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A review by italo_carlvino
Tarka the Otter by Henry Williamson
5.0
Tarka is one of the most unique books I have ever read and probably a new favorite. I have always had a soft spot for animal stories. I love Watership Down and Secret of NIMH. Tarka is in a similar vein to those animal stories but does not anthropomorphize like Watership Down and Secret of NIMH. There is no otter society or language. In a way it is more similar to London's books like White Fang and Call of the Wild. Tarka is still a novel in that it depicts the inner life of an otter, but take a Realist, Naturalist approach.
Tarka's other remarkable feature is the poetry of its language, which flows like the Taw river. One of my favorite moments is this description: "The icy casings of leaves and grasses and blades and sprigs were glowing and hid in a mist of sun-fire. Moor-folk call this morning glory Ammil." From the rhythm created by the polysyndeton to the compound words evocative of Old English to the connection with the culture of Exmoor this excerpt shows what I love about Tarka's prose. (I also love the line "The law of life was also the law of water - everlasting change.").
Tarka can also be brutal. The ending is tragic and Tarka goes through harsh winters, loss of mate and cub, and suffering at the hands of hunters. (I am warning that this book is not a cute animal story chapter book to share with the kids. If you don't like animals getting mauled you should probably skip this book).
I am happy to have read this book. I remember being in Wales, with its fog and rain and rivers. I remember the green and the cold and the wet and while I read this novel I felt I was back their again.
Tarka's other remarkable feature is the poetry of its language, which flows like the Taw river. One of my favorite moments is this description: "The icy casings of leaves and grasses and blades and sprigs were glowing and hid in a mist of sun-fire. Moor-folk call this morning glory Ammil." From the rhythm created by the polysyndeton to the compound words evocative of Old English to the connection with the culture of Exmoor this excerpt shows what I love about Tarka's prose. (I also love the line "The law of life was also the law of water - everlasting change.").
Tarka can also be brutal. The ending is tragic and Tarka goes through harsh winters, loss of mate and cub, and suffering at the hands of hunters. (I am warning that this book is not a cute animal story chapter book to share with the kids. If you don't like animals getting mauled you should probably skip this book).
I am happy to have read this book. I remember being in Wales, with its fog and rain and rivers. I remember the green and the cold and the wet and while I read this novel I felt I was back their again.