The Shepherd's Life: A Tale of the Lake District
2015 • 256 pages
Ratings10
Average rating4.2
15
Ratings10
Average rating4.2
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.
Reviews with the most likes.
I really enjoyed this. It's about farming in the Lake District and it's surprisingly interesting. One thing that did annoy me however is certain parts are almost an autobiography, and considering this book is supposed to be about sheep farming they feel unnecessary. I don't want to sound mean or anything but I'm reading this for the farming aspect not because I want to learn about the author's life.
I read this book because I encountered James Rebanks on Twitter and enjoyed his posts about raising sheep in England's Lake District. Rebanks writes about how his experience of the Lake District as his ancestral home, where his family has been raising sheep for hundreds of years at least, is different from the romantic vision that non-farmers have of the place. As he describes the work he does throughout the seasons, the relationships he has with his parents and neighbors, and a bit of the history of sheep farming in his part of England, you gain some appreciation of what he means. The book is engaging, even for a non-farmer. Well worth reading.
Story: Son of shepherd talks about life in the Lake District in the North of England. How the landscape informs and roots his life. Also how the romantic notions of this landscape over the last 100 years or so has impacted how the land is viewed/used. Discusses that the usage has shaped the land, how the landscape is in fact not very natural at all, and how life is lived for those who are of the land. Spoiler alert: it is not walking about in one of the most romantic landscapes possible, not at all. Also much discussion of sheep and sheepdogs, their roles and that is very interesting, integral in fact.
Language: Evocative of the places and moods of the Lake District. Some specialized terms are present but are always explained. Enjoyable and adds much.
Setting: The Lake District in the North of England.
Characters: The author, family, the landscape, neighbors, sheep, and sheep dogs. All are very much more than just local color; they are all loved or at least respected, given true depth, and are truly what this book is about.
