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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
The childhood that Clover and her siblings enjoyed was a relaxing home life, growing up in the country whilst surrounded by horses and the beautiful hills outside Oxford. This idyllic upbringing was brought to an abrupt end in November 1991 when the head interrupted her history class and asked her to step outside. It was then she learnt that her mother had been involved in an ‘incident’. She had fallen from a horse and was seriously injured; just how serious would soon become apparent.
Clover’s life would never be the same again.
This first loss of her mother, the hub and heart of the family, would fracture their lives from that moment onwards. Clover sought solace in friends, lovers and drugs. The search for comfort would take her across to Ireland, to the vast ranches of Texas as a cowgirl and finally to the arms of another lover from the splintered Caucasus regions before she wends her way home to the Vale of the White Horse. She settles and raises a family, with all the ups and downs that this entails. Her mother’s condition slowly worsens as she then deals with her own crisis.
Reading this book is a raw and painful experience. Her turbulent life after her mother’s accident, forms the woman she is to become; strong, independent, vulnerable and delicate. She has the juxtaposition of knowing exactly what she wants, without always knowing the direction that she is heading. Clover is very open about her personal life, going into a fair amount of detail at times, not looking for judgement or approval; just being honest about what happened. The landscape where they lived is her anchor when dealing with all that life throws at her and it is something that she returns to at all the different stages of her life. I was hoping for more of the natural world and her interaction with it. It would have lifted it from the good to the great. Still worth reading though as she writes with a clarity and honesty that you don’t often get. 3.5 Stars
Clover’s life would never be the same again.
This first loss of her mother, the hub and heart of the family, would fracture their lives from that moment onwards. Clover sought solace in friends, lovers and drugs. The search for comfort would take her across to Ireland, to the vast ranches of Texas as a cowgirl and finally to the arms of another lover from the splintered Caucasus regions before she wends her way home to the Vale of the White Horse. She settles and raises a family, with all the ups and downs that this entails. Her mother’s condition slowly worsens as she then deals with her own crisis.
Reading this book is a raw and painful experience. Her turbulent life after her mother’s accident, forms the woman she is to become; strong, independent, vulnerable and delicate. She has the juxtaposition of knowing exactly what she wants, without always knowing the direction that she is heading. Clover is very open about her personal life, going into a fair amount of detail at times, not looking for judgement or approval; just being honest about what happened. The landscape where they lived is her anchor when dealing with all that life throws at her and it is something that she returns to at all the different stages of her life. I was hoping for more of the natural world and her interaction with it. It would have lifted it from the good to the great. Still worth reading though as she writes with a clarity and honesty that you don’t often get. 3.5 Stars
emotional
This was absolutely mesmerising. My daughter has been reading Clover's latest book and has been raving about it. I realised I had a copy of this kicking about and decided to give it a go. I absolutely devoured it. It's raw and devastating and I was utterly immersed in it. It's such a powerful read.
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Wow. There is huge hype around this memoir and it didn't disappoint. Such beautiful phrasing throughout this book, but especially in the opening and final chapters, and the epilogue.
I loved Clover's authenticity and how in tune she is with her needs and impulses, and how she follows her intuition to act on them.
The only part I didn't quite connect with was the part set in Russia, but the rest was truly stunning.
I loved Clover's authenticity and how in tune she is with her needs and impulses, and how she follows her intuition to act on them.
The only part I didn't quite connect with was the part set in Russia, but the rest was truly stunning.
utterly brilliant, i was invested from the start to the last sentence
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
An absolutely beautifully written journey that leaves you feeling bruised but enlighten.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
"No one knows why the White Horse is there above the hill in Uffington. It's a mystery that belongs to ancient man, and we can speculate. It we are only ever guessing."
Horse-mad Clover Stroud enjoyed a childhood blessed with ponies and the great outdoors in Wiltshire, with her exuberant and eccentric mother, Charlotte (known as Char), and father Rick Stroud.
In 1991, when Clover was sixteen, this came to an abrupt end when Char was thrown from her horse while out riding and suffered a catastrophic blow to the head. Defying the medical prognosis, Char regained consciousness, but could never be the mother Clover needed.
After her mother's accident, Clover sought comfort in friends, lovers and drugs and she embarked on a journey to regain the sense of home that had been so cruelly disrupted. Travelling through gypsy camps in Ireland, to rodeos in Texas and then to Russia’s Caucasus, Clover eventually found her way home to the Wiltshire countryside.
The Wild Other is an emotional account of love, loss and family, written with honesty. During traumatic times, horses and the landscape of her home county were Clover's anchor. This memoir is a reminder to live life to the fullest. Powerful but difficult reading.
Horse-mad Clover Stroud enjoyed a childhood blessed with ponies and the great outdoors in Wiltshire, with her exuberant and eccentric mother, Charlotte (known as Char), and father Rick Stroud.
In 1991, when Clover was sixteen, this came to an abrupt end when Char was thrown from her horse while out riding and suffered a catastrophic blow to the head. Defying the medical prognosis, Char regained consciousness, but could never be the mother Clover needed.
After her mother's accident, Clover sought comfort in friends, lovers and drugs and she embarked on a journey to regain the sense of home that had been so cruelly disrupted. Travelling through gypsy camps in Ireland, to rodeos in Texas and then to Russia’s Caucasus, Clover eventually found her way home to the Wiltshire countryside.
The Wild Other is an emotional account of love, loss and family, written with honesty. During traumatic times, horses and the landscape of her home county were Clover's anchor. This memoir is a reminder to live life to the fullest. Powerful but difficult reading.
A difficult book to rate because while I could not relate to the major narrative device of horses and horse-riding, the book definitely made me think and feel a lot. Stroud's response to tragedy is to throw herself into dangerous situations, mostly related to horses and men. Some of the passages about horses are too descriptive for someone who has had no contact with them, but Stroud makes up for it in her descriptions of her interactions with people. I did find her writing about her husband at the end very cringeworthy but appreciate that when it comes to writing about emotional attachments, to each their own.
A gift from Mum and Dad for my 25th.
A gift from Mum and Dad for my 25th.