Here's a breakdown of the main plot points:
The Story:
* Abel, an Englishman, is on an expedition in the Venezuelan rainforest. He is separated from his group and stumbles upon a beautiful and secluded valley.
* He meets Rima, a mysterious and ethereal creature who lives in the jungle. She is a half-human, half-animal being, raised by birds and living in harmony with nature. She is innocent, pure, and has a deep connection to the wild.
* Abel and Rima fall deeply in love. However, their relationship is doomed from the start. Rima cannot live outside the jungle, and Abel is drawn to the outside world.
* The story follows the development of their relationship, their struggles with societal norms, and the tragic consequences of their love.
Themes:
* The beauty and power of nature: The novel celebrates the natural world and its inhabitants, emphasizing their fragility and the importance of preserving them.
* The allure and danger of the wild: The jungle is both a place of wonder and a place of danger. It represents freedom and the untamed spirit, but also the potential for destruction.
* Love and loss: The story is a powerful exploration of love, loss, and the impossibility of bridging the gap between different worlds.
* Humanity and the natural world: The novel questions the relationship between humans and nature, asking whether we can truly live in harmony with the wild.
Overall, "Green Mansions" is a beautiful, haunting, and ultimately tragic story about love, loss, and the human struggle to find a place in the world. It has been praised for its lyrical prose, its vivid descriptions of nature, and its exploration of complex themes.