Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A crofting childhood that sparkles with originality, 31 Aug 2002
Despite the many tales of life amongst Highland wildlife in this book, a great humanity pervades the whole. Sadly, today Rowena Farre would be considered an eccentric, yet she shows great strength and independance of spirit for a young girl, living alone with her aunt, in an isolated corner of Scotland in the thirties. Descriptions of daily life for the pair (which could include cutting peat for winter fires or washing a squirrel free of porridge)are interpersed with local people and folklore. To say this is a simple but wondrous account of a childhood belies the depth behind the experience. This should be compulsory reading for all who have lost their way in the superficiality of modern life.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a rarity - a book which is quiet , simple yet beautiful, 29 Jun 2000
If you have enjoyed Gavin Maxwell's "Ring of Bright Water" you will enjoy this book! I first read Seal Morning as a child and have read it since as an adult. It is one of the most perfect "small" Scottish books; the setting is the living wilderness landscape of the north-west of Scotland, evoked by prose that is sparse and highly effective. Rowena and her aunt leave the Home Counties to live in Sutherland in a remote croft with their assorted pets and, of course, Lora the seal who could (after a fashion) play the xylophone, the mouth organ and even sing. The book tells of their lives (human, furred and feathered), joys and inevitable hardships while living there.
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Life with the seals!, 17 Jan 2009
Maurice Fleming, in his 'afterword' appended to Farre's narrative, claims "this is escapism of the best and purest kind" and he's right: Seal Morning is an alluring tale that effortlessly transports the reader to an uncomplicated life dominated by friendly countryside and even friendlier animals. It enchants with an elegant simplicity, and is a delight to read, especially if you have a sympathy for rustic charm and need something to soothe and relax.
But you have to suspend belief, because this is a fantasy world, a world far removed from the harsh reality of life on a remote croft in pre-war Sutherland, a rugged and often wild place. There aren't any elves, pixies or fairies as such, but you wouldn't be surprised if they appear amongst the singing, dancing animals: it wasn't just the humans who were multi-talented in this household!
On lending the book to a friend, his subsequent comment was "what a load of tosh"! And, in many ways I agree, because it cannot be accepted as a true and accurate account of seven years in a young girl's life. There are too many doubts, and Fleming suggests discrepancies with her other books. He also points out that no-one has been able to identify the location of this mysterious croft.
However, it works if approached as a fictionalised story based on real events: it is clear Farre has a sound knowledge and understanding of her subject based on personal experience. With her fluid prose, and a gift for story-telling, she has created a world that many will find eminently attractive in our more cynical age. We will never know how much is true and how much is the product of an active imagination, but perhaps it doesn't matter!
A reserved recommendation, then, but for a more realistic view of life in the Highlands I heartily advocate Iain Thomson's Isolation Shepherd.
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