David Whitmarsh reviewed The Shepherd's Life by James Rebanks
Review of "The Shepherd's Life" on 'Goodreads'
1 star
Dismal
hardcover, 320 pages
Published April 7, 2015 by Doubleday Canada.
4 stars
(6 reviews)
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 …
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.
SharonC reviewed The Shepherd's Life by James Rebanks
Review of "The Shepherd's Life" on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Evokes a landscape that has been shaped by millenia-old use. Flocks shaped by generations of decisions about breeding. Wry stories about a wily fox, a crazy uncle, not fitting-in at school.
Could've been organized differently? It generally followed the seasons, but often wanted to tell a story that didn't fit the timeline.
Very good book.
