pandemic, they are not a medicalized account, what is in the forefront is what we lost and what we gained and what we've forgotten now that it is over.
My favorite section is Home where the author writes short essays on the creatures she shares her world with. There are Rattlesnakes, Black Widow spiders, horny toads, ladybugs and butterflies, All are given equal appreciation and attention.
The essential feeling here is hope in a chaotic, complex, confusing time. The book is an inspiration. Highly recommended.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advance reader copy.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
we have been living a myth. we have constructed a dream. we have cajoled and seduced ourselves into believing we are the center of all things: with plants, and other sentient beings from ants to lizards to coyotes to grizzly bears, subservient to our desires and needs. this is a lethal lie that will be seen by future generations as a grave, and a grave moral sin committed and buried in the name of ignorance and arrogance.terry tempest williams writes so beautifully, so openly, so thoughtfully. amidst anguish, finding awe — and always perspective. the glorians shifts largely between williams' beloved desert southwest and her time teaching at harvard divinity school, blending nature writing and memoir. the tiny and the tremendous, the horror and the hope: wherever williams seems to turn her focus and care, she uncovers and reflects and connects the personal and the profound. at once a balm and a bulwark.
March 6, 2026
I love her earlier works, including her book about her relationship to the National Parks. The parts of this book centered around her home were special, but the dwelling at Harvard was tedious and did not speak to me of any Gloriana. The tale of the Divinity Tree is interesting, but other than some quiet protest; it does not appear that anyone, either student or professor dared risk anything to save the tree. Although Williams often speaks in metaphors, her tale of wanting to lie down with buffalo ( which is hard to read as anything other than actually having sex with an animal) was too much for me. I did finish the book, after that bit; but the entirety of the book was slow, scattered. The last straw was her story about losing her beloved??? Cat to an outdoor predator, when she and her husband did little to protect that poor cat. Allowing cats to wander outside for a walk about in any area with predators is irresponsible. She can write all the ‘letters from my cat to sooth my guilt’ she wants to, but they set the stage for this to happen. So, a 3 star from me; and probably no more purchases of her books.
January 1, 2026
[Thanks Grove Atlantic for the ARC. Truly.]
There have been times in my life when I find that a book and I have called out to one another from the ether. This has only happened twice.
Squatted in malasana, I grabbed Terry's erosion and opened on a random page. It was the beginning of the piece about the abolishment of Roe vs. Wade and within three sentences I was crying on the floor of the small bookstore. I put the book back on the shelf, got up from the floor and walked away.
Unbeknownst to me, my then-boyfriend had been watching the scene unfold and went back the next day to purchase it. A poet, he handed me the book and said simply, “You need this." I did.
Once again, the ether and I were in line and the library's mail was a brown package labeled to my attention. Inside was an advanced reader copy of Terry's new book, the Glorians. This time, the voice of the wind was the one telling me that I "needed this”. I did.
Per usual, Terry give so much for one to sit with; digest slowly and reflect with the whole of one's spirit.it speaks to my soul in words that I lack to adequately express as well as Terry does.
Earth is asking us to wake up and reflect on the implications that our conscious and unconscious actions are having on the integrity of life in all manifestations, large and small.
Each species - large or small; feathered, furred, or finned - carries the larger story of planetary health in its cells. The difference between our species and other species is that we are responsible for the demise of all the others.
Terry offers questions that require us to Stop. Sit. Be. That require us to give time to turn ourselves inside out and be honest about how things truly are; how our individual actions and inactions are contributing to the problems that are destroying every single organism on this Planet that- literally- gives us our lives.
How much of your first world comfort are you willing to release?
How much convenience are you ready to give up to allow species other than humans to flourish, heal, and return the balance back to our irreplaceable living Planet?
Does one's spiritual orientation cease to exist as well when our place-based bearings are no longer reliable?
What is the world without any trees? The winter makes it harder to be content in the place I live when the land is nothing but brittle, crunchy brown. It looks like the color of illness. The barren landscape inspires nothing in me and I find I feel I am failing that I am unable to find the beauty of existing where I am. Can I accept that the world denies personhood to the very nature that creates us? That keeps us alive? Feeds us, humbles us and puts us in our proper place in the delicate balance of this Planet within the Universe?
I find it appropriate that this was the last book I read in the year of 2025. It came to me in a time of mental unrest and fitfulness.it spoke to me and feed me things that I have been missing in my life of late and fueled my journey into my mind, into my spirit; my soul, and gave me language to help guide me into making peace with my unrest. To be wiser and steadfast in my belief that our small actions of defiance; our individual refusals to comply to a system that we do not agree DO make a difference. That when you fall back in flow with the energy of the Universe that carries us all, things will come to you and remind you that you are not alone in your mindset and perspectives.
As Terry asks: "Who is listening? I want honest conversations that do not end on the obligatory hopeful note.”
I want honest conversations that do not end on the obligatory hopeful note.
"How well do you live with uncertainty?"
”What else is there?" I replied.
What else indeed, Terry. What else indeed . . .
There have been times in my life when I find that a book and I have called out to one another from the ether. This has only happened twice.
Squatted in malasana, I grabbed Terry's erosion and opened on a random page. It was the beginning of the piece about the abolishment of Roe vs. Wade and within three sentences I was crying on the floor of the small bookstore. I put the book back on the shelf, got up from the floor and walked away.
Unbeknownst to me, my then-boyfriend had been watching the scene unfold and went back the next day to purchase it. A poet, he handed me the book and said simply, “You need this." I did.
Once again, the ether and I were in line and the library's mail was a brown package labeled to my attention. Inside was an advanced reader copy of Terry's new book, the Glorians. This time, the voice of the wind was the one telling me that I "needed this”. I did.
Per usual, Terry give so much for one to sit with; digest slowly and reflect with the whole of one's spirit.it speaks to my soul in words that I lack to adequately express as well as Terry does.
Earth is asking us to wake up and reflect on the implications that our conscious and unconscious actions are having on the integrity of life in all manifestations, large and small.
Each species - large or small; feathered, furred, or finned - carries the larger story of planetary health in its cells. The difference between our species and other species is that we are responsible for the demise of all the others.
Terry offers questions that require us to Stop. Sit. Be. That require us to give time to turn ourselves inside out and be honest about how things truly are; how our individual actions and inactions are contributing to the problems that are destroying every single organism on this Planet that- literally- gives us our lives.
How much of your first world comfort are you willing to release?
How much convenience are you ready to give up to allow species other than humans to flourish, heal, and return the balance back to our irreplaceable living Planet?
Does one's spiritual orientation cease to exist as well when our place-based bearings are no longer reliable?
What is the world without any trees? The winter makes it harder to be content in the place I live when the land is nothing but brittle, crunchy brown. It looks like the color of illness. The barren landscape inspires nothing in me and I find I feel I am failing that I am unable to find the beauty of existing where I am. Can I accept that the world denies personhood to the very nature that creates us? That keeps us alive? Feeds us, humbles us and puts us in our proper place in the delicate balance of this Planet within the Universe?
I find it appropriate that this was the last book I read in the year of 2025. It came to me in a time of mental unrest and fitfulness.it spoke to me and feed me things that I have been missing in my life of late and fueled my journey into my mind, into my spirit; my soul, and gave me language to help guide me into making peace with my unrest. To be wiser and steadfast in my belief that our small actions of defiance; our individual refusals to comply to a system that we do not agree DO make a difference. That when you fall back in flow with the energy of the Universe that carries us all, things will come to you and remind you that you are not alone in your mindset and perspectives.
As Terry asks: "Who is listening? I want honest conversations that do not end on the obligatory hopeful note.”
I want honest conversations that do not end on the obligatory hopeful note.
"How well do you live with uncertainty?"
”What else is there?" I replied.
What else indeed, Terry. What else indeed . . .
