Running for the Hills: A Family Story
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Review
'A tender, eloquent book about love, the power of the land and the price to paid for living out one's dreams'
(Sarah Dunant )'A joy ... heartening, raw, tender.'
(John Carey, Sunday Times )'Touching, funny and extremely well-written'
(Telegraph )Enchanting ... magical ... so beautifully written that you almost hold your breath'
(Daily Mail )'A major talent'
(Marie Clare )'Beautifully written ... crammed with precious details ... It should be required reading'
(Guardian )'It is the prose equivalent of a collection of poems by Ted Hughes - or Wordsworth'
(Sunday Times )'The classic Great Escape . . . strikingly told'
(Matthew Bell, TLS )'An assured and compelling first book ... A moving exploration of the slow triumph of adversity over optimism'
(Rose Tremain, The Sunday Telegraph )Sarah Dunant
'Horatio Clare sucks thick honey from his past. A tender, eloquent book'
--This text refers to the
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
31 of 32 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I first came across Horatio Clare's writing in magazines and mentally bookmarked the name, not that it's one you're likely to forget. He's published some trvael writing, on Morocco, I think, but this is is his first book, a sort of novelised memoir of his parents' divorce. It's set partly in London, his father's domain, but mostly on a Welsh hill farm. His parents acquired it as a retreat from London, but it soon becomes clear that his mother's investment in it is of diferent kind from his father's. A romantic of the full-flavour variety there's an irresistible pull to her attachement to the country and the hard life it obliges from those who settle there, even harder if you're a London literary type with two blonde haired little boys called Horatio and Alexander (funny scene in the primary school where they have to announce their names to an incredulous room of Hywels and Sioneds). And what of her husband, who has to earn a living, and for whom it seems the wild hill life is a colourful backdrop rather than home? As she and her boys are drawn into a beautiful and wild life there we too are drawn in, captivated by marvellous nature writing, by their risk-taking, by the remoteness of their locale and most movingly by the wrenching of their father from the picture. There's a heartbreaking scene when the young Horatio, on furlough in London, realises his father has finally gone. How do boys grow up without a father on the scene? What does a wild place do to the imaginations of children? What kind of enchantments belong to what kind of places?
I loved this book. It has all the virtues (and some of the vices - overwriting calsm down as the narrative proceeds) of a first novel from an exciting new writer.
25 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I heard 'snippets' of this while on the road in my job when it was featured in a recent Book of the Week on Radio 4 and I instantly struck by its charm - so I bought the book.
Well I've just finished it & I honestly think it's one of the most enjoyable reading experiences I've had in a very long time. It tells the story of Horatio's parents decision to leave London & set up home in a very remote Welsh hillside sheep farm.
It is really the story of a remarkable woman Jenny, (Horatio Clare's mother), who is completely and passionately obsessed with her desire to suceed in the toughest of environments, doing a job traditionally the domaine of men who have the benefit of years of family history & experience.
Jenny & her new husband, Robert arrive, virtual novices and throw themselves into the challenge of several lifetimes trying to keep themselves & their stock alive.
The challenges leave the couple no time for leisure or life as a 'couple' and the marriage inevitably fails. Robert returns to his life in London, leaving Jenny to continue farming alone, helped by her two young sons and an ageing neighbour.
It is partly the story of the unrelenting harshness of the hardest of farming environments, made utterly enchanting due to Jenny's absolute love of her animals and nature and her dedication to the task, which is also to give her boys a magical childhood.
The story is told by Horatio Clare who has a delicate touch - the story is his, but it is told in a objective way which makes you forget it is his life and mother he is describing. His ability to appreciate the beauty and convey it so wonderfully is a constant testament to his mother's passion and enthusiasm which never wanes, no matter how awful life becomes for them at times. You want to read & reread whole chapters, so beautiful is the writing.
If I were an English teacher, I would be using this book to encourage and inspire children to understand the beauty and power of words and nature.
Though Jenny eventually and reluctantly leaves the farm, she does so having achieved her mission; Horatio leaves you in no doubt that he and his brother have been blessed with the most passionate and inspiring of upbringings a child could ever have.
