Collection
Publication
Flatiron Books (2016), Edition: Reprint, 304 pages
Description
Some people's lives are entirely their own creations. James Rebanks' isn't. The first son of a shepherd, who was the first son of a shepherd himself, his family have lived and worked in the Lake District of Northern England for generations, further back than recorded history. It's a part of the world known mainly for its romantic descriptions by Wordsworth and the much loved illustrated children's books of Beatrix Potter. But James' world is quite different. His way of life is ordered by the seasons and the work they demand. It hasn't changed for hundreds of years: sending the sheep to the fells in the summer and making the hay; the autumn fairs where the flocks are replenished; the grueling toil of winter when the sheep must be kept alive, and the light-headedness that comes with spring, as the lambs are born and the sheep get ready to return to the hills and valleys.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member petterw
If you are looking for a truly different perspective on life, and/or a totally different kind of book, look no further. Sheep farmer James Rebanks' account of life in the country is as far away from the tourist idea of life in the country as you can possibly get. The narrative is honest,
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compassionate, down-to-earth and surprising - a true attitude changer and eye opener for the reader. Yes, it is a beautiful life leaving the urban jungle behind, but it is also gruellingly hard and unromantic work. What I dont know about sheperding after having read this book, I dont need to know until I make the plunge into rural life myself. Rebanks gives me reason to think twice about it. Show Less
LibraryThing member diana.hauser
THE SHEPHERD’S LIFE: MODERN DISPATCHES FROM AN ANCIENT LANDSCAPE by James Rebanks is a stunning book. I couldn’t put it down (and not only because I raise sheep myself). What I do - on a tiny hobby farm in Maine, USA - is not even remotely comparable to Mr. Rebanks’ occupation and lifestyle.
While reading, I kept pausing and thinking of all the James Herriot books I read and reread years ago. The tone and style and passion of the writing is similar - the love and respect of the land, the landscape itself, the enthusiasm and joy for daily farming and shepherding tasks - these thoughts leap out of the pages at you, embrace you and don’t let you go.
Several of my students and co-workers (I, too, needed a money-paying job) used to ask me: Why did I have sheep and chickens and a big garden? Why did I have muddy shoes sometimes at school? How come pieces of hay dropped out of my hair sometimes? Why learn to spin and weave wool? Don’t I know about Wal-Mart? Isn’t that where food comes from?
I tried to explain that the animals, the plants, and the work kept me grounded and in touch with the earth, the seasons, life itself. But this thought process and lifestyle is hard to explain and justify to most people - children or adults.
That is why I am so pleased to have discovered this book. It will always be on my shelf and referred to often. Some of my favorite passages revolve around the attempt to justify a choice of lifestyle and profession and the attempts to resolve living and working in a revered landscape.
The words that come to mind when thinking about this book are - passion (#1), love of animals, love and respect of the land, tradition, history, connectivity to surroundings, a sense of community, cooperation and compromise, reflections, mind-numbing work.
I do like the short chapters and blog-style writing.
I do enjoy Mr. Rebanks’ Twitter account. @herdyshepherd1
He is a great photographer.
I do enjoy the reflections and musings of Mr. Rebanks about land use, landscapes, love of tradition, love of family and love of sheep and farming.
I do highly recommend this book.
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(We both love sheep though!)While reading, I kept pausing and thinking of all the James Herriot books I read and reread years ago. The tone and style and passion of the writing is similar - the love and respect of the land, the landscape itself, the enthusiasm and joy for daily farming and shepherding tasks - these thoughts leap out of the pages at you, embrace you and don’t let you go.
Several of my students and co-workers (I, too, needed a money-paying job) used to ask me: Why did I have sheep and chickens and a big garden? Why did I have muddy shoes sometimes at school? How come pieces of hay dropped out of my hair sometimes? Why learn to spin and weave wool? Don’t I know about Wal-Mart? Isn’t that where food comes from?
I tried to explain that the animals, the plants, and the work kept me grounded and in touch with the earth, the seasons, life itself. But this thought process and lifestyle is hard to explain and justify to most people - children or adults.
That is why I am so pleased to have discovered this book. It will always be on my shelf and referred to often. Some of my favorite passages revolve around the attempt to justify a choice of lifestyle and profession and the attempts to resolve living and working in a revered landscape.
The words that come to mind when thinking about this book are - passion (#1), love of animals, love and respect of the land, tradition, history, connectivity to surroundings, a sense of community, cooperation and compromise, reflections, mind-numbing work.
I do like the short chapters and blog-style writing.
I do enjoy Mr. Rebanks’ Twitter account. @herdyshepherd1
He is a great photographer.
I do enjoy the reflections and musings of Mr. Rebanks about land use, landscapes, love of tradition, love of family and love of sheep and farming.
I do highly recommend this book.
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LibraryThing member Craiglea
I read this book with a great deal of interest — we don’t often get the chance to read about farming from the horse’s mouth so to speak. Often our view is coloured by old media representations of greedy farmers harvesting subsidies rather than crops.
This book takes the reader through one
I genuinely learned some new things from reading this book. It had never occurred to me that a flock of sheep might have a particular style and character that reflects the philosophy and personalities of generations of a fell farming family.
Overall though, I feel that this book has a number of faults. Rebanks is prone to repeating himself too often, for instance when discussing the cycle of the farming year or the capabilities of the younger generation growing stronger as those of their elders fade.
Within the book the author fails to say more than the absolute minimum about his ‘other’ work as a heritage consultant to UNESCO. Presumably this is actually quite an important role and people are willing to pay for his skills and this income keeps his farm viable. The fact that this is necessary and how he fits it into the farming year is barely discussed or explored.
At one point during the farming year he says he would rather his children “saw the blood and knew that it was real than had a childish relationship with food and farming — everything in plastic packaging and everyone pretending it had never lived.” I was disappointed that Rebanks didn’t expand on this topic. I’m sure there is a story to be told about how the small scale farmer cares for his livestock very differently from the industrialised farmer.
However I was mostly left with a rather uncomfortable feeling that James Rebanks has no time for non-farmers. 'Incomers', ramblers, office workers, students and teachers are all treated with equal contempt and I feel that this would extend to me as his reader.
This book takes the reader through one
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year in the life of a fell farmer in England’s Lake District, structured around the four seasons. It struck me that this is the obvious outline for such a book and it does make sense and works very well.I genuinely learned some new things from reading this book. It had never occurred to me that a flock of sheep might have a particular style and character that reflects the philosophy and personalities of generations of a fell farming family.
Overall though, I feel that this book has a number of faults. Rebanks is prone to repeating himself too often, for instance when discussing the cycle of the farming year or the capabilities of the younger generation growing stronger as those of their elders fade.
Within the book the author fails to say more than the absolute minimum about his ‘other’ work as a heritage consultant to UNESCO. Presumably this is actually quite an important role and people are willing to pay for his skills and this income keeps his farm viable. The fact that this is necessary and how he fits it into the farming year is barely discussed or explored.
At one point during the farming year he says he would rather his children “saw the blood and knew that it was real than had a childish relationship with food and farming — everything in plastic packaging and everyone pretending it had never lived.” I was disappointed that Rebanks didn’t expand on this topic. I’m sure there is a story to be told about how the small scale farmer cares for his livestock very differently from the industrialised farmer.
However I was mostly left with a rather uncomfortable feeling that James Rebanks has no time for non-farmers. 'Incomers', ramblers, office workers, students and teachers are all treated with equal contempt and I feel that this would extend to me as his reader.
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LibraryThing member Fliss88
This was such a nice book to have with me on a recent holiday. James Rebanks is descended from shepherds, is very proud of his family history and takes great pleasure in sharing some of that history with his readers. A man closer to his grandfather than his father, the stories are all centered
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around his family and the family farm in the northern Lake District of England. The sheep they farm are all descendants themselves, of flocks that have grazed the fells for generations. I enjoyed reading how these hardy sheep practically look after themselves and teach their lambs to recognise and return to their home fell every year. James obviously has a deep love of his farm and is proud of the old farming ways that continue still, through the fell farms of today. You wouldn't think sheep farming could be an interesting topic to read about for someone who is a city dweller, but it was! I guess any topic, written about by someone who truely loves what they're talking about, will be. James Rebanks also holds an Oxford degree and works from his farm as an advisor to UNESCO on sustainable tourism. I chuckled and loved hearing that when he drops the O word into a conversation, people change their attitude, start looking at him with interest and pay him a little more attention than they were perviously paying him as farmer joe! Show Less
LibraryThing member Helenliz
The author of this book got off to a bad start. He described himself as a school boy and he was exactly the kind of wise cracking, rude, disinterested oaf that made my school days a misery. I recognise quite a lot of the traits of the bullies that picked on those of us who did want to pay attention
It didn't read as a book, more a series of assorted thoughts that sometimes flowed in an order but usually leapt from topic to topic in a seemingly disconnected manner. It has a logical sequence, with sections labelled with the various seasons, although that is not entirely followed and the reminiscences are dotted around and don;t always follow in a sequence that is apparent to the reader.
This was a particularly depressing experience and I don;t wish to spend much more time in the author's company. This one is heading to the book sale.
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and make something of our lives. It didn't bode well. I spent the entire rest of the book feel that the author had a chip on his shoulder. That he thinks I and those like me are, somehow, beneath his contempt. That because we made different life choices and chose not to do exactly what our parents had that we have, somehow, betrayed our past. He gives the impression that because he is taking on a job that his family have performed for generations that he is owed something by those of us that have moved away from the land. He seems to resent us wanting to visit the countryside and invade his Lakeland landscape. He even appears to resent someone else having an emotional response to the landscape he gives the impression should be exclusively reserved for those that work it.It didn't read as a book, more a series of assorted thoughts that sometimes flowed in an order but usually leapt from topic to topic in a seemingly disconnected manner. It has a logical sequence, with sections labelled with the various seasons, although that is not entirely followed and the reminiscences are dotted around and don;t always follow in a sequence that is apparent to the reader.
This was a particularly depressing experience and I don;t wish to spend much more time in the author's company. This one is heading to the book sale.
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LibraryThing member thorold
This is a great, almost deceptively straightforward account of what upland sheep farmers do, and why, and a thought-provoking memoir about what it feels like to grow up in a family with a farming tradition. And it's also a challenge to the reader to provoke us into looking at landscape not just
When Rebanks, as a rebellious teenager counting the days to the end of school, was first presented with the Wainwright-and-Wordsworth way of looking at his native region, he couldn't see the point of it. He'd been brought up to think of fells and fields according to the kind of grazing and weather-protection they offered, who owned them, who farmed them, and so on; no-one he knew would be daft enough to climb a hill unless there was work to be done at the top of it. Nowadays he's a bit more nuanced: he admits that Wordsworth had a lot of respect for shepherds and the work they did, he doesn't begrudge Wainwright his escape from Blackburn, and recognises that both have something relevant to say about the region, even if the people who climb mountains clutching their books don't always get it...
The only Lakeland writer he has serious respect for, though, is Beatrix Potter, who, whatever you might think of her children's books, was a committed breeder of Herdwick sheep and a responsible landowner, as well as employing a highly-respected shepherd whose advice she was prepared to listen to. And Herdwick sheep are clearly Rebanks's real passion: he often has to rein himself in when he starts getting lyrical about the finer points of ewes and tups he has known. Even if you barely know one end of a sheep from the other, this makes for interesting reading, because it's so evidently something Rebank cares deeply about and takes the trouble to communicate clearly.
The autobiographical parts of the book are very interesting, too. Firstly, of course, we have to think about the big question of "tradition" — do you have a special claim on something just because it's what your grandfather and father did? Why should people who happened to be born in the Lake District have a better right to work there than those born in Manchester or Blackburn? Rebanks doesn't quite confront this, but he tries to demonstrate how important it is to the work he does that he has been around sheep and shepherds since early childhood. Hill-farming techniques have been optimised in very local ways over hundreds (perhaps thousands) of years, and are best learnt from people with local knowledge. Only long experience gives you the ability to anticipate problems and be in the right place at the right time to deal with them. Also, perhaps less obviously, farming is an activity that involves complicated networks of deals between farmers who have different surpluses and needs at different times, and most of these deals rely on trust that has been built up over a long period. It's much easier to trust someone if you've known and worked with their family for several generations, even if you don't know them personally.
The other striking autobiographical element is his slightly unusual background as someone who got into the least favourable channel of the English education system, left it as early as he could with no qualifications to speak of, and then went back into education as an adult. He has a lot of nicely caustic things to say about the terrible school he went to, as well as making fun of the people who only know him as a sheep-farmer and suddenly start taking him more seriously when they discover that he has an Oxford degree (and a high-powered second job advising UNESCO...).
I have a feeling that this is not just the book you bring back from the gift-shop at (insert Lakeland tourist attraction), but something that will stand up as one of those minor classics of rural writing that people are still discovering with pleasure in secondhand bookshops in fifty years' time.
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aesthetically, but also in terms of the ways humans have interacted with it productively, and continue to do so. When Rebanks, as a rebellious teenager counting the days to the end of school, was first presented with the Wainwright-and-Wordsworth way of looking at his native region, he couldn't see the point of it. He'd been brought up to think of fells and fields according to the kind of grazing and weather-protection they offered, who owned them, who farmed them, and so on; no-one he knew would be daft enough to climb a hill unless there was work to be done at the top of it. Nowadays he's a bit more nuanced: he admits that Wordsworth had a lot of respect for shepherds and the work they did, he doesn't begrudge Wainwright his escape from Blackburn, and recognises that both have something relevant to say about the region, even if the people who climb mountains clutching their books don't always get it...
The only Lakeland writer he has serious respect for, though, is Beatrix Potter, who, whatever you might think of her children's books, was a committed breeder of Herdwick sheep and a responsible landowner, as well as employing a highly-respected shepherd whose advice she was prepared to listen to. And Herdwick sheep are clearly Rebanks's real passion: he often has to rein himself in when he starts getting lyrical about the finer points of ewes and tups he has known. Even if you barely know one end of a sheep from the other, this makes for interesting reading, because it's so evidently something Rebank cares deeply about and takes the trouble to communicate clearly.
The autobiographical parts of the book are very interesting, too. Firstly, of course, we have to think about the big question of "tradition" — do you have a special claim on something just because it's what your grandfather and father did? Why should people who happened to be born in the Lake District have a better right to work there than those born in Manchester or Blackburn? Rebanks doesn't quite confront this, but he tries to demonstrate how important it is to the work he does that he has been around sheep and shepherds since early childhood. Hill-farming techniques have been optimised in very local ways over hundreds (perhaps thousands) of years, and are best learnt from people with local knowledge. Only long experience gives you the ability to anticipate problems and be in the right place at the right time to deal with them. Also, perhaps less obviously, farming is an activity that involves complicated networks of deals between farmers who have different surpluses and needs at different times, and most of these deals rely on trust that has been built up over a long period. It's much easier to trust someone if you've known and worked with their family for several generations, even if you don't know them personally.
The other striking autobiographical element is his slightly unusual background as someone who got into the least favourable channel of the English education system, left it as early as he could with no qualifications to speak of, and then went back into education as an adult. He has a lot of nicely caustic things to say about the terrible school he went to, as well as making fun of the people who only know him as a sheep-farmer and suddenly start taking him more seriously when they discover that he has an Oxford degree (and a high-powered second job advising UNESCO...).
I have a feeling that this is not just the book you bring back from the gift-shop at (insert Lakeland tourist attraction), but something that will stand up as one of those minor classics of rural writing that people are still discovering with pleasure in secondhand bookshops in fifty years' time.
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LibraryThing member Bikebear
Should be on every school teachers reading list. It may help them to understand why some students are 'not present' in there class, through no fault of the teacher just that there pupal is in another place, not covered by the curriculum so has no lost interest.
I did not enjoy school at all, even
I did not enjoy school at all, even
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though thankful that learnt to read, write, maths, appreciate music and theatre, the hours spent on the school verandah as 'punishment' for failing the weekly spelling test is possibly what inspired my interest in plants as I sat there looking out at the trees, maybe I should be thankful for that as I went on to study Horticulture but it was possibly my paternal Grandfather, maternal Grandmother and Mothers influence as keen gardener's that did that for me. Show Less
LibraryThing member PDCRead
When people think of the Lake District the first thing that comes to mind is the landscape; the majestic fells, the lakes and tarns nestled among the peaks and valleys and the harsh beauty of our National Park. It is a place that has inspired writers and artists for hundreds of years, and has 16
The Rebanks family have lived and worked as shepherds in the Lake District for generations. His father was a shepherd before him, and his grandfather taught both of them all he knew. The inexorable grind of the seasons defines what they do and when. The Herdwick flock is moved up onto the high fell during the summer, and all the farmers gather to bring it down at the end of the season. The shows and sales are in the autumn when they sell the spare lambs and look for the new males tups to add to their bloodlines and quality of stock. Winter is the hardest time; the incessant rain, heavy snows and storms make keeping the sheep alive a daily battle, even for the tough Herdwicks. Spring brings new challenges as it is lambing time. Most of his flock can manage perfectly well, but there is always those that can’t and need that extra assistance. As another year passes the sheep are move back up onto the fells once again.
‘This is my life. I want no other.’
Rebanks is not afraid of hard work. Following his father and grandfather into this way of life, and he has chosen a tough and demanding career, but he loves it. He paid little attention at school, wanting to be out in the fields and up on the fells, continuing a way of life that people from the Viking age would still recognise. In his early twenties started education again this time with the single mindedness and determination to succeed. It gave him a separate career that supports the work on the farm. Like his father, he is strong minded and opinionated; great qualities for battling through all that the elements and bureaucracy have to throw at him, but not necessarily for making relationships straightforward. He is not the most eloquent or lyrical of writers, he tells it as it is, but the enthusiasm for his way of life comes across is deep hearted and honest and this is what makes this book such a pleasure to read.
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million visitors every year. However, for a number of people they are completely dependent on this landscape to make their living. James Rebanks is one of those people. The Rebanks family have lived and worked as shepherds in the Lake District for generations. His father was a shepherd before him, and his grandfather taught both of them all he knew. The inexorable grind of the seasons defines what they do and when. The Herdwick flock is moved up onto the high fell during the summer, and all the farmers gather to bring it down at the end of the season. The shows and sales are in the autumn when they sell the spare lambs and look for the new males tups to add to their bloodlines and quality of stock. Winter is the hardest time; the incessant rain, heavy snows and storms make keeping the sheep alive a daily battle, even for the tough Herdwicks. Spring brings new challenges as it is lambing time. Most of his flock can manage perfectly well, but there is always those that can’t and need that extra assistance. As another year passes the sheep are move back up onto the fells once again.
‘This is my life. I want no other.’
Rebanks is not afraid of hard work. Following his father and grandfather into this way of life, and he has chosen a tough and demanding career, but he loves it. He paid little attention at school, wanting to be out in the fields and up on the fells, continuing a way of life that people from the Viking age would still recognise. In his early twenties started education again this time with the single mindedness and determination to succeed. It gave him a separate career that supports the work on the farm. Like his father, he is strong minded and opinionated; great qualities for battling through all that the elements and bureaucracy have to throw at him, but not necessarily for making relationships straightforward. He is not the most eloquent or lyrical of writers, he tells it as it is, but the enthusiasm for his way of life comes across is deep hearted and honest and this is what makes this book such a pleasure to read.
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LibraryThing member augustgarage
Copy received via Goodreads Giveaways (thanks!).
A quick read (two days for me), that is worth the small investment of time. Having grown up on ranches, following my dad around feedlots, riding on horses, back-hoes, and swathers - but later leaving that life behind (and attending an elite liberal
That said, this is perhaps least interesting as a memoir - many of his personal anecdotes make Rebanks seem insecure (either constantly having something to prove, even when he's having to prove that he has nothing to prove) - but the details of the job are surprisingly engrossing.
The 'seasonal' structure of the book helps herd (sorry) his ideas into a more cohesive narrative, but at times, the book feels like a loose assemblage of dozens of thoughts, memories, explanations, and stories that come across more as disjointed blog posts than coherent chapters.
I'm still left with a greater appreciation of shepherding and its place in the Lake District than I had before - so I won't dwell on the shortcomings of the editing too much.
A quick read (two days for me), that is worth the small investment of time. Having grown up on ranches, following my dad around feedlots, riding on horses, back-hoes, and swathers - but later leaving that life behind (and attending an elite liberal
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arts college), I can certainly relate to the author's story. That said, this is perhaps least interesting as a memoir - many of his personal anecdotes make Rebanks seem insecure (either constantly having something to prove, even when he's having to prove that he has nothing to prove) - but the details of the job are surprisingly engrossing.
The 'seasonal' structure of the book helps herd (sorry) his ideas into a more cohesive narrative, but at times, the book feels like a loose assemblage of dozens of thoughts, memories, explanations, and stories that come across more as disjointed blog posts than coherent chapters.
I'm still left with a greater appreciation of shepherding and its place in the Lake District than I had before - so I won't dwell on the shortcomings of the editing too much.
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LibraryThing member tangledthread
A beautifully reflective narrative written about the generations of sheep farmers in the Lake District of England. The author begins his story as a bored and miserable high school student where the teachers and counselors have little understanding or value for the local agrarian culture and its
The author leaves school to work with his father and grandfather (whom he idolizes) on the farm. When the grandfather dies, the economic precariousness of their life along with late adolescent rebellion sends him not only back to get high school credentials, but also and matriculation and graduation from Oxford. Oxford credentials notwithstanding, this demonstrates the tough and stubborn nature of a young man raised in a tough landscape. The credentials he will need to achieve his goal of returning to the farm to create a life and a family.
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history. These students have been "hefted" to the land and have a deep appreciation for the land and the local culture than any of these educators can fathom.The author leaves school to work with his father and grandfather (whom he idolizes) on the farm. When the grandfather dies, the economic precariousness of their life along with late adolescent rebellion sends him not only back to get high school credentials, but also and matriculation and graduation from Oxford. Oxford credentials notwithstanding, this demonstrates the tough and stubborn nature of a young man raised in a tough landscape. The credentials he will need to achieve his goal of returning to the farm to create a life and a family.
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LibraryThing member john257hopper
This is a memoir by a Lake District shepherd who has, perhaps surprisingly, become a Twitter sensation in recent years. This memoir of the farming experiences of himself, father and grandfather is a passionate defence of a way of life that he sees as a continuity of a shepherding tradition going
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back centuries and even millennia (his own family has apparently farmed the same land for 600 years). He writes movingly and evocatively of the timelessness of the fells and the sense of purpose of a life in tune with the rhythms of nature (the book is divided into four sections by the seasons). Yet, despite this positive view, he does sometimes come across, particularly in the early part of the book, as somewhat bitter towards the rest of the world, basically anyone not part of this farming tradition. He had a troubled schooling, not seeing the point in trying as he was a part of this continuity of the farming tradition, and stubbornly resisting his teachers' desire to "better" himself. Later on, though, he took A levels in evening classes and then a history degree at Oxford, before returning to his farm. He certainly represents a strong ambassador for a particular way of life, though I feel slightly ambivalent about some of the ways in which he expresses this. Show Less
LibraryThing member Craiglea
I read this book with a great deal of interest — we don’t often get the chance to read about farming from the horse’s mouth so to speak. Often our view is coloured by old media representations of greedy farmers harvesting subsidies rather than crops.
This book takes the reader through one
I genuinely learned some new things from reading this book. It had never occurred to me that a flock of sheep might have a particular style and character that reflects the philosophy and personalities of generations of a fell farming family.
Overall though, I feel that this book has a number of faults. Rebanks is prone to repeating himself too often, for instance when discussing the cycle of the farming year or the capabilities of the younger generation growing stronger as those of their elders fade.
Within the book the author fails to say more than the absolute minimum about his ‘other’ work as a heritage consultant to UNESCO. Presumably this is actually quite an important role and people are willing to pay for his skills and this income keeps his farm viable. The fact that this is necessary and how he fits it into the farming year is barely discussed or explored.
At one point during the farming year he says he would rather his children “saw the blood and knew that it was real than had a childish relationship with food and farming — everything in plastic packaging and everyone pretending it had never lived.” I was disappointed that Rebanks didn’t expand on this topic. I’m sure there is a story to be told about how the small scale farmer cares for his livestock very differently from the industrialised farmer.
However I was mostly left with a rather uncomfortable feeling that James Rebanks has no time for non-farmers. 'Incomers', ramblers, office workers, students and teachers are all treated with equal contempt and I feel that this would extend to me as his reader.
This book takes the reader through one
Show More
year in the life of a fell farmer in England’s Lake District, structured around the four seasons. It struck me that this is the obvious outline for such a book and it does make sense and works very well.I genuinely learned some new things from reading this book. It had never occurred to me that a flock of sheep might have a particular style and character that reflects the philosophy and personalities of generations of a fell farming family.
Overall though, I feel that this book has a number of faults. Rebanks is prone to repeating himself too often, for instance when discussing the cycle of the farming year or the capabilities of the younger generation growing stronger as those of their elders fade.
Within the book the author fails to say more than the absolute minimum about his ‘other’ work as a heritage consultant to UNESCO. Presumably this is actually quite an important role and people are willing to pay for his skills and this income keeps his farm viable. The fact that this is necessary and how he fits it into the farming year is barely discussed or explored.
At one point during the farming year he says he would rather his children “saw the blood and knew that it was real than had a childish relationship with food and farming — everything in plastic packaging and everyone pretending it had never lived.” I was disappointed that Rebanks didn’t expand on this topic. I’m sure there is a story to be told about how the small scale farmer cares for his livestock very differently from the industrialised farmer.
However I was mostly left with a rather uncomfortable feeling that James Rebanks has no time for non-farmers. 'Incomers', ramblers, office workers, students and teachers are all treated with equal contempt and I feel that this would extend to me as his reader.
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LibraryThing member willszal
In the early 1800s, the New England landscape was dominated by sheep herding. To this day our forests are full of stone walls left over from this era, and Vermont still has a fair bit of pasture. This tradition has heavily influenced by immigrants from the Brittish Isles. In this book, James
As might be expected, Rebanks has a number of somewhat conservative views. He speaks of dunking sheep in WWI chemical warfare agents to keep the flies off of them. He discusses the way in which collective ownership with an aesthetic that appeals to the beauty of “natural” lands can be at odds with the needs of a traditional agricultural economy, such as when Londoners want the Lakes District as their summer retreat when the farmers would rather be left alone.
In early adulthood I spent a year farming and homesteading. The founder of the program, Ben Holmes, told me as he was walking me around the farm while I was considering enrolling on a wet and dreary day that it would be a place where I would learn the drudgery of farm work. It is hard to use the word “romantic” to describe such a sentiment, but there is something about the drudgery of farm work that comes through in Rebanks’ writing, and it is clear that he wouldn’t have it any other way.
One of the fascinations in the book is all the discussion on breeding. Similar to heirlooms seeds, maintaining a breed is as much an art as a science. The genetic diversity must be kept broad enough so that the breed is vigorous, but not so broad as to diverge from the hallmark traits.
A gaping hole in the book regards Rebanks’ cursory coverage of the Herdwick massacre of 2001 as a result of foot-and-mouth disease. No time is spent discussion what it meant to revive the breed, or how the farming community at large with this issue. Although there’s mention of slaughter and subsidies, we’re left in the dark as to how that wasn’t the end of the breed.
Rebanks states that farmers in his region can’t make a livelihood from their agricultural endeavors, and have never been able to do so. Although there is a good bit of truth to this sentiment I find it both disconcerting and depressing to reinforce such a message. Unless we can move to some kind of Universal Basic Income model, societally, we need to find ways to make agricultural economics work. Much of my professional work has revolved around this issue, and I know there are models that work. I wish Rebanks did more to highlight the ways in which agriculture can provide a living wage; I know a number of case studies in the subject.
To attest to its merits and grit, after listening to the audiobook, I actually purchased a physical copy of this book from my local bookstore to circulate amongst my community.
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Rebanks walks us through this way of life that is still somewhat intact in his home of the Lake District. Due to my upbringing in the rural New England landscape, as well as a familiarity with sheep from both childhood and adulthood, I felt a certain kinship with Rebanks’ story.As might be expected, Rebanks has a number of somewhat conservative views. He speaks of dunking sheep in WWI chemical warfare agents to keep the flies off of them. He discusses the way in which collective ownership with an aesthetic that appeals to the beauty of “natural” lands can be at odds with the needs of a traditional agricultural economy, such as when Londoners want the Lakes District as their summer retreat when the farmers would rather be left alone.
In early adulthood I spent a year farming and homesteading. The founder of the program, Ben Holmes, told me as he was walking me around the farm while I was considering enrolling on a wet and dreary day that it would be a place where I would learn the drudgery of farm work. It is hard to use the word “romantic” to describe such a sentiment, but there is something about the drudgery of farm work that comes through in Rebanks’ writing, and it is clear that he wouldn’t have it any other way.
One of the fascinations in the book is all the discussion on breeding. Similar to heirlooms seeds, maintaining a breed is as much an art as a science. The genetic diversity must be kept broad enough so that the breed is vigorous, but not so broad as to diverge from the hallmark traits.
A gaping hole in the book regards Rebanks’ cursory coverage of the Herdwick massacre of 2001 as a result of foot-and-mouth disease. No time is spent discussion what it meant to revive the breed, or how the farming community at large with this issue. Although there’s mention of slaughter and subsidies, we’re left in the dark as to how that wasn’t the end of the breed.
Rebanks states that farmers in his region can’t make a livelihood from their agricultural endeavors, and have never been able to do so. Although there is a good bit of truth to this sentiment I find it both disconcerting and depressing to reinforce such a message. Unless we can move to some kind of Universal Basic Income model, societally, we need to find ways to make agricultural economics work. Much of my professional work has revolved around this issue, and I know there are models that work. I wish Rebanks did more to highlight the ways in which agriculture can provide a living wage; I know a number of case studies in the subject.
To attest to its merits and grit, after listening to the audiobook, I actually purchased a physical copy of this book from my local bookstore to circulate amongst my community.
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LibraryThing member Paul_S
The author accuses the city people who visit the peak district of searching for a fantasy experience without realising he is himself living a fantasy experience 24/7. His life is some sort of bizarre medieval reenactment society gone wrong, living in the past like it was a virtue in itself. The
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book itself has a very simple and tired old conceit of tying his biography to his regular day to day work which is a solid structure but the author finds it hard to stop himself from ranting in his wild tangents. I guess sheeperds life is nie stressful than I imagined. Show Less
LibraryThing member 2wonderY
Solid farmer's autobiography. Lovely short chapters and photographs.
LibraryThing member dele2451
Rebanks provides a clear, intelligent, beautiful, and timely case for preserving traditional methods of family farms, local food production, and heritage breeds in today's increasingly industrialized world. His personal insights on class elitism, gentrification, economic pressures on the farming
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community, and the culture clash between city dwellers and rural communities are very welcome and important additions and are rarely presented as eloquently in this literary genre. His description of the work, shepherds, animals, and landscape are rich, detailed, and utterly lovely without being romanticized. A truly fine piece of writing accompanied by wonderful photographs. Read it, even if you are apartment dwelling vegetarian. Show Less
LibraryThing member technodiabla
Mellow interesting read about the life of a modern N. England shepherd. It is told by season and largely moves temporally from his childhood to 21st century (mid-adulthood). Very far-removed from my own existence so interesting to just read about daily life, especially set again the modern societal
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landscape. My only complaint is that the story is entirely man-focused. It almost like the women (who I would guess lay a major role) are just bit parts in this book. Its all about the sons. Show Less
LibraryThing member LynnB
James Rebanks writes about his life as a shepherd in Northern England. His obvious love of his work shines through and is infectious...even though I know a farming life is not one I would personally enjoy. I learned a lot about sheep and caring for them. The writing is so good it allowed me to
I especially liked reading about the relationship the author had with his grandfather, father and children. This is not just an autobiography of a family, though; it's also an autobiography of a way of life and that is what will stay with me.
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empathize with Mr. Rebanks and his family.I especially liked reading about the relationship the author had with his grandfather, father and children. This is not just an autobiography of a family, though; it's also an autobiography of a way of life and that is what will stay with me.
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LibraryThing member pennykaplan
Rebanks tells of his passion for sheep farming the old way in the Lake District on England as his family has done for centuries. His deep roots, intense sense of belong and way of life are increasingly challenged by modernity. All the details of sheep farming, and his passion is evident, but more
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than I need to know about sheep farming. Show Less
LibraryThing member TheWasp
James Rebank's story of the work involved running a sheep farm in the Lake District of England and his connection to the land. Definitely a book which would be enhanced by photos and unfortunately my copy had none.
LibraryThing member Treebeard_404
A frank and non-sugar-coated view of modern shepherding in northern England. The highs, the lows, the challenges, and the rewards conveyed in often-lyrical descriptions.
Awards
James Cropper Wainwright Prize (Shortlist — 2016)
Waterstones Book of the Year (Shortlist — 2015)
Ondaatje Prize (Shortlist — 2016)
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best: Adults (Selection — Nonfiction — 2015)
Pages
304
ISBN
1250060265 / 9781250060266