Lark Ascending
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- Create Date：2022-11-10 09:51:43
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Silas House
- ISBN：164375159X
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Summary
“This beautiful book is shot through with such tenderness and humanity， such love and courage and beauty and hope， that it feels almost like a prayer。” —Margaret Renkl， author of Late Migrations
A timely， powerful story of survival set in the not-too-distant future， reminding us to always hold on to hope， even in the worst of times。
With fires devastating much of America， Lark and his family first leave their home in Maryland for Maine。 But as the country increasingly falls under the grip of religious nationalism， it becomes clear that nowhere is safe， not just from physical disasters but also persecution。 The family secures a place on a crowded boat headed to Ireland， the last place on earth rumored to be accepting American refugees。
Upon arrival， it turns out that the safe harbor of Ireland no longer exists either—and Lark， the sole survivor of the trans-Atlantic voyage， must disappear into the countryside。 As he runs for his life， Lark finds two equally lost and desperate souls: one of the last remaining dogs， who becomes his closest companion， and a fierce， mysterious woman in search of her lost son。 Together they form a makeshift family and attempt to reach Glendalough， a place they believe will offer protection。 But can any community provide the safety that they seek？
Lark Ascending is a moving and unforgettable story of friendship and bravery， and even more， a story of the ongoing fight to protect our personal freedoms and find our shared humanity， from a writer at the peak of his powers。
A timely， powerful story of survival set in the not-too-distant future， reminding us to always hold on to hope， even in the worst of times。
With fires devastating much of America， Lark and his family first leave their home in Maryland for Maine。 But as the country increasingly falls under the grip of religious nationalism， it becomes clear that nowhere is safe， not just from physical disasters but also persecution。 The family secures a place on a crowded boat headed to Ireland， the last place on earth rumored to be accepting American refugees。
Upon arrival， it turns out that the safe harbor of Ireland no longer exists either—and Lark， the sole survivor of the trans-Atlantic voyage， must disappear into the countryside。 As he runs for his life， Lark finds two equally lost and desperate souls: one of the last remaining dogs， who becomes his closest companion， and a fierce， mysterious woman in search of her lost son。 Together they form a makeshift family and attempt to reach Glendalough， a place they believe will offer protection。 But can any community provide the safety that they seek？
Lark Ascending is a moving and unforgettable story of friendship and bravery， and even more， a story of the ongoing fight to protect our personal freedoms and find our shared humanity， from a writer at the peak of his powers。
Reviews
Sally
，
A compelling story， beautifully written。 I highly recommend
Lisa
，
Maybe I'll circle back around to this book at a later time。 Maybe I'll circle back around to this book at a later time。 。。。more
Angela Joynes
，
Lark Ascending by Silas House is 277 pages of delightful contradiction， a must-absolutely-read。 A young man and a dog surviving amid chaos caused by climate change and religious extremism and persecution。 This book is a triumph。A dystopian novel full of hope。A tale of loneliness filled with love。A multitude of betrayals which highlight honor and loyalty。While this book quietly broke my heart， I felt uplifted by Lark’s resilient persistence， his constant faith in love， his irrevocable hope。 I tur Lark Ascending by Silas House is 277 pages of delightful contradiction， a must-absolutely-read。 A young man and a dog surviving amid chaos caused by climate change and religious extremism and persecution。 This book is a triumph。A dystopian novel full of hope。A tale of loneliness filled with love。A multitude of betrayals which highlight honor and loyalty。While this book quietly broke my heart， I felt uplifted by Lark’s resilient persistence， his constant faith in love， his irrevocable hope。 I turned these pages without interruption， hearing Silas’s wonderful voice in my head as if he were reading the story to me。 Thank you Silas for writing。 。。。more
Daniel Freeman
，
I thought it was not gonna be my cup of tea from the onset， but I was WRONG。 This is a strong story of perseverance， hardship， love， and loss。 I will be looking for more titles from Silas House。
Noel
，
