Seventy-Two Seasons: A Memoir About Noticing by M.A.C. Farrant
Reviewed by Bryn Robinson
“Now you have the chance to see more clearly, beyond yourself and other people, to a place where some unexpected wisdom might engulf you, flush your cheeks, cause you to experience excitement and calm at the same time, which is the warmth that happiness brings when it floods your body.”
And when there seems to be a whole lot wrong with the world, regardless of where one seemingly turns their attention, the prospect of surrounding oneself with the glow of happiness is an enticing and sensible one. In a year’s collection of “noticing” not four but seventy-two seasons, Farrant shares her personal experience of engaging in a more mindful existence; specifically, through an approach that asks us to “focus our attention on a particular feature of nature for a short period of time and, in doing so, stay present long enough to notice incremental changes”. In an age where every facet of our lives is losing consciousness to quick win reels, deeper dive doom scroll, and AI slop, this is an especially delicious offering.
And as Farrant shows rather quickly in her newest book, we are surrounded - even in the most urban of settings - by bits of nature that beg not just to be noticed but savoured: little brown birds, dandelions, toadstools. Sometimes, the seasons’ borders are looser, but when they still attend to nature, they can still be provoking. Particularly resonant during this February read was a late January season in which the author muses on another writer’s proposal that winter is a fallow season (or collection of seasons?) meant for emptying our proverbial bowls in preparation for the year to come. Seasons such as these still keep to the spirit of 72 kō.
However, the seasons where the project strays from the natural world (e.g., letters to her children, reflections about Christmas, philosophical self-arguments on the multiple meanings of words) is admittedly where I struggled. On the one hand, there’s nothing wrong with these reflections per se, but arguably they detract from the overall intent of the book and the other pieces that do focus on the natural wonders hidden around us. On the other hand, it could be debated that such considerations are natural for mammals who are far removed from the wilderness. It’s hard to extricate oneself from the trappings of modernity and mindfully submerse into the details of house spiders, fog, and ferns. (And in fairness, the book does state that it is meant to be inspired by kō). Where I land, though, is on the former; these steps away from the flora and fauna escaping our attention give the work, at times, a staccato quality that does not lend itself as well to the legato that meditation begs and some of the beautiful observations Farrant will share.
But perhaps that is the nature of a project that spans a full year with daily commitment — it comes with the risk of sharing all the “shedding skins, peeling away a lifetime of preconditioned grime” — and this opinion is rendering “such unique encounters…hopelessly banal”.
About the Author
M.A.C. (Marion) Farrant is well-known for her acerbic wit and laugh-out-loud humour. She has been writing and publishing since the 1980s including 20 works of fiction, non-fiction and memoir; two produced plays, countless book reviews for the Vancouver Sun and The Globe & Mail ; and over a dozen chapbooks. Her 2021 non-fiction book, One Good Thing, was a BC Bestseller.
Farrant has won the Victoria Book Prize and her books have been a finalist for numerous other awards including the Commonwealth Writer’s Prize, Ethel Wilson fiction prize, ReLit Award, Van City Book Prize and two nominations for the Victoria Book Prize. She has also been a finalist for two Jessie Richardson theatre awards and the Gemini Awards for the Bravo short film adaptation of her story “Rob’s Guns & Ammo.”
About the Reviewer
Bryn Robinson (she/her) lives in New Brunswick, Canada, where she uses her PhD in experimental psychology to support mental health programming in the province. She prefers contemporary fiction, narrative non-fiction, graphic novels and poetry that is emotional, reflective, and if it can do it with humour, all the better. Bryn also writes on Campfire Notebook, where she regularly features her original poetry, photography, and other art. When not reading, she’s searching for birds in the New Brunswick forests and seascapes, camera in hand.
Book Details
Publisher : Ronsdale Press (February 2, 2026)
Contact & Ordering Information: info@aeolushouse.com
Language : English
Paperback : 210 pages
ISBN : 9781553807438