James Rebanks English Pastoral : An Inheritance Paperback Book

THE SUNDAY TIMES NATURE BOOK OF THE YEARThe new bestseller from the author of The Shepherds LifeA beautifully written story of a family, a home and a changing landscape Nigel Slater As a boy, James Rebankss 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 windblown 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 ageold 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 BennettA wonder of a book, fierce, tender, and beautiful Helen MacdonaldWinner of the... | James Rebanks English Pastoral : An Inheritance Paperback Book