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out_with_lanterns's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
5.0
In Shadowlands the reader follows Matthew West as he travels Britain to uncover the stories behind some of the lost villages. Each chapter catalogs a new village some lost centuries ago and some lost not so long ago. From ancient civilization in the Hebrides to a military experiment in the 20th century. My favorite chapter was on the isle of St Hilda in the Scottish Hebrides. A remote village that had been mostly untouched by mainland Scotland, St Hilda had their own way of life. But as one thing lead to another and the “civilized folk” started to travel to St Hilda as a tourist spot and treat the people like a zoo exhibit everything went south for the locals. A sad tale of decline that lasted roughly 100 years, the people of St Kilda were forced to abandon their homes in the mid-1900s. I do not the people justice in this short version, but that was just a taste of the stories contained in this moving book. Matthew West has such a wonderful way of telling these stories that will keep you captivated til the very end. A compelling collection to add to your tbr.
katiewhocanread's review
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation and Torture
Moderate: Death
Minor: Confinement, Death of parent, and Rape
elementarymydear's review
informative
medium-paced
4.0
I, along with many others, have a strange fascination with abandoned places, so the idea of looking at British history through the lens of lost settlements was a really intriguing idea to me.
Matthew Green is a social historian, and the best parts of this book are where he brings that to the forefront. Knowing the day-to-day lives of neolithic island communities, or how tourism impacted the way of life in the remotest parts of Britain, are fascinating to read about and portrayed brilliantly. Green’s writing is compelling and evocative, creating a very vivid image of what life was like.
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Some of the chapters are much more recent, such as the chapter on Capel Celyn, which I found particularly interesting. Where the ancient settlements are fascinating for how far removed they are from us, this one was because it was so recent and has a visible impact that we still see today.
The one chapter that didn’t really fit was on the military training village, which became more about current military tactics rather than a social history on Britain. I did get the sense that Green would rather have focussed on some former training villages rather than the most current one, but that due to lack of information, or some other reason, that wasn’t possible.
Overall this was a really interesting read, examining different periods of history through the villages and towns left behind.
I received a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.
Matthew Green is a social historian, and the best parts of this book are where he brings that to the forefront. Knowing the day-to-day lives of neolithic island communities, or how tourism impacted the way of life in the remotest parts of Britain, are fascinating to read about and portrayed brilliantly. Green’s writing is compelling and evocative, creating a very vivid image of what life was like.
📚Blog📖YouTube📖Instagram📚
Some of the chapters are much more recent, such as the chapter on Capel Celyn, which I found particularly interesting. Where the ancient settlements are fascinating for how far removed they are from us, this one was because it was so recent and has a visible impact that we still see today.
The one chapter that didn’t really fit was on the military training village, which became more about current military tactics rather than a social history on Britain. I did get the sense that Green would rather have focussed on some former training villages rather than the most current one, but that due to lack of information, or some other reason, that wasn’t possible.
Overall this was a really interesting read, examining different periods of history through the villages and towns left behind.
I received a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.
annarella's review
5.0
This is one of those books that made me create itinerary and plan travels as I was reading it.
There were so many places that were forgotten and that exists in the memory. Places rediscovered or just memories.
I was fascinated by these places, their story and how their memories lives or were rediscovered.
It's also a book full of food for thought because there's a lot of historical lessons and the future seems not so bright.
A fascinating and informative read, strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
There were so many places that were forgotten and that exists in the memory. Places rediscovered or just memories.
I was fascinated by these places, their story and how their memories lives or were rediscovered.
It's also a book full of food for thought because there's a lot of historical lessons and the future seems not so bright.
A fascinating and informative read, strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine