Book Review: Entangled: A Cabinet of Botanical Wonders

Entangled: A Cabinet of Botanical Wonders by A.R. Wells
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Entangled’s foreword quickly sets the tone of what’s to come, reminding us of history’s obsessed explorers, risking their lives in search of legendary plants. I felt I was about to be drawn into a grand, history-spanning adventure. As a casual country herbologist myself, I was intrigued.

The cover art is dark and mysterious. The writing style is elegant, the fonts and typesetting are meticulously arranged. It feels like a book from an age gone by. Those touches help put the reader in the right mood to learn about our relationships (and our obsessions) with exotic plants. You’ll probably know some of these facts, though I’m certain you will learn many things you’ve never heard of before.

The author certainly wanted to get our attention from the start. The first section, “The Seeds of Empire” leads with a substance we all know and most of us love. Chocolate. “The Feathered Serpent’s Gift”. But did you know it is so valued that it’s been used as currency? You’ll even learn a clever way to “counterfeit” that “money”.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg for chocolate’s essay. Author A.R. Wells takes you on a trip through history, highlighting chocolate’s importance and explaining how it has changed our world, time and time again. The essay is highlighted by two dark, mysterious, detailed illustrations. There are many such illustrations throughout the book, which enhance that brooding-moody feeling.

Chocolate isn’t the only topic to receive such attention to detail. Every essay is a strange, dark gem. Keep this book near your reading nook. If you read one essay a day, there’s enough botanical information to keep you engrossed for over a month. The essays are the right length to be read while having a cup of tea. After all, tea itself is one of mankind’s greatest obsessions.