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thursdd4y's review
3.0
A beautiful articulation of Sprackland's year on one of Britain's most cherished landscapes, the beach. I enjoyed her personal diversions from physical objects she found to things she'd experienced or researched. The book possessed a real diary like feel with scientific accuracy, and I found it's fantastic for expanding your trivial knowledge of the beach, as well as getting to know the author through her sentimental authorial voice.
indy_oc's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
3.75
soupy_twist's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
halfmanhalfbook's review against another edition
5.0
Sprackland visits the same beach time and time again and her observations and findings over the seasons are detailed with poetic and thoughtful prose. The book is laid out in four sections that correspond with the seasons. The chapters within these sections split over all type of subjects, but atre always centred around items found or seen on this particular beach.
The book picks up on threads and detail from lots of other books that I have read, in particular [b:Sightlines|13818573|Sightlines|Kathleen Jamie|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1338196357s/13818573.jpg|19177747], [b:Edgelands|10480664|Edgelands|Michael Symmons Roberts|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328035282s/10480664.jpg|15386089], [b:Moby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost at Sea and of the Beachcombers, Oceanographers, Environmentalists, and Fools, Including the Author, Who Went in Search of Them|10223320|Moby-Duck The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost at Sea and of the Beachcombers, Oceanographers, Environmentalists, and Fools, Including the Author, Who Went in Search of Them|Donovan Hohn|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328307228s/10223320.jpg|14482244] and the [b:The Wild Places|4775494|The Wild Places|Robert Macfarlane|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347263395s/4775494.jpg|1521802]. These are all books that are written by authors who can evoke a particular time and a sense of place effortlessly.
Well worth reading.
The book picks up on threads and detail from lots of other books that I have read, in particular [b:Sightlines|13818573|Sightlines|Kathleen Jamie|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1338196357s/13818573.jpg|19177747], [b:Edgelands|10480664|Edgelands|Michael Symmons Roberts|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328035282s/10480664.jpg|15386089], [b:Moby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost at Sea and of the Beachcombers, Oceanographers, Environmentalists, and Fools, Including the Author, Who Went in Search of Them|10223320|Moby-Duck The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost at Sea and of the Beachcombers, Oceanographers, Environmentalists, and Fools, Including the Author, Who Went in Search of Them|Donovan Hohn|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328307228s/10223320.jpg|14482244] and the [b:The Wild Places|4775494|The Wild Places|Robert Macfarlane|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347263395s/4775494.jpg|1521802]. These are all books that are written by authors who can evoke a particular time and a sense of place effortlessly.
Well worth reading.
kingjason's review
3.0
When I was a kid I spent many holidays at the beach, always the same area as my Grandparents had a caravan there, I found the beach boring though. The beaches in that area were always shingle (lots of stones), so no chance of making a sand castle only lots of pain as you walked barefoot down to the sea. Instead of the beach I would go exploring, looking for caves and climbing up the cliffs (you were always allowed to do dangerous stuff in those days). If only I had read this book as a kid, I would know what to go looking for, I did find starfish, crabs and the odd jellyfish to poke with a stick but I never thought of checking out the rubbish that had washed up.
Jean Sprackland spends a year wandering along the beach seeing what she can find, she finds dead animals, a tonne of cigarette butts (Shame on you smokers!) a tonne of tampon wrappers (Shame on you women!) and one marathon wrapper (Shame on me probably). Some of the things Jean finds are amazing, she comes across a china cup that had been floating in the sea for half a century, the fact it was in one piece is amazing. For Jean though finding the item is not the end, if she can she'll research the item and try to find out it's history.
A couple of issues I had with this book, not enough pictures, I had to keep going to the google machine to look up sea mice and sea squirts. When she writes she keeps going off on a tangent, it feels like only a small part of the book is spent on the beach, the rest of the time is spent reminiscing and researching.
It was a very entertaining read, I've learnt loads and found out some very interesting info on some super freaky sea creatures....I've also ended up adding another 10 books to my reading list.
Jean Sprackland spends a year wandering along the beach seeing what she can find, she finds dead animals, a tonne of cigarette butts (Shame on you smokers!) a tonne of tampon wrappers (Shame on you women!) and one marathon wrapper (Shame on me probably). Some of the things Jean finds are amazing, she comes across a china cup that had been floating in the sea for half a century, the fact it was in one piece is amazing. For Jean though finding the item is not the end, if she can she'll research the item and try to find out it's history.
A couple of issues I had with this book, not enough pictures, I had to keep going to the google machine to look up sea mice and sea squirts. When she writes she keeps going off on a tangent, it feels like only a small part of the book is spent on the beach, the rest of the time is spent reminiscing and researching.
