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librarianonparade's review
3.0
I really like the idea of writing a biography of a particular piece of land - England is such a small country, in comparison to a lot of others, with so much history that it seems quite likely that most patches of land have seen great events pass over them - battles, rebellions, murders. Unfortunately it seems Ms Bunting is attached to a parcel of land that hasn't really seen much of any of that, perhaps this is because it seems to be quite an isolated part of North Yorkshire. It is mainly political and economic events that have affected this land, more in general than in specific. I can't say I was bored by this book, because Ms Bunting is a very engaging writer, but in between the sections on her father (who I can't say I'm especially concerned with, never having met or having any connection to the man) and the lack of anything of real interest happening to her land, I did find this book disappointing.
halfmanhalfbook's review
4.0
This is more of a biography than a natural history book, and that is no bad thing.
John Bunting was a well known sculptor and artist, and this book is his daughter trying to find out about her father by using the lens of 'The Plot' a small parcel of land in the Yorkshire Dales, and considering aspects of his life in this context.
On this plot his built from scratch a small chapel as he was a devout catholic. There was also another small building that was modestly furnished. This was what he used as his place to contemplate the world. She considers her father through the subjects of national and local history, landscape and wars. He was a difficult, driven and focused man, who had a unique talent with regards to sculpture.
The book reminds me of the Hare with Amber Eyes, which was a family history seen through small netsuke, and The Story of England which is the history of a nation seen through the lens of a single village in England.
A good book, and one to re read to un-peel the complex layers of her father.
John Bunting was a well known sculptor and artist, and this book is his daughter trying to find out about her father by using the lens of 'The Plot' a small parcel of land in the Yorkshire Dales, and considering aspects of his life in this context.
On this plot his built from scratch a small chapel as he was a devout catholic. There was also another small building that was modestly furnished. This was what he used as his place to contemplate the world. She considers her father through the subjects of national and local history, landscape and wars. He was a difficult, driven and focused man, who had a unique talent with regards to sculpture.
The book reminds me of the Hare with Amber Eyes, which was a family history seen through small netsuke, and The Story of England which is the history of a nation seen through the lens of a single village in England.
A good book, and one to re read to un-peel the complex layers of her father.
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