January 10, 2026
Terry Tempest Williams’ book “The Glorians” is an exceptional exploration into our fraught and complicated times. Much of her words in these stories revolve around loneliness, change, and transformation as well. Loneliness brought on from the pandemic, from the sixth extinction we’re bringing about with our human selfishness, and from our alienation from one another in this politically polarizing time. But like much of her previous work there is a refreshing undertone of hope as well, as showcased through her observations of Glorians (as she defines them in the book) and the Holy Ordinary. (Some may find the concept of Glorians and her spiritual musing more interesting than I did, so I’ll leave that up to the individual reader.)
She starts the book by quoting Emerson: “This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it.” And therein lies the transformation we all seek out of the gloom of these times. If, indeed we can take action. So she had be hooked from the start.
I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend anyone feeling a lingering sense of unease to pick up a copy. Her observations and reflections have always rang true for me, and this book is no exception. Especially with passages like: “I am no longer surprised when the familiar becomes the unknown, the unexpected, the unrecognizable. … The world we are struggling to understand is moving faster than our comprehension. We need time. We need space. Change requires spaciousness if we are to integrate the past with the present with faith toward a future - this is not something to fear but face, honor, and embrace.”
Another theme in the book I enjoyed was her call to listen more. Acknowledging how what’s sacred to one may be blasphemy to another. I think about this a lot these days. How our curiosity seems to have lost all depth in this age of constant algorithmic fodder. How we get stuck in the cycle of our own beliefs and what we believe to be true without any further exploration. I think this is why so many feel stuck these days. I love when she writes halfway through the book: “What we know and what we don’t know is what leads us to our calling.” I couldn’t agree more!
Finally, thank you Terry for your continued work writing about the importance of preserving wild places for not only their own sake, but ours, the planet, and the biodiversity which enriches our lives, minds, and bodies. How lonely will this planet be with just us humans? How can one expect to find spiritual connections without nature? She asks: “Who will we become if our species and other known invasive species crowd out endemic ones, crushing the diversity of life and glorious specificity of beings living in vulnerable ecosystems? Are we consciously opting for a Wonder Bread world - a bland, prepackaged existence chosen deliberately or by default in the name of efficiency?”
Thank you Grove Atlantic for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
She starts the book by quoting Emerson: “This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it.” And therein lies the transformation we all seek out of the gloom of these times. If, indeed we can take action. So she had be hooked from the start.
I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend anyone feeling a lingering sense of unease to pick up a copy. Her observations and reflections have always rang true for me, and this book is no exception. Especially with passages like: “I am no longer surprised when the familiar becomes the unknown, the unexpected, the unrecognizable. … The world we are struggling to understand is moving faster than our comprehension. We need time. We need space. Change requires spaciousness if we are to integrate the past with the present with faith toward a future - this is not something to fear but face, honor, and embrace.”
Another theme in the book I enjoyed was her call to listen more. Acknowledging how what’s sacred to one may be blasphemy to another. I think about this a lot these days. How our curiosity seems to have lost all depth in this age of constant algorithmic fodder. How we get stuck in the cycle of our own beliefs and what we believe to be true without any further exploration. I think this is why so many feel stuck these days. I love when she writes halfway through the book: “What we know and what we don’t know is what leads us to our calling.” I couldn’t agree more!
Finally, thank you Terry for your continued work writing about the importance of preserving wild places for not only their own sake, but ours, the planet, and the biodiversity which enriches our lives, minds, and bodies. How lonely will this planet be with just us humans? How can one expect to find spiritual connections without nature? She asks: “Who will we become if our species and other known invasive species crowd out endemic ones, crushing the diversity of life and glorious specificity of beings living in vulnerable ecosystems? Are we consciously opting for a Wonder Bread world - a bland, prepackaged existence chosen deliberately or by default in the name of efficiency?”
Thank you Grove Atlantic for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
A Glorian, as I understand it, is an ordinary event that becomes memorable and cherished to us because of its inherent beauty or wonder. Although the word originally came to her in the form of a dream, Terry Tempest Williams has given all of her readers the gift of a Glorian in written form.