3。5/5 starsLark Ascending is a beautiful and at times horrible parable of what some envision as our world's not too distant future。 It reminded me of The Road in many ways， but much less gritty and far more hopeful。 It is obvious that House has penned a love letter to both Ireland and his dog， and both of these absolutely shine -- the latter especially。 I'm not even a dog person but man was I attached to Seamus！ I can't bring myself to rate this novel any higher because it really was quite simpl 3。5/5 starsLark Ascending is a beautiful and at times horrible parable of what some envision as our world's not too distant future。 It reminded me of The Road in many ways， but much less gritty and far more hopeful。 It is obvious that House has penned a love letter to both Ireland and his dog， and both of these absolutely shine -- the latter especially。 I'm not even a dog person but man was I attached to Seamus！ I can't bring myself to rate this novel any higher because it really was quite simple and often moved slowly or just did not keep my focus very well。 I know it is not written to be super thrilling or exciting， so maybe the problem is more with me as the reader。 I would certainly recommend this book if you enjoy post-apocalyptoc literature， and I'm always happy to support Silas House。 。。。more
Regina
，
I absolutely loved this book。 It spoke to my heart。 And， I have a beagle so I fell in love with Shamus。
Mary Beth Hustoles
，
Even though this has a dystopian setting， that is never the focus of the book。 Instead it is a prayer or a poem of loss， of love， of understanding what is necessary。 Beautifully written， with such absolute grace and tenderness， it will send you out into the woods （and maybe to your local animal rescue facility！）
Sally Ross
，
This is one of those books that will stay with me for a very long time。 Absolutely beautiful。
Paula Hess
，
Hits very close to home in this current political climate。 A truly haunting dystopian read。
Carol
，
Silas House’s writing is beautiful even when the topic is dark， harsh。 Sometimes I reread passages， not because I didn’t understand or felt I’d missed something， but just because I wanted to savor the words。 Characters， activities， and incidents are described in Lark Ascending with phrasings I felt I had not heard before， in ways that added depth to the story。
Bill Silva
，
This was a disappointment…I found it to be both heavy handed in its depiction of a dystopian future and overly sentimental in its account of what is at risk in this all-too-possible world。 The language is at times lyrical， and the intentions are good， but the story itself is predictable and just not that interesting。
Beth Robinson-Kinney
，
This book is a significant departure from House's previous works， but his voice runs through it nonetheless。 This dystopian tale， told by Lark， is one of survival in a world that has been ravaged by global warming and fundamentalism。 It is dark but entrancing。 His writing was lyrical as always。 Nature features prominently as the keystone of the novel。 This one is not lighthearted， but it will move you as his novels always do。 This book is a significant departure from House's previous works， but his voice runs through it nonetheless。 This dystopian tale， told by Lark， is one of survival in a world that has been ravaged by global warming and fundamentalism。 It is dark but entrancing。 His writing was lyrical as always。 Nature features prominently as the keystone of the novel。 This one is not lighthearted， but it will move you as his novels always do。 。。。more
Philip
，
"First there were the fires。 Australia burned when my parents were young， then again， and worse， when I was a baby。 Later， half of Africa burned， along with most of the land surrounding the Mediterranean。 In America， first California burned， but then the entire West， when I was a child。 Slowly， at first。 Then， all at once。 Next the flames took the South。 Walls of fire that spread for miles， devouring the land and the houses， the towns and the animals。 At first we only saw it on screens。 Not in p "First there were the fires。 Australia burned when my parents were young， then again， and worse， when I was a baby。 Later， half of Africa burned， along with most of the land surrounding the Mediterranean。 In America， first California burned， but then the entire West， when I was a child。 Slowly， at first。 Then， all at once。 Next the flames took the South。 Walls of fire that spread for miles， devouring the land and the houses， the towns and the animals。 At first we only saw it on screens。 Not in person。 Once the crops had been destroyed by the fires the famine began。 And then: chaos。"So okay， these apocalyptic/dystopian books are just always depressing by definition。 But despite it's disturbingly realistic premise - the above fires， followed by an America taken over by religious right-wing "Fundies" who "had always been loudest about making sure there was no gun control until they controlled them all" - House manages to keep his story surprisingly lighter than many of its soulmates like The Road or Far North， largely since we know from the first page that the author survives and is writing his recollections in his relatively comfortable post-apoc old age。The first 2/3s is better than the last， as I was waiting for some sort of climactic fight/reunion/battle/escape/anything that never came。 And while the unique setting in Ireland helped attract me in the first place， it turns out a desolated Ireland is little different than a desolated anywhere else， and so this really could have been set most anywhere。 But the writing and characters are both strong， and Seamus the beagle is a "very good boy" for the ages。 。。。more
