Who Would Like This Book:
This memoir offers an immersive and genuine look into life as a shepherd in England’s Lake District. James Rebanks brings to life the grit and beauty of the landscape, the unbreakable ties of tradition, and the century-old rhythms of sheep farming. It’s perfect for anyone who loves rural life, history, or just wants to see the countryside through a new, honest lens - even if you’ve never been within 100 miles of a sheep. Fans of nature writing and memoirs with depth, honesty, and heart will find a lot to love here.
Who May Not Like This Book:
Some readers were put off by the book’s occasionally blunt tone, its anti-academic sentiments early on, or found the attitude towards outsiders and tourists a bit prickly. If you prefer a tightly structured narrative, be ready for a looser, stream-of-consciousness style that drifts through seasons, memories, and sheep minutiae. Those looking for a more neutral or universally welcoming take on rural life, or more background on the author’s non-farming career, might find this one a bit frustrating.
About:
'The Shepherd's Life' by James Rebanks is a memoir that delves into the life of a modern shepherd in Northern England. The author narrates his personal journey from childhood to adulthood, highlighting the deep-rooted traditions and challenges faced in sheep farming. Through vivid descriptions of daily life on the farm and the author's passion for his work, readers are given an intimate glimpse into the world of hill shepherds in the Lake District.
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From The Publisher:
The New York Times bestseller and International Phenomenon
One of the Top Ten Books of 2015, Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times.
"It's bloody marvelous." - Helen Macdonald, New York Times bestselling author of H IS FOR HAWK
"Captivating... A book about continuity and roots and a sense of belonging in an age that's increasingly about mobility and self-invention. Hugely compelling." - Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
Some people's lives are entirely their own creations. James Rebanks' isn't. The first son of a shepherd, who was the first son of a shepherd himself, his family have lived and worked in the Lake District of Northern England for generations, further back than recorded history. It's a part of the world known mainly for its romantic descriptions by Wordsworth and the much loved illustrated children's books of Beatrix Potter. But James' world is quite different. His way of life is ordered by the seasons and the work they demand. It hasn't changed for hundreds of years: sending the sheep to the fells in the summer and making the hay; the autumn fairs where the flocks are replenished; the grueling toil of winter when the sheep must be kept alive, and the light-headedness that comes with spring, as the lambs are born and the sheep get ready to return to the hills and valleys.
The Shepherd's Life the story of a deep-rooted attachment to place, modern dispatches from an ancient landscape that describe a way of life that is little noticed and yet has profoundly shaped the landscape over time. In evocative and lucid prose, James Rebanks takes us through a shepherd's year, offering a unique account of rural life and a fundamental connection with the land that most of us have lost. It is a story of working lives, the people around him, his childhood, his parents and grandparents, a people who exist and endure even as the culture - of the Lake District, and of farming - changes around them.
Many memoirs are of people working desperately hard to leave a place. This is the story of someone trying desperately hard to stay.
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The Shepherd's Life?
About the Author:
James Rebanks runs a family-owned farm in the Lake District in northern England. A graduate of Oxford University, James works as an expert advisor to UNESCO on sustainable tourism. The Shepherd's Life is his first book.
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