Terry writes with authenticity and her prose is full of wisdom and holiness. Her love of her students, the land, and her family shine through as does her compassion for all of the earth's inhabitants. At her core, Williams is a storyteller. I was spellbound by her descriptions of serial flash floods in the Utah desert during an ironic period of drought. I shed tears while reading about the demise of the Harvard Divinity Tree and rejoiced at how its memory was restored in a remarkable way. I looked back with dread as she recalled living through the pandemic and learning lessons from it. Each of these varied experiences became her own life markers and each were filled with their own Glorians, large and small.
I have been reading Terry Tempest Williams for over thirty years. I keep coming back to her because of her constant invitations to see each other through more empathetic and understanding eyes, despite living in a world that appears divided, discontented, and uncertain. This book is full of hope and vision. I will be looking for my own Glorians to come now, perhaps even in a dream.
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a digital advanced copy in return for an honest review.
#NetGalley #GroveAtlantic
Terry writes with authenticity and her prose is full of wisdom and holiness. Her love of her students, the land, and her family shine through as does her compassion for all of the earth's inhabitants. At her core, Williams is a storyteller. I was spellbound by her descriptions of serial flash floods in the Utah desert during an ironic period of drought. I shed tears while reading about the demise of the Harvard Divinity Tree and rejoiced at how its memory was restored in a remarkable way. I looked back with dread as she recalled living through the pandemic and learning lessons from it. Each of these varied experiences became her own life markers and each were filled with their own Glorians, large and small.
I have been reading Terry Tempest Williams for over thirty years. I keep coming back to her because of her constant invitations to see each other through more empathetic and understanding eyes, despite living in a world that appears divided, discontented, and uncertain. This book is full of hope and vision. I will be looking for my own Glorians to come now, perhaps even in a dream.
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a digital advanced copy in return for an honest review.
#NetGalley #GroveAtlantic
March 21, 2026
🔥 Kemo-IPTV.pro IPTV Subscription Services
Premium Entertainment for the UK, USA, Canada & Global Viewers 🌍
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
🔗 Websites:
https://kemo-iptv.pro
Kemo-IP-TV.com
iptv-total.live
https://kemoiptv-tv.us
pandora-iptv.org
https://tenet-streams.com
Additional IPTV Resources
https://norwaytv.net
https://iptvdiamond.cc
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
🔥🔥 Software-Hub.us – Secure, Genuine & Subscription-Free Software 🔥🔥
💎 Lifetime Software Licenses at Outstanding Value 💎
Welcome to Software-Hub.us, a reliable online platform offering premium software solutions at competitive prices ✨💻.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
🔥 ebook-hub.us – Advancing Lifelong Learning Through Digital Books 🔥
Our platform is designed to provide:
📚 Well-organized and structured digital knowledge
🔥 Carefully curated, high-quality content
🌐 Global access anytime, from anywhere
📲 Smooth compatibility across multiple devices
⚙️ Reliable and scalable digital infrastructure
Premium Entertainment for the UK, USA, Canada & Global Viewers 🌍
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
🔗 Websites:
https://kemo-iptv.pro
Kemo-IP-TV.com
iptv-total.live
https://kemoiptv-tv.us
pandora-iptv.org
https://tenet-streams.com
Additional IPTV Resources
https://norwaytv.net
https://iptvdiamond.cc
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
🔥🔥 Software-Hub.us – Secure, Genuine & Subscription-Free Software 🔥🔥
💎 Lifetime Software Licenses at Outstanding Value 💎
Welcome to Software-Hub.us, a reliable online platform offering premium software solutions at competitive prices ✨💻.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
🔥 ebook-hub.us – Advancing Lifelong Learning Through Digital Books 🔥
Our platform is designed to provide:
📚 Well-organized and structured digital knowledge
🔥 Carefully curated, high-quality content
🌐 Global access anytime, from anywhere
📲 Smooth compatibility across multiple devices
⚙️ Reliable and scalable digital infrastructure
March 7, 2026
