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Amazon.co.uk Review
Even without the unbridled enthusiasm of such writers as Peter Carey and Marina Warner that emblazon the jacket, a few pages of William Fiennes’ The Snow Geese would instantly alert the reader that this is something very special indeed. A remarkable piece of natural history and a striking book about the very notion of wandering, this is considerably more than travel writing; it is, in fact, a poetic vision that evokes the splendours and terrors of the Canadian Arctic in a fashion that goes beyond mere description. Perfectly judged prose gives a vision of the natural world that transports the reader utterly.
Snow geese spend each summer in the Canadian Arctic on the Tundra. Every autumn they migrate south to Delaware, California and the Gulf of Mexico, and in the spring they wing northwards again. Fascinated by this, William Fiennes made the decision to go with them and write about his travels. But the result turned out to be about so much more than the migration of geese. This synthesis of autobiography and reportage settles into its real subject swiftly: homecoming, and the powerful pull of the concept of home that motivates us all. The author’s daunting physical adventure is also a meditation on the philosophy of natural science and even the act of autobiography. The sheer energy of the book is mesmerising, and however subtle the writing, we read on transfixed--always relating these strange odysseys to our own travels in the world. The Snow Geese may change your very perception of what home means to you. --Barry Forshaw --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Roger Tagholm, Publishing News, 15 Feb 2002
He is a writers' writer and his lyrical, poetic account of a journey... is a beautiful piece of prose that deserves to win awards.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Moving, lyrical, absorbing - what would be a so-so journey for many travel writers becomes an extraordinarily beautiful quest in the hands of a writer whose imagination and precision with words are so utterly astonishing. For instance, comparing the blue light on snow to "a tone in the way the light was speaking" (can't remember the exact quote) just stops you in your tracks.
A fantastically inspiring book to read whilst commuting - real escapism, better than any "sex and shopping" dreck, this takes you out of your grimy tube carriage to the clean open spaces of the arctic tundra. Such a beautiful and moving book, I can't recommend it highly enough.
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is a must for anyone who likes travel, natural history, biography or a read to make you think. Full of characters, places and philosophical readings that are cleverly crafted and are so vivid you feel as if you are transported across America and Canada, sharing the nostalgia/homesickness and the thrill of the flight of the birds. My empathy with the narrator is personal - I know how frustrating confinement by illness can be... to have the pleasure to spread your metaphorical wings and fly with the geese is freedom itself. This book cannot be underestimated in its power.
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The book is a journey, not just of following the snow geese as they migrate from Texas to the Arctic, but it's the author's journey too - from illness to well-being, from the childhood home to beautiful lands and then home again, from restlessness (his own Zugunruhe) to the sweet weariness of having completed a journey, from familiarity to marvellous strangeness and back to familiarity once more.
The author notices everything. You have a sense of him as almost silent, except for what he writes. He absorbs you with his descriptions of places and other people, delighting your soul with the accuracy of his observations.
It's a peaceful book, restorative, hopeful and uplifting. You give a sigh of satisfaction at the end of the book, glad for having experienced it.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Disappointing
I was disappointed that this book was less about geese and more about the journey the author made, and the people he met, some of which was a bit tedious. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Pluto
A disappointment
Publishers want to maximize on aspects such as a book being shortlisted for an ward. The Snow Geese was shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson prize for non-fiction for 2002. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Discerning Reader
Moving but a bit dull
This is a gentle, quiet book. I've got to admit that a lot of the passages take patience to read if you're not into the poetic, lyrical style of writing chosen by the author. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Fiona
Great beginning and middle - shame about the end.
This came as one of the books in a mini library of 10. I wouldn't have chosen it, but was soon drawn into it. Read more
Published 8 months ago by A. Seatter
Stunningly good writing
This is possibly one of the most lyrically written books I have ever read. It deals with the author's recovery from serious illness and (inspired by Paul Gallico's story) his... Read more
Published 22 months ago by hiljean
Definitely something missing
Disappointing - this book got such approving reviews, but I have to say I found it sometimes tedious, often slow-going, repetitive and self-indulgent. Read more
Published on 16 Sep 2009 by Eileen Shaw
Changing Tracks
Remember that BBC Radio 1, 'Changing Tracks', where a listener gives a song that indicates the time when their life changed completely, well this book is kind of like that, a story... Read more
Published on 23 Sep 2008 by Marianne Jenkinson
An interesting angle on migration
Although at times this book had rather too many birdwatching details for a lay person, the whole concept of moving to different areas and adapting to a new environment was... Read more
Published on 13 Feb 2004 by Bookworm
Superb. A real new talent.
During a period of recovery, following surgery, Fiennes was reminded of an early fascination for birds, and particularly the Snow Goose. Read more
Published on 1 Oct 2002 by Andrew Howell
A book to read, to read again and to treasure
William Fiennes has broken ranks with both travel writing and natural history. He has joined John Muir, Bruce Chatwyn and Gretel Erlich in the lyrical genre of the great outdoors,... Read more
Published on 14 May 2002
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