Well I've just finished it & I honestly think it's one of the most enjoyable reading experiences I've had in a very long time. It tells the story of Horatio's parents decision to leave London & set up home in a very remote Welsh hillside sheep farm.
It is really the story of a remarkable woman Jenny, (Horatio Clare's mother), who is completely and passionately obsessed with her desire to suceed in the toughest of environments, doing a job traditionally the domaine of men who have the benefit of years of family history & experience.
Jenny & her new husband, Robert arrive, virtual novices and throw themselves into the challenge of several lifetimes trying to keep themselves & their stock alive.
The challenges leave the couple no time for leisure or life as a 'couple' and the marriage inevitably fails. Robert returns to his life in London, leaving Jenny to continue farming alone, helped by her two young sons and an ageing neighbour.
It is partly the story of the unrelenting harshness of the hardest of farming environments, made utterly enchanting due to Jenny's absolute love of her animals and nature and her dedication to the task, which is also to give her boys a magical childhood.
The story is told by Horatio Clare who has a delicate touch - the story is his, but it is told in a objective way which makes you forget it is his life and mother he is describing. His ability to appreciate the beauty and convey it so wonderfully is a constant testament to his mother's passion and enthusiasm which never wanes, no matter how awful life becomes for them at times. You want to read & reread whole chapters, so beautiful is the writing.
If I were an English teacher, I would be using this book to encourage and inspire children to understand the beauty and power of words and nature.
Though Jenny eventually and reluctantly leaves the farm, she does so having achieved her mission; Horatio leaves you in no doubt that he and his brother have been blessed with the most passionate and inspiring of upbringings a child could ever have.
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Despite a friend's strong recommendation, I couldn't see how I'd enjoy a boy's memories of ill sheep, poverty, and a dilapidated farm in South Wales. How wrong I was. Horatio Clare's story is candid, heartbreaking and spell-binding. At times I even laughed out loud; (this book must be read for the quark story alone). Running For The Hills will stay with you long after you've finished the final pages. Just wonderful.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Pure Inspiration
For anyone wishing to downsize from the rat-race and begin life on a farm or smallholding,this book is a must. Read more
Published 4 months ago by nigel
Engrossing
This was my introduction to the work of this highly talented writer. I have gone on to read all his published work.
Published 21 months ago by M. E. Jenkins
Well written
I really liked the book, its so well written. you can actually feel the cold in the winter and the summer breeze as you read it. Recommend it.
Published 22 months ago by Sontee
a local story
At the edge of the Brecon Beacons in South Wales is a little patch of heaven. Running for the Hills describes all of this area perfectly, as well as giving a loving portrayal of... Read more
Published on 9 Sep 2009 by greenfingers
lyrical account of a childhood
I almost didn't bother reviewing Running for the Hills, as I assumed it would have a least 100 5 star reviews and wouldn't need my contribution, so was surprised to see several one... Read more
Published on 15 April 2008 by Sarah Duncan
great stuff!
Just beautiful! An unusual, moving, sometimes very funny first book which held me from first page to last - I keep recommending it to friends who wonder why I'm so enthusiastic... Read more
Published on 15 July 2007 by Reza
Cosmo readers, enjoy!
The generic fault of much modern literature is poor editing and this book is no exception. Why on earth did no-one see fit to edit some of the interminable rambling about sheep... Read more
Published on 3 July 2007 by pimstoned
A search for inner harmony
Horatio Clare and his younger brother suffered the separation and divorce of two strong-willed parents who could not reconcile their desire for different lifestyles: one urban, the... Read more
Published on 30 Jun 2007 by Stephen Games
dull and lacking depth
I bought this book on the assumption that not only would it be about how a couple leave the rat race to start a new life in the countryside of Wales but that it would also detail... Read more
Published on 18 Jan 2007 by Dr. S. W. Jones
First effort falls foul of fickle fans
A young couple from London decide to leave behind the bustle and pollution of the London commute to buy a working farm in the Brecon Beacons. Sounds hackneyed and twee? Read more
Published on 17 Oct 2006 by Madly Bobbington-Blythe
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