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aminabooknomad's review against another edition
5.0
A beautiful short read for anyone who finds contentment in nature.
bookwomble's review
3.0
In this slim book, Crumley reflects upon the beauties and harsh realities of nature. His façade of pragmatism and objective detachment for the subjects of his interest is belied by his efforts to aid a pair of mute swans successfully hatch a clutch of eggs.
He accepts his and their failures as unsentimentally as Nature itself, but his feeling of loyalty to the old pen, more sustained and faithful than that of her mate, his realisation of his love for her as a fellow-being,and, ultimately, his sense of loss at her death, tempered as it is by his acknowledgement that in death her body sustains the life of other creatures , are testiments to the deep, personal connection he experiences to this wild creature, which occupies a privileged place in the heart of the not-so-dispassionate swan-watcher.
Brockway's engravings of the swans, including a couple featuring Crumley himself, are a fitting complement to the text.
He accepts his and their failures as unsentimentally as Nature itself, but his feeling of loyalty to the old pen, more sustained and faithful than that of her mate, his realisation of his love for her as a fellow-being,
Brockway's engravings of the swans, including a couple featuring Crumley himself, are a fitting complement to the text.
callum_mclaughlin's review
3.0
Reading this lovely little offering was proof that it’s worth browsing displays in bookshops every now and then, and taking a punt on something that catches your eye. Nature writer, Jim Crumley, observed the same pair of mute swans in rural Scotland for more than two decades, growing a particular attachment to the gentle female (or pen). In this slim book, he offers us a snapshot of the creatures’ ethereal beauty, as well as the many hardships they face in an effort to fend off predators, survive the changing seasons, and raise their young. More so, he has crafted a surprisingly moving tribute to the pen, who is presented as both emblematic of her species and its place within the cycle of life, and yet, singular in her tragic determination to defy the odds.
With his prose, Crumley paints vivid pictures of the landscape he so obviously admires. His lyrical approach brings an air of quiet magic that suits the majesty of his subject matter perfectly. My middling rating is reflective of the book’s brevity, rather than its quality, and I will certainly be checking out more of Crumley’s work.
With his prose, Crumley paints vivid pictures of the landscape he so obviously admires. His lyrical approach brings an air of quiet magic that suits the majesty of his subject matter perfectly. My middling rating is reflective of the book’s brevity, rather than its quality, and I will certainly be checking out more of Crumley’s work.
helenmcclory's review
4.0
Last book of the year, and more a pamphlet, but it counts. A story of a swan-watcher and the Highland swans he spies on, year after year, as the forces of nature enact loss and renewal, renewal, loss.
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