12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Hill sheep-farming made real in a sensitively written diary., 16 Aug 2000
This is an evocative account of the hardships and wonders of hill-farming in Scotland's harshest environment. The author captures the reader's attention from the beginning and it is with regret that you set the book down at the end. I wish there was more.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Red sky at night, reader's delight...., 6 Feb 2010
Firstly, let me say this is an enormously rewarding and wholesome book in many ways. On one level, readers will learn about the flora, fauna, folklore and history of the wonderful area around Scotland's Loch Katrine and see the mechanics of a working shepherd's life. Mr Barrington is master of all he surveys and demonstrates great stewardship of all that he comes into contact with. His observational acuity and perceptiveness is incredible - from a naturalists's perspective, nothing goes unnoticed - the nesting eagles in Glengyle as well as the seasonal migrants, the mountain animals and the local pike not to mention Mr Tod, the wily resident hill fox . He has a great sense of place and time he and the cadence of the seasons is beautifully described.
On another level, the book is incredibly evocative and one can easily imagine being up on the hillside at the frosty break of a mid-winterday with the dogs, the sights and smells of spring, the warmth of the hearth after a long, busy day. The descriptions of the sheepdogs shows what intelligent, incredible and loveable creatures that these are. All in, this is an excellent book which has the power to both inform and move the reader on an emotional level.
ps My father, himself a great story-teller and a preserver of of the oral tradition bought this book from Mr Barrington at the Glasgow Garden Festival and I am forever grateful that this has come into my possession. The only downside is that the message signed was addressed to my brother and not me... nothing's perfect I guess ha ha!
pps One of the other reviews is describing another book entirely - not quite sure how this happened.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
A 'must read book' for lovers of the countryside, 5 Jan 2012
I was given this book by a fellow walker who thought I might just be interested in reading it. Once I started I could not stop - you immediately engage with this man's life from his style of writing so that you were there at his side experiencing his love of his job, his family, fellow workers and of course the sheep and other anilmals in his care. There are touches of humour and sadness throughout - sheer realism. I have recommended John Barrington to many and been thanked over and over.
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