stephen_reads's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide
yellowhighwaylines's review against another edition
3.0
Dark, Salt, Clear is Lamorna Ash’s debut, and the account of the time she spent in Newlyn, Cornwall, immersing herself in the town’s fishing culture in order to write the thesis for her anthropology masters.
Incredibly assured for a debut, the book does what a lot of my favourite non-fiction does in being mainly not what it’s meant to be about. The writing on the difficulties, successes and reaching effects of the fishing industry are very well done, but the book is also an exploration of the meaning of home, of belonging, and with more than a nod to the importance of art.
Incredibly assured for a debut, the book does what a lot of my favourite non-fiction does in being mainly not what it’s meant to be about. The writing on the difficulties, successes and reaching effects of the fishing industry are very well done, but the book is also an exploration of the meaning of home, of belonging, and with more than a nod to the importance of art.
hannahswiv's review against another edition
5.0
Brought a little slice of home and a different world into my life
kizzia's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
Like the sea this book defies categorisation and is deeply bewitching. Nature writing, travel memoir, history, politics, slice of life … this work is packed so full of interest. In other hands I think this could have been an exhausting read, as imparted so much information, but Lamorna wove each thread together so skilfully and lightly that it felt as easy as floating. I listened to the audiobook version of this and felt that having the narration done by Lamorna herself added another subtle layer to the work. I came away with a new understanding of the fishing industry, Cornwall, and what good writing can be and do. Cannot recommend this highly enough.
rebekahvldz's review
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Repeatedly found myself reaching for this over my novel. I originally thought this was a novel which is why I borrowed it but it's actually a breathtaking, intriguing memoir of Newlyn, a historic fishing town in Cornwall. The deep dive into history and culture were fascinating and this author's voice and style may be one of my favorites I've ever encountered. How she made something as foreign as the science of fishing on the Cornish coastline perceivable as an art is beyond me. My only gripes are that I felt as if a lot of context was needed, an index of names at the start maybe and a map of Cornwall. She kept referring to people and places with the apparent assumption that the reader knew them as well as herself but I'm a young American woman from California who knows nothing about fishing or the geography of Cornwall. I also wish there was just a touch more infusion of Ash's personal stories, granting the reader more perspective on her relationship with her parents, what it was that led her to Cornwall, who she was as a person, etc. It might've helped make the journey more significant for the reader in terms of what it did for her identity. But otherwise, a fantastic, enjoyable read.
lentolisko's review
4.0
This was an enjoyable read over all, but I have to say that the writing is a bit overwrought and the author is prone to romanticizing fishermen and the fishing industry. To be honest, this probably got an extra star because I've just visited the places she writes about, so that really brought this to life on another level.