English Pastoral
An Inheritance - The Sunday Times bestseller from the author of The Shepherd's Life
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4.2 • 26 Ratings
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- £8.99
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- £8.99
Publisher Description
THE SUNDAY TIMES NATURE BOOK OF THE YEAR
The new bestseller from the author of The Shepherd's Life
'A beautifully written story of a family, a home and a changing landscape' Nigel Slater
As a boy, James Rebanks's grandfather taught him to work the land the old way. Their family farm in the Lake District hills was part of an ancient agricultural landscape: a patchwork of crops and meadows, of pastures grazed with livestock, and hedgerows teeming with wildlife. And yet, by the time James inherited the farm, it was barely recognisable. The men and women had vanished from the fields; the old stone barns had crumbled; the skies had emptied of birds and their wind-blown song.
English Pastoral is the story of an inheritance: one that affects us all. It tells of how rural landscapes around the world were brought close to collapse, and the age-old rhythms of work, weather, community and wild things were lost. And yet this elegy from the northern fells is also a song of hope: of how, guided by the past, one farmer began to salvage a tiny corner of England that was now his, doing his best to restore the life that had vanished and to leave a legacy for the future.
This is a book about what it means to have love and pride in a place, and how, against all the odds, it may still be possible to build a new pastoral: not a utopia, but somewhere decent for us all.
'A heartfelt book and one that dares to hope' Alan Bennett
'A wonder of a book, fierce, tender, and beautiful' Helen Macdonald
Winner of the Wainwright Prize
Winner of the Fortnum & Mason Food Book of the Year
Shortlisted for the Orwell Prize
Shortlisted for the Ondaatje Prize
Longlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize
Customer Reviews
Compulsive, compulsory reading.
I’ve spent much of my recreation time over the last 50 years in the Lake District. It provides me with wonderment, physical challenge and much solace. It has always looked beautiful but this book informs me of the many important details that have disappeared before my very eyes. I like to think I am well educated and reasonably well read but this book educates me on everything from the details of a farming family’s life through to the pressures and challenges faced by farming nationally and internationally, and the consequences for our local and world environment. All done in a very approachable and entertaining way. It’s wonderful and should be compulsory reading for all!
Put it on the agricultural college reading list .
Such a helpful summary of farming history , beautiful prose and some hope that James’ book might shift thinking before we completely lose our heritage and knowLedge of the land. We really do have to act now.
Put this book on the agricultural schools reading list .
Please listen to what James is saying before it is too late.
Wake up call
A real eye opener regarding the state of farming in the UK. Perhaps a glimmer of optimism aswell. Well written and informative.