Linda
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 TOTALLY minority opinion。 Thought this was pretentious and overrated。 The dog with complex critical thinking skills was absurd。 The human characters were cardboard cutout stereotypes。 And the whole passive-aggressive Lark-as-Ulysses-in-the-climate- change-apocalypse was too on message for my taste。 However I can envision this on some Jr High School syllabus in the not too distant future。 Lark will be the new Holden Caulfield and that makes me sad。 2 stars
Erin
，
Another amazing book by an outstanding author。 Silas House is an incredibly talented storyteller， bringing life to his characters and vividly depicting the scenery。 All of his books are wonderful。
Melanie
，
Silas House is one of my favorite authors。 I've read all his books and Eli the Great and A Parchment of Leaves are two of my faves。 So I was more than excited when his newest book came out。 Turns out， I was really disappointed。 This one was written like a young adult dystopian novel。 Totally off-track in genre for House， which didn't work for me。 Tried to slog through it to see if it got any better， and I just couldn't go any further and gave up。 Silas House is one of my favorite authors。 I've read all his books and Eli the Great and A Parchment of Leaves are two of my faves。 So I was more than excited when his newest book came out。 Turns out， I was really disappointed。 This one was written like a young adult dystopian novel。 Totally off-track in genre for House， which didn't work for me。 Tried to slog through it to see if it got any better， and I just couldn't go any further and gave up。 。。。more
Amanda Nelson
，
Beautifully written， but far too horrific and realistic， unfortunately。
Lindsay
，
This book is for you if you’re sexually attracted to trees and enjoy copy and paste paragraphs for an entire book
Jaylynny
，
A quiet， beautiful book。 It's a small story， really， and I had to fight my impulse to want it to be a big story with world-shattering action。 Then I realized it is a big story with world-shattering action: loss， love， grief。 Basically， a boy， then a boy and a dog， then a boy and a dog and a friend， walking。 The end of the world here is quiet-loud。 Fires。 Killing。 Fear。 But。 A doggy。 A quiet， beautiful book。 It's a small story， really， and I had to fight my impulse to want it to be a big story with world-shattering action。 Then I realized it is a big story with world-shattering action: loss， love， grief。 Basically， a boy， then a boy and a dog， then a boy and a dog and a friend， walking。 The end of the world here is quiet-loud。 Fires。 Killing。 Fear。 But。 A doggy。 。。。more
Anne Cooper
，
⭐️⭐️⭐️。5/5 Lark Ascending by Silas HouseA friend of mine asked me to read and review this book before she read it （so no spoilers） and I was happy to oblige since this novel has been on my TBR list for a while now。 The author， Silas House， is from my home state of Kentucky and usually writes about Appalachia。 But this novel was different。 It’s gotten outstanding reviews and I REALLY wanted to fall in love with it。 And I certainly DID fall in love with its lilting and lyrical prose。 House’s writi ⭐️⭐️⭐️。5/5 Lark Ascending by Silas HouseA friend of mine asked me to read and review this book before she read it （so no spoilers） and I was happy to oblige since this novel has been on my TBR list for a while now。 The author， Silas House， is from my home state of Kentucky and usually writes about Appalachia。 But this novel was different。 It’s gotten outstanding reviews and I REALLY wanted to fall in love with it。 And I certainly DID fall in love with its lilting and lyrical prose。 House’s writing is absolutely beautiful。 Almost magical。 The kind of writing that just sort of sweeps you up and pulls you along。 It’s hauntingly perfect。 Haunting is a good word for this book actually。 It’s a dystopian novel， so I knew it would be depressing。 The book is set in the not too distant future and some tragic event has occurred that has destroyed America。 Fires have ravished the country and fundamental extremists have taken over leadership。 Lark and his parents， along with another women and her two teens， live off the land together in Maryland。 