James Rebanks

This is a book to savour. It's the story of a man raised to expect to live his life as a shepherd in the Lake District, as his father, grandfather and ancestors did. So he does. But in his case, he has episodes elsewhere: as an Oxford undergraduate; as someone who works for the UNESCO World Heritage programme. These are interesting, worthwhile experiences. But they serve to confirm for him that shepherding in a traditional community, with all its difficulties and privations is all that he really wants to do in life, and it matters very deeply to him. He writes lyrically about the seasons, about winter days when he bursts open the haybales to offer his sheep the smells and tastes of the long-forgotten summer. He talks of the complexities of breeding, nourishing and bringing on his stock, always with his family by his side. His writing isn't always faultless - I became irritated at hios frequent misuse of the term 'disinterested'. But on balance it's a lyrically-written though realistic look at a way of life that's tough, unremitting in its demands, but ultimately important and worthwhile. To see if it's for you, just look at the last page- it won't spoil the plot - and in reading it, you'll discover that this book is in fact a love story by a man who loves the place where he lives, and his own place within it.… (más)