New Leaf September 2019 Discussion • The Shepherd's Life by James Rebanks

[Bookpossum]

I think Cumbria is a very long way from London! I mean culturally rather than in terms of actual distance.

I see what you mean issybird about the setting feeling like an earlier time. I do think though that despite the tourism (which would only happen in the short summer) that the locals would have led a fairly isolated life in the time before the internet.

Assuming the school was consistently bad, and if, say, dyslexia was in the mix, I can well believe that people not interested in reading would be barely literate.

The grandfather was presumably the right age to be sent to the war, but could have been ruled out either because farming was an essential service, or perhaps because of some physical thing following his illness.

All guesswork on my part of course. But I suppose I’m saying I find it believable that an area like that would be at least a generation behind other parts of England in the whole way of life.

[Victoria]

Thanks Bookworm_Girl for the additional background. I wondered if Rebanks was an economist. It’s very interesting to hear his later reflections on the book, and how it was, in part, his gift to his father.

Thanks too for the great websites. I love how the Lake District refers to ‘cultural visitors’ rather than ‘tourists’. It emphasizes the importance of world heritage sites, and at the same time, is very respectful to the people who visit them. I know there are good reasons to be wary of tourists, but many travellers are conscious and thoughtful about the impact they make. And I must say, the photos are stunning!

issybird I felt I was reading about another era too. I think Bookpossum has it right when she talks about the cultural distance from London. You can feel it in his brief descriptions of being at Oxford and in the city.

[Bookworm_Girl]

Here are a few photos that I took from my visit to Matterdale with my friend who grew up there. My photos are taken from Little Mell Fell. Rebanks farms on Great Mell Fell. She reckons her farm is about 3 miles from his farm. The water is Ullswater Lake, the second largest lake in the Lakes District, which he mentions in the book.

[Bookworm_Girl]

It was May, and there were sheep everywhere throughout Northern England. Here they are hanging out at the forts along Hadrian's Wall which is just a little further north of the Lake District. No big deal. The walls are ancient history. The sheep are ancient history. Time moves on.

[Bookpossum]

Thanks Bookworm_Girl - lovely to see, and you had good weather, which of course isn't always the case up there!

I have had a feeling that much of our discussion about farming communities, education and so on, was reminding me of something. I have realised that it was a French documentary made in about 2002 called Etre et Avoir (To Be and To Have) filmed over the course of a year in a one teacher primary school in rural France. It's a delightful film and showed the pupils both at school and in their homes.

In one case, there was a boy who was struggling with his school work and he was shown with his family at home in the farmhouse where several adults were as puzzled as he was over his homework - mathematics from memory. But we also saw him working on the farm, handling a tractor with consumate ease as well as carrying out other activities.

So this was a small farming community, a one teacher school covering all ages from about 5 to 12, and a family of adults who didn't understand the 12 year old's homework. Let's say it was filmed in 2000-01, and we have something comparable to Rebanks' scenario almost 20 years after his childhood in Cumbria.

[Victoria]

Thanks Bookworm_Girl Great photos. I have to agree with Rebanks - there is something wonderful about stonewalls - so evocative.

[Bookworm_Girl]

Originally Posted by Victoria

Thanks Bookworm_Girl Great photos. I have to agree with Rebanks - there is something wonderful about stonewalls - so evocative.

Rebanks talks in the book about jobs that people did to earn more money. My friend's father used to repair walls in the area.

[issybird]

Where I live, which was first settled by Europeans nearly 400 years ago, there are many extent stone walls snaking all over, even through second-growth woods. The lore is that the soil is so rocky that the walls were a disposal method, in effect; something had to be down with all the rocks removed from the earth to make it suitable for farming, so why not build a wall?

[CRussel]

Here there are both dry and mortared stone walls everywhere. And yet, we still grow more stones every year. I think they're breeding! Even my raised beds have started having stones in them every spring. Sheesh!

[issybird]

Rebanks has a new book out and there’s an article in the Washington Post about him today. The WaPo does have a paywall, but I hope people get a few freebies if they’re interested.

[astrangerhere]

Originally Posted by issybird

Rebanks has a new book out and there’s an article in the Washington Post about him today. The WaPo does have a paywall, but I hope people get a few freebies if they’re interested.

It is as good, if not better than The Shepherd's Life.

[koboy]

last years book given new title. last year's book https://www.amazon.co.uk/English-Pas...s=books&sr=1-1

new book https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pastoral-So...s%2C292&sr=1-1


best wishes koboy

[Bookworm_Girl]

Originally Posted by astrangerhere

It is as good, if not better than The Shepard's Life.

Thanks for sharing your review. I’ve been following his family’s Instagram account which has talked about the new book. I’m looking forward to reading it. The Shepard’s Life was one of my favorite book club selections.

[astrangerhere]

Originally Posted by Bookworm_Girl

Thanks for sharing your review. I’ve been following his family’s Instagram account which has talked about the new book. I’m looking forward to reading it. The Shepard’s Life was one of my favorite book club selections.

Not that such things matter to some folks, but it won the Wainright Prize for nature writing last week.

[gmw]

You had me wondering, but it looks like "The Shepard's Life" must have been an autocorrect problem. Which I only bother to mention because...

For those that are interested, The Shepherd's Life by James Rebanks is currently selling for AUD$4.99 in Kobo Australia, which is a good price. Likely as enticement for the new book, I guess - they don't have the books linked up properly in Kobo, so you may need to search for them separately.