First of all I must confess that I haven't yet read 'The Shepherd's Life' nor 'English Pastoral', both of which have been hugely acclaimed, bestselling memoirs by this author. But his reputation led me to pick up this book which was published in the autumn. It's rather an odd subject to focus on but he does write rather nicely and I very much enjoyed reading it...

Apparently James Rebanks supplements his income as a farmer by travelling, and writing. This book has come about through a trip he made to Norway.

Many years ago he met an old woman on a remote Norwegian island. She lived here alone and had devoted herself to caring for wild Eider ducks and gathering their down. 

Rebanks decided he wanted to spend more time getting to know this woman, to experience her lifestyle and participate in her livelihood so he wrote to her and secured an invitation to join her on the island. This book is the result of that visit.

The descriptions of the landscape, battling with the weather, the endless summer light and understanding the habits of the birds and harvesting their down is all fascinating. But the book is more than appreciating a centuries-old pursuit, or being immersed in the natural world, Rebanks seeks to highlight his lessons in self-knowledge and forgiveness.