I always welcome writing by Terry Tempest Williams. This one is a bit of a slog, though. Seems as though it needs a more substantial theme to tie the essays together. Written in a journal or memoir style, it partly takes place during the pandemic. Given what has transpired since, the state of our environment and future outlook has gotten much worse, and there are few optimistic threads here to hang on to. Not that I need optimism, but there is a bleakness here that I struggled with, and no solid premise for the book. The Glorians' theme seemed slight. Further, I don’t have an interest in Harvard Divinity School, where she teaches and serves as a writer in residence. One essay was about a series of presentations for a climate/environmental-related event at Harvard, and it was reported in a rather flat way. Second-hand accounts of who presented and what they said in the rarefied Harvard scene did not hold my interest. Seems as though she had the book contract, and that publishers tend to publish whatever their big-name authors write. I would suggest readers try some of her earlier, well-known books, which are truly transcendent.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
For me, I love that Terry Tempest Williams so gently holds the terrible state of our world with a glimmer of hope, with the noticing of the holy ordinary, the glorians, in our midst. I cried when I read Refuge, and I cried when I read this. This is a book I look forward to owning: one I can return to time and time again when I need a salve and wisdom from someone whose words give me a bit of hope and give us as a society a call to action.
(Received an advance copy through NetGalley- thank you!)
(Received an advance copy through NetGalley- thank you!)
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This is another superb collection of essays. I love Williams’ lyrical way of expressing herself as she offers a glimpse of her world through her eyes and heart. Writing about nature, work, family, environmental concerns, and spirituality, Williams tells stories of brokenness, then circles back to how they become stories of healing. Thanks to #NetGalley & #Grove/Atlantic, Inc. for the eGally. my objective review. I’ve loved all her previous books and was excited when I saw on NetGalley she had this new title coming out.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
very unique work by a Harvard Divinity School Writer-In-Residence. The Glorians is an interesting work that definitely makes you think more deeply about the importance of the little things you might otherwise forget: a chat with a friend, a gentle breeze, a bird singing... definitely grounds you. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.
If you want to get honest reviews of some of the most exciting books coming out every week from a top-5 Goodreads Reviewer, sign up for my mailing list here!
If you want to get honest reviews of some of the most exciting books coming out every week from a top-5 Goodreads Reviewer, sign up for my mailing list here!
March 11, 2026
Oh, my beloved Terry Tempest Williams. Her way of seeing makes me pause and take in my view with more devotion.
Like her other works, this is grounded, sensual, and honest. I mourned the Harvard Divinity Tree and marveled at the wonder of the desert. Maybe this one, which has its roots in the COVID-19 pandemic, spread branches more scattered than her other works. An unfortunate byproduct of the pandemic being that nothing was clear, and that comes out in the work.
I loved it nonetheless.
Like her other works, this is grounded, sensual, and honest. I mourned the Harvard Divinity Tree and marveled at the wonder of the desert. Maybe this one, which has its roots in the COVID-19 pandemic, spread branches more scattered than her other works. An unfortunate byproduct of the pandemic being that nothing was clear, and that comes out in the work.
I loved it nonetheless.
Did not finish
March 21, 2026Was listening to this on audiobook and absolutely loved the beginning, a beautiful meditation on spirituality and nature and human connection.
Got 55% of the way in before girlie starts talking about how she had her sexual awakening watching bison and posed the question, “If we can be genderfluid, why not species fluid?” aaaand I had to stop because WTF 😂
Got 55% of the way in before girlie starts talking about how she had her sexual awakening watching bison and posed the question, “If we can be genderfluid, why not species fluid?” aaaand I had to stop because WTF 😂
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
USA based with some beautiful nature writing. It felt to me that it had a tinge of religion which is not my thing. I loved the focus on nature and how important it is for our place in the world. Thank you to the author. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher.