It was a very entertaining read, I've learnt loads and found out some very interesting info on some super freaky sea creatures....I've also ended up adding another 10 books to my reading list.
lnatal's review
3.0
From BBC Radio 4 - Book of the week:
A year of discoveries on the beach. Jean Sprackland meditates on objects revealed by the shape-shifting sands, or washed up on the wild beaches between Blackpool and Liverpool.
Recorded on location on Ainsdale Sands, 'Strands' is a book about what is lost and buried, then re-discovered; about all the things you find on a beach, dead or alive, natural or man-made; about mutability and transformation - about sea-change.
In today's episode, Jean contemplates the miraculous re-appearance of the Star of Hope, wrecked on Mad Wharf in 1883, but suddenly raised up from the depths one day - an entire wreck, black and barnacled, taking the air for a while before sinking back under the sand.
Read by Jean Sprackland
Abridged by Miranda Davies
Produced by Emma Harding
About the author: Jean Sprackland is the author of three books of poetry and a collection of short stories. Her most recent poetry collection, Tilt (Cape, 2007), won the Costa Poetry Award. Hard Water (Cape, 2003) was a Poetry Book Society Recommendation, and was shortlisted for both the T S Eliot Prize and the Whitbread Award for Poetry. She was chosen as one of the Next Generation Poets in 2004.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01jggkw
A year of discoveries on the beach. Jean Sprackland meditates on objects revealed by the shape-shifting sands, or washed up on the wild beaches between Blackpool and Liverpool.
Recorded on location on Ainsdale Sands, 'Strands' is a book about what is lost and buried, then re-discovered; about all the things you find on a beach, dead or alive, natural or man-made; about mutability and transformation - about sea-change.
In today's episode, Jean contemplates the miraculous re-appearance of the Star of Hope, wrecked on Mad Wharf in 1883, but suddenly raised up from the depths one day - an entire wreck, black and barnacled, taking the air for a while before sinking back under the sand.
Read by Jean Sprackland
Abridged by Miranda Davies
Produced by Emma Harding
About the author: Jean Sprackland is the author of three books of poetry and a collection of short stories. Her most recent poetry collection, Tilt (Cape, 2007), won the Costa Poetry Award. Hard Water (Cape, 2003) was a Poetry Book Society Recommendation, and was shortlisted for both the T S Eliot Prize and the Whitbread Award for Poetry. She was chosen as one of the Next Generation Poets in 2004.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01jggkw
halfmanhalfbook's review
5.0
Sprackland visits the same beach time and time again and her observations and findings over the seasons are detailed with poetic and thoughtful prose. The book is laid out in four sections that correspond with the seasons. The chapters within these sections split over all type of subjects, but atre always centred around items found or seen on this particular beach.
The book picks up on threads and detail from lots of other books that I have read, in particular [b:Sightlines|13818573|Sightlines|Kathleen Jamie|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1338196357s/13818573.jpg|19177747], [b:Edgelands|10480664|Edgelands|Michael Symmons Roberts|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328035282s/10480664.jpg|15386089], [b:Moby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost at Sea and of the Beachcombers, Oceanographers, Environmentalists, and Fools, Including the Author, Who Went in Search of Them|10223320|Moby-Duck The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost at Sea and of the Beachcombers, Oceanographers, Environmentalists, and Fools, Including the Author, Who Went in Search of Them|Donovan Hohn|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328307228s/10223320.jpg|14482244] and the [b:The Wild Places|4775494|The Wild Places|Robert Macfarlane|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347263395s/4775494.jpg|1521802]. These are all books that are written by authors who can evoke a particular time and a sense of place effortlessly.
Well worth reading.
The book picks up on threads and detail from lots of other books that I have read, in particular [b:Sightlines|13818573|Sightlines|Kathleen Jamie|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1338196357s/13818573.jpg|19177747], [b:Edgelands|10480664|Edgelands|Michael Symmons Roberts|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328035282s/10480664.jpg|15386089], [b:Moby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost at Sea and of the Beachcombers, Oceanographers, Environmentalists, and Fools, Including the Author, Who Went in Search of Them|10223320|Moby-Duck The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost at Sea and of the Beachcombers, Oceanographers, Environmentalists, and Fools, Including the Author, Who Went in Search of Them|Donovan Hohn|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328307228s/10223320.jpg|14482244] and the [b:The Wild Places|4775494|The Wild Places|Robert Macfarlane|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347263395s/4775494.jpg|1521802]. These are all books that are written by authors who can evoke a particular time and a sense of place effortlessly.
Well worth reading.
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