MixedThe Times Literary SupplementKassabova conjures up an entire history with a single, sensitive observation. Her prose is precise, yet still able to communicate a sense of wonder ... When she is describing traditional healing practices, however, that clarity gives way to vagueness ... Kassabova occasionally expresses scepticism about the cures she investigates, but she’s far more critical of “old-school” western medicine ... Yet the fact that Kassabova’s journeys took place during the pandemic, when mainstream medicine was racing to create a vaccine, weakens her case ... Her book is a laudable attempt to record an endangered region and a disappearing way of life. However, in the end, the stories of magical herbs and miracle cures seem less precious than the meadows, the mountains and the people she meets.
