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sapphicbookworm's review
3.75
I read the newer US edition that's set to publish next month, but this was a lyrical exploration of Darlington's lifelong love of otters and the land in which they inhabit - it's equal parts otter, country, and the author! I gained a new appreciation for otters in England and I'm keen to read more about them specifically now.
celestemarin's review against another edition
There is too little going on in this book and too little about actual otters (as opposed to looking for otters) to read it all in one go. I've decided to read a chapter at a time, spread out so I won't notice the repetition. There is plenty about wandering around the British countryside if you like nature writing, but I don't recommend it to learn about otters.
ledge's review against another edition
4.0
A pretty good nature book, the romantic naive foolish part of me wanted to give it to those who want to build more coal fired power stations and nuclear weapons and say 'here's what you're missing'. Could've done with slightly better editing, there were a couple of repeated sentences and a few too many references to steaming cups of tea.
caityq's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
4.0
Unsurprisingly, the narrative is focussed on Miriam's love of otters. One of my favourite things about this book is the tone - it is affectionate, soft and educational in equal parts.
It paints Britain's landscapes as truly fantastical and intricate, and summarises the ecological and conservational successes and difficulties for not only otters, but the environment in general. It offers a hopeful, engaging path through a multitude of areas, covering Scotland, England and Wales.
It paints Britain's landscapes as truly fantastical and intricate, and summarises the ecological and conservational successes and difficulties for not only otters, but the environment in general. It offers a hopeful, engaging path through a multitude of areas, covering Scotland, England and Wales.
halfmanhalfbook's review
4.0
Darlington has a thing about otters, bordering on an obsession with them. In this book she shares that obsession. The otter was almost made extinct in this country, and were only made a protected species in 1978. Since then they have made an amazing recovery, assisted by the cleanup of the river systems across the UK, and there are signs of otters in a lot of rivers across the UK, provided you know where and how to look.
In this book she travels all around the country in search of the elusive otter, and meets with people who are possible more obsessed that her, including James Williams, author ofThe Otter Among Us. She goes to the Cardiff University to meet the people on their Otter Project, where they perform autopsies on otters that have been killed, mostly on roads, and collect DNA data from these unfortunate creatures.
There is not so many actual experiences of her encounters with otters, as she says they are elusive, and are often active at night, but this is as much about the experience of being close to the wildlife of the rivers and estuaries, and being immersed in the fantastic landscape of Western Scotland. But as she looks for evidence, she finds their trails and spraints in many places close to home and whilst on her travels. The few encounters that but she does document the few that she has.
This is also a book about the wider natural environment of the UK, whilst we do not have the same mega fauna of Africa, it is still a fascinating country that we live in, in terms of wildlife. I liked the writing style, it is very evocative and she gives you a wonderful sense of place.
In this book she travels all around the country in search of the elusive otter, and meets with people who are possible more obsessed that her, including James Williams, author ofThe Otter Among Us. She goes to the Cardiff University to meet the people on their Otter Project, where they perform autopsies on otters that have been killed, mostly on roads, and collect DNA data from these unfortunate creatures.
There is not so many actual experiences of her encounters with otters, as she says they are elusive, and are often active at night, but this is as much about the experience of being close to the wildlife of the rivers and estuaries, and being immersed in the fantastic landscape of Western Scotland. But as she looks for evidence, she finds their trails and spraints in many places close to home and whilst on her travels. The few encounters that but she does document the few that she has.
This is also a book about the wider natural environment of the UK, whilst we do not have the same mega fauna of Africa, it is still a fascinating country that we live in, in terms of wildlife. I liked the writing style, it is very evocative and she gives you a wonderful sense of place.
kirstymorrison's review
5.0
"The natural environment has become marginalised...it's viewed as a luxury that we only concern ourselves with in times of prosperity. But the environment and wetlands in particular underpin that prosperity and our well-being, regardless of what we think is important"