When the fires threaten their small piece of land， they flee to Nova Scotia on foot， but tragedy ensues。 Lark and his parents then seek passage to Ireland， specifically Glendalough （a ”thin place”）， because it is rumored that Ireland is the only place on earth still willing to take in refugees。 Traversing the Atlantic proves treacherous and when the small boat approaches land it is fired upon and sunk。 It’s apparent that Ireland is no longer taking in refugees。 Somehow Lark makes it to shore alive and must then figure out how to navigate and live in a foreign land that is every bit as dangerous as America。 His saving grace is coming upon a dog （a beagle） whose human has passed away。 We learn of the dog’s life history through the dog’s point of view， which I loved。 Something to mention here is that having a dog had been outlawed all over the world。 At some point all the dogs in the world had been rounded up and gotten rid of because there was not enough food for both humans and dogs to survive。 The relationship between Lark and his dog （Seamas） is the best and most beautiful part of the book。 Sadly， life in Ireland is just one tragic and sad event after another。 Lark does meet a woman named Helen who has lost her son and husband。 Helen， Lark， and Seamas form a fierce and loyal bond and the majority of the book is devoted to describing how the three manage to survive unimaginable odds。 Again， this book is powerfully and beautifully written。 But it is just SO very dark and SO very heavy。 A person has to be in a certain frame of mind to get through it。 。。。more
Chuck Reece
，
No way in hell will I find a better book this year。 Silas takes our deepest fears and balances them with such love and empathy that it’ll break your heart。 Could not possibly praise this highly enough。
Bill
，
This book did not work for me。 I read the first 200 pages and then gave up。 It was not a horrible book， it just didn't have enough to hold my interest。 It's possible that others would click with the book。The story follows three people in a post-society-collapse story。 It's dark and attempts to wring emotion from the pain and high stakes， but ultimately doesn't put in the work to resonate。 This book did not work for me。 I read the first 200 pages and then gave up。 It was not a horrible book， it just didn't have enough to hold my interest。 It's possible that others would click with the book。The story follows three people in a post-society-collapse story。 It's dark and attempts to wring emotion from the pain and high stakes， but ultimately doesn't put in the work to resonate。 。。。more
BJ Gooch
，
An unforgettable， terrible， heartbreaking and ultimately uplifting tale， a prayer for mankind as one reviewer put it。
Pamela Smith
，
Superb！ Hope springs eternal。
Angela B
，
Silas never disappoints me， but this book is quite a departure from his previous works。 Not a bad thing， but just be prepared that this is not his normal style。 Dystopian future with likable characters and a sweet dog！
Lori
，
At first I thought I was not going to get that into this one but then the dog came along。 I thought that it was going to be such a harsh dystopian novel but then it ended with hope and that completely broke me。 This will be my must read for every one of the year。 I hope you all cry too。If you want to know what happens to the dog， （view spoiler）[he dies of old age as all dogs should （hide spoiler）] At first I thought I was not going to get that into this one but then the dog came along。 I thought that it was going to be such a harsh dystopian novel but then it ended with hope and that completely broke me。 This will be my must read for every one of the year。 I hope you all cry too。If you want to know what happens to the dog， （view spoiler）[he dies of old age as all dogs should （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Anne Bogel
，
Reviewed in the September 2022 edition of Quick Lit on Modern Mrs Darcy:I didn't include this new Silas House release in our recent Fall Book Preview only because I didn't know about it until just before the event！ This dystopian novel with echoes of The Dog Stars and The Road is set in the not-too-distant future， where fires have ravaged the globe and religious extremists have seized control of governments。 This is the story of Lark， a teenage refugee who fled Maine with his family hoping to fi Reviewed in the September 2022 edition of Quick Lit on Modern Mrs Darcy:I didn't include this new Silas House release in our recent Fall Book Preview only because I didn't know about it until just before the event！ This dystopian novel with echoes of The Dog Stars and The Road is set in the not-too-distant future， where fires have ravaged the globe and religious extremists have seized control of governments。 This is the story of Lark， a teenage refugee who fled Maine with his family hoping to find sanctuary in Ireland， the last country rumored to be accepting refugees—only to discover upon arrival that the borders have closed and his perilous journey has only just begun。 Dejected， starving， and alone， he sets out for Glendalough， the "thin place" his mother told him about before she died。 Along the way he befriends Seamus， a trustworthy beagle who somehow managed to survive even after dogs were eradicated， and encounters others who wish to both help and harm him。 This is a departure for House; those who have enjoyed his past work may especially appreciate the wistful prose and LGBTQ love story in this one。 。。。more
