A review by serendipitysbooks
Sightlines by Kathleen Jamie

adventurous informative medium-paced

4.0

 Sightlines is a gorgeous essay collection focussing on wild places and the nature to be found there. There are petrels and gannets (I’m a bird lover so these were among my favourites), magpie moths and killer whales, wind, the Northern Lights and prehistoric caves and much more. These essays are not just descriptions of places and the things to be found there. Overarching everything are thoughtful mediations on the relationships between nature and the human condition and what it all means. The writing managed to be very matter of fact (no hyperbole or overt sentimentality here) while still reflecting awe. Often a particular phrase would stop me in my reading tracks so I wasn’t surprised to learn the author is also a poet. The fact that she has a degree in philosophy also comes as no surprise after reading this book. Jamie’s love of the wild, her need to escape into it, was clearly evident in the text and was something I could relate to - even if my wild places are a little less remote and more easily accessible than hers. This book was a delight to dip into and I enjoyed reading an essay or two each morning.