– Longlisted for the Wainwright Prize 2025 for Conservation Writing
"[...] For me, [To Have or To Hold] is a masterclass in both science communication and story-telling – I mean, anyone that can keep me enthralled at the idea of a hairworm invading its host’s brain in order to drown it, knows exactly what they are doing when it comes to nature writing"
– Jeni Bell, British Wildlife 37(1), October 2025
"A terrific book; heavyweight and serious without ever losing its lightness of touch. It pulses with energy, perception and passion for the living world – and for the lessons and wonder it holds. With symbiosis as its focus, it takes the reader on a vivid journey into the complex, beautiful life – worlds of sunfish, lungwort lichen and the 'luminous republic' of aspen woodlands."
– Robert Macfarlane, author of Underland
"From fungi and shellfish to oak trees, ants and solitary bees, Pavelle offers a bracing tour of the complex web of interconnections which support and give life to the natural world. [...] Pavelle's own relationship with nature is clearly an intimate one. Her knowledge is exhaustive and is accompanied by beautiful, lively storytelling."
– The New Statesman
"A beautiful and fascinating exploration of a crucial subject – symbiosis – that will help you to see the world in a new light. This book is lucid, uplifting and delightful."
– George Monbiot, author of Feral and Regenesis
"Sophie Pavelle's sheer enthusiasm for nature ensures that this is an attractive survey of a complex topic. [...] The eight case studies that make up the book are fascinating for their own sake, but also enlightening as microcosms of how ecosystems function – and [they] will be degraded by climate breakdown."
– Times Literary Supplement
"This miraculous book completely blindsided me. I raced through its pages as though I was reading a beautifully written thriller, all the while learning so much about things I never knew existed. Scholarly and funny, To Have or To Hold is breathtaking and compulsive reading. It is a masterpiece, and a paeon of praise for the intricate nature of life."
– Joanna Lumley
"A clarion call for our own species to rediscover its vital relationship with nature."
– National Geographic Traveller
"Joyful, hilarious and energetic, To Have or To Hold is filled with infectious enthusiasm for life in all its strange wonders. Much of modern nature writing focuses on individual species; Pavelle shows us that it is the relationships between them that really matter. From mint-sauce worms to tree lungwort, from parasites to symbiotic throuples, this is a glorious guide to coupling in the animal, plant and fungal kingdoms."
– Guy Shrubsole, author of The Lie of the Land and The Lost Rainforests of Britain
"Sophie Pavelle's exciting new book is about symbiosis, how things work together and the amazing interconnected web of life. She is one of the best nature writers of our time, and her ability to engage us, and to make readers giggle and feel empowered and motivated to do something is like no other. This is an absolute masterpiece."
– Megan McCubbin, author of An Atlas of Endangered Species and co-author of Back to Nature
"Mastering her unique style of drawing the reader, conspiratorially, into her research, Sophie Pavelle takes us on a deep and brave dive to the heart of the world's precarious and delicate balance. Showing us "the things we could do" to redress and reverse humanity's negative impact on our natural world, her voice is strong and true and imperative to our times."
– Manni Coe, co-author of brother. do. you. love. me.
"Pavelle writes so vitally about nature, offering astonishing insight and hope. To Have or To Hold is an essential tale of the ultimate symbiotic relationship, between human beings and the natural world we rely on and threaten to destroy. Encompassing life and death, eradication and hope, this is a book I will press into the hands of loved ones."
– Charlotte Philby, author of The End of Summer
"This profoundly significant book is a sumptuous, gorgeous coupling of intelligence and humour, of chutzpah and tenderness."
– Jay Griffiths, author of Wild: An Elemental Journey
"A near-psychedelic tour through the mysteries and wonders of nature's symbiotic relationships. Travelling around the British Isles (via low-carbon methods only, of course), Pavelle reveals species and connections most of us will never have heard of – but which hold lessons for us all."
– Chantal Lyons, author of Groundbreakers
"To Have or To Hold is a breath of wonder, of awe, of life, seen by someone so real on the page, you're right there with her. Sophie Pavelle writes in a way that is not just a tonic for this nature lover but a double gin and tonic. We need this book in our lives. Would you prefer to be the host or the parasite? Read Sophie's book, and you'll find yourself thinking about the answer."
– Hannah Bourne-Taylor, author of Nature Needs You and Fledgling
"To Have or to Hold is startlingly good. Sophie Pavelle turns the complex world of symbiotic relationships into lucid prose, in a manner which seems utterly effortless, while losing none of the scientific rigour."
– Hugh Warwick, author of Cull of the Wild