Donna Bridwell
，
5+stars！！ Outstanding novel！！ I’ve liked and appreciated the quality of all of the books I’ve read by Silas House， but this novel is by far his best work yet！！ It has a page-turning storyline， and excellent character development， while also showing what humans with the most power are doing to our planet， and how groups with rigid beliefs don’t think other people deserve the right of their own beliefs。 I highly recommend this novel。 （PS - I loved， loved the dog！！）
Claire
，
Among many things， this book is-a romantic love story-a non-romantic love story of family， both blood and chosen-a stabby found family-an undying friendship between a boy and his dog， who is one of the last dogs in the world-important messages about how the world could end， but without being preachy-a survival story-beautiful language and imagery-a ton of tragedy but filled with hope and how to keep going when it feels like everything good in your world is gone-a likable main character and some Among many things， this book is-a romantic love story-a non-romantic love story of family， both blood and chosen-a stabby found family-an undying friendship between a boy and his dog， who is one of the last dogs in the world-important messages about how the world could end， but without being preachy-a survival story-beautiful language and imagery-a ton of tragedy but filled with hope and how to keep going when it feels like everything good in your world is gone-a likable main character and some narration from the dog as wellIt was unlike anything I have ever read before。 The language is beautiful， and so are the story threads woven throughout。 I am so impressed with how the author created a survival/apocalypse story unlike anything in the literary world， to the best of my knowledge。 This is a book I will be keeping on my shelf and recommending to people。For sensitive readers， here's what happens to the dog: （view spoiler）[ he gets injured but recovers！ he dies of old age on the last page。 There are lots of dogs killed throughout the book but all off-page。 （hide spoiler）]Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Kyra Johnson
，
Lark Ascending is set in the not-too-distant future after civilization’s collapse and follows a young man on his tragic journey across the Atlantic and then Ireland。 After suffering unimaginable loss and plenty of near-death experiences， Lark heeds his mother’s advice to keep going and makes his way across Ireland。 He comes across one of the last remaining dogs， Seamus， and a fierce older woman， Helen， who both become Lark’s companions and protectors。 They embark on a treacherous quest for Glend Lark Ascending is set in the not-too-distant future after civilization’s collapse and follows a young man on his tragic journey across the Atlantic and then Ireland。 After suffering unimaginable loss and plenty of near-death experiences， Lark heeds his mother’s advice to keep going and makes his way across Ireland。 He comes across one of the last remaining dogs， Seamus， and a fierce older woman， Helen， who both become Lark’s companions and protectors。 They embark on a treacherous quest for Glendalough， one of the most sacred places in Ireland and the destination Lark’s parents hoped to reach。 This post-apocalyptic novel feels like a warning for our present reality。 House paints a vivid and terrifying picture of a world ravaged by religious nationalism， food shortages， disastrous global weather patterns and the refugee crisis。 Lark’s character endured so much pain and suffering but even as he narrates the story from his elderly years， he never loses his tenderness and compassion。 The real hero of this story is the good ol’ boy， Seamus。 I’ve never loved a fictional dog more and he saved Lark’s life in more ways than one。 This is a haunting yet hopeful story about the resilience of humanity in uncertain times。 The bittersweet ending brought tears to my eyes & I truly can’t recommend this one enough。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Lark Ascending
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Lark Ascending&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Lark Ascending&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0