March 17, 2026
I have devoured almost everything Terry Tempest Williams has written since I read Refuge in the early 90s. Terry’s ability to describe, connect, explain, question and create with words is extraordinary. I marvel at how she connects disparate ideas and helps me to look at the world in new ways.
March 22, 2026
A mix of beautiful writing and liberal echo chamber writing. I even agree with what she writes but I’ve already heard it a million different ways and I would have enjoyed it more if it were the essays without the talking points.
March 23, 2026
I have read most everything this author has published. Her connection to the Southwest moves me deeply. As a Unitarian Universalist I appreciate her embracing of all religions. I especially appreciate her connection to nature.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
Beautiful essays with heartfelt wonder. Words written in very trying times that open us up to our own moments with the holy ordinary.
March 6, 2026
Great
Read
March 8, 2026I fear this is giving substack book
March 14, 2026
There is nothing relatable or humble in this.
March 18, 2026
3.5 stars
March 23, 2026
It seems like pretty writing but I’m not getting it.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
TLDR: Name dropping and irresponsible cat ownership are lines in the sand for me, so I cannot give this book more than 2 stars.
I haven’t read TTW since Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place and Leap, over 20 years ago. I recall loving those books, but I wasn’t as mesmerized by this one. The nature writing in Utah was beautiful as ever, but a significant portion of this book was set at Harvard, and it’s very hard to write seriously about teaching at Harvard without sounding insufferable. (Humorous Harvard writing I’m in for, but c’mon… it’s Harvard….)
Sure enough, the sections about Harvard coupled with the endless (what appeared like) name dropping really turned me off. I appreciate that much of what appears to be name dropping is TTW celebrating other creators, and some of the segments were interesting (such as the one on Barry Lopez), and a few turned me on to writers I didn’t know about (like Etel Adnan). But whyyyyy, on the very first page, start with a Harvard dinner party, and praise professors who have been accused of toxic behavior in the Harvard Crimson long before this eARC became available?
Ironically, there is a scene early on where Adnan warns TTW about the dangers of Harvard, but the possibility that Harvard has made her into an insufferable name-dropper doesn’t seem to occur to her…. (Or maybe her books in the 00s and 10s had this annoying characteristic too, but I don’t recall Refuge and Leap having this flaw.)
And last but not least: cat lovers beware! This is why it is recommended that cats be kept indoors. It’s very dangerous for the cat (and for birds!!) for cats to be allowed to roam freely outdoors. My heart broke for Jade. (And she was from a breeder??? Why, with so many rescue cats in need of good homes!)
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for this (brutally) honest review.
I haven’t read TTW since Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place and Leap, over 20 years ago. I recall loving those books, but I wasn’t as mesmerized by this one. The nature writing in Utah was beautiful as ever, but a significant portion of this book was set at Harvard, and it’s very hard to write seriously about teaching at Harvard without sounding insufferable. (Humorous Harvard writing I’m in for, but c’mon… it’s Harvard….)
Sure enough, the sections about Harvard coupled with the endless (what appeared like) name dropping really turned me off. I appreciate that much of what appears to be name dropping is TTW celebrating other creators, and some of the segments were interesting (such as the one on Barry Lopez), and a few turned me on to writers I didn’t know about (like Etel Adnan). But whyyyyy, on the very first page, start with a Harvard dinner party, and praise professors who have been accused of toxic behavior in the Harvard Crimson long before this eARC became available?
Ironically, there is a scene early on where Adnan warns TTW about the dangers of Harvard, but the possibility that Harvard has made her into an insufferable name-dropper doesn’t seem to occur to her…. (Or maybe her books in the 00s and 10s had this annoying characteristic too, but I don’t recall Refuge and Leap having this flaw.)
And last but not least: cat lovers beware! This is why it is recommended that cats be kept indoors. It’s very dangerous for the cat (and for birds!!) for cats to be allowed to roam freely outdoors. My heart broke for Jade. (And she was from a breeder??? Why, with so many rescue cats in need of good homes!)
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for this (brutally) honest review.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews