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The Last Bear
 
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The Last Bear (Hardcover)

by Mandy Haggith (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
Price: £8.99 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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  • This item: The Last Bear by Mandy Haggith

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • The Christmas Mystery by Jostein Gaarder

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 199 pages
  • Publisher: Two Ravens Press (29 Feb 2008)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1906120161
  • ISBN-13: 978-1906120160
  • Product Dimensions: 21.4 x 13.6 x 1.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 282,589 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Review

'The Last Bear is as much poem as prose, a lament for the last bear in Scotland, and the human ways of life that died with her. With the imposition of an alien religion the old harmonies are disrupted; the last bear is the final sacrifice of the old order. The Last Bear focuses on a pivotal historical moment, yet the results echo on down the centuries: the pain and loss of The Last Bear is, in fact, our own.' Margaret Elphinstone


Product Description

A haunting and compelling novel set one thousand years ago in the remote northwest Highlands of Scotland, "The Last Bear" recounts a tale of ecological and spiritual crisis from the viewpoint of one extraordinary woman. Taking the story of the extinction of the brown bear as its focal point, a story of love, jealousy, family and faith unfolds as Brigid, the last in a long line of medicine women, tries to live out her life in a time of upheaval without losing her cultural roots. Her personal struggle is set against a transforming world, as powerful Viking families clash with Celts and old pagan beliefs are challenged by Christian faith, changes that reach even into the timeless depths of the forest. Haggith weaves evocative descriptions of the natural world into a narrative that binds the characters ever more tightly into intrigue. Who killed the last bear in Scotland, and with what consequences?
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Customer Reviews

2 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Just wonderful, 12 Oct 2008
By V. Sweeney "VSweeney" (Scotland, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
A tale of intrigue as the battle of Christianity and Pagan beliefs confront one another.

What will win overall? At what cost?

A fascinating tale, one that I found incredibly hard to put down.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Lyrical and spiritual, 31 Oct 2009
This is a poetic, lyrical, haunting and spiritual tale of the last bear in Scotland, 1000 years ago. It's a salutary tale of the damage that man can wreak on the world and it never fails to amaze me how man can treat his fellow creatures of the earth.

This is a tale of Bjorn, the headman of the area, and Brigid, the banished medicine woman, and last shamen of the bear. Once lovers, they are now torn apart by Bjorn's duties and his father's refusal to accept a non-Christian witch as his son's wife. Instead, Bjorn marries Margaret, an Orcadian, in a political move to bring the two areas together, in a time when the north-west of Scotland had norse communities.

Brigid is banished to the forest, but still has links with some of the community, and is called upon on occasions to heal. There are a lot of similarities between her and her sister bear, including the fact that they are both the last of their line, and at one point in the story there was such an intense feeling of connection between her and the bear that it brought tears to my eyes.

It is a shame that prejudices and a lack of understanding in history could cause people to banish so-called witches, otherwise known as healers, with their powers to mend, soothe and calm.

This is a great read, and has an unusual and unique feel to it. I wasn't sure before I read it that it would be something I would like, and the first few chapters are quite slow and I did find it hard to get the story to sink in, but once it did I raced through it and was compelled by it. Highly recommended.
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