celestemarin's review against another edition
There is too little going on in this book and too little about actual otters (as opposed to looking for otters) to read it all in one go. I've decided to read a chapter at a time, spread out so I won't notice the repetition. There is plenty about wandering around the British countryside if you like nature writing, but I don't recommend it to learn about otters.
ledge's review against another edition
4.0
A pretty good nature book, the romantic naive foolish part of me wanted to give it to those who want to build more coal fired power stations and nuclear weapons and say 'here's what you're missing'. Could've done with slightly better editing, there were a couple of repeated sentences and a few too many references to steaming cups of tea.
caityq's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
4.0
Unsurprisingly, the narrative is focussed on Miriam's love of otters. One of my favourite things about this book is the tone - it is affectionate, soft and educational in equal parts.
It paints Britain's landscapes as truly fantastical and intricate, and summarises the ecological and conservational successes and difficulties for not only otters, but the environment in general. It offers a hopeful, engaging path through a multitude of areas, covering Scotland, England and Wales.
It paints Britain's landscapes as truly fantastical and intricate, and summarises the ecological and conservational successes and difficulties for not only otters, but the environment in general. It offers a hopeful, engaging path through a multitude of areas, covering Scotland, England and Wales.
halfmanhalfbook's review
4.0
Darlington has a thing about otters, bordering on an obsession with them. In this book she shares that obsession. The otter was almost made extinct in this country, and were only made a protected species in 1978. Since then they have made an amazing recovery, assisted by the cleanup of the river systems across the UK, and there are signs of otters in a lot of rivers across the UK, provided you know where and how to look.
In this book she travels all around the country in search of the elusive otter, and meets with people who are possible more obsessed that her, including James Williams, author ofThe Otter Among Us. She goes to the Cardiff University to meet the people on their Otter Project, where they perform autopsies on otters that have been killed, mostly on roads, and collect DNA data from these unfortunate creatures.
There is not so many actual experiences of her encounters with otters, as she says they are elusive, and are often active at night, but this is as much about the experience of being close to the wildlife of the rivers and estuaries, and being immersed in the fantastic landscape of Western Scotland. But as she looks for evidence, she finds their trails and spraints in many places close to home and whilst on her travels. The few encounters that but she does document the few that she has.
This is also a book about the wider natural environment of the UK, whilst we do not have the same mega fauna of Africa, it is still a fascinating country that we live in, in terms of wildlife. I liked the writing style, it is very evocative and she gives you a wonderful sense of place.
In this book she travels all around the country in search of the elusive otter, and meets with people who are possible more obsessed that her, including James Williams, author ofThe Otter Among Us. She goes to the Cardiff University to meet the people on their Otter Project, where they perform autopsies on otters that have been killed, mostly on roads, and collect DNA data from these unfortunate creatures.
There is not so many actual experiences of her encounters with otters, as she says they are elusive, and are often active at night, but this is as much about the experience of being close to the wildlife of the rivers and estuaries, and being immersed in the fantastic landscape of Western Scotland. But as she looks for evidence, she finds their trails and spraints in many places close to home and whilst on her travels. The few encounters that but she does document the few that she has.
This is also a book about the wider natural environment of the UK, whilst we do not have the same mega fauna of Africa, it is still a fascinating country that we live in, in terms of wildlife. I liked the writing style, it is very evocative and she gives you a wonderful sense of place.
kirstymorrison's review
5.0
"The natural environment has become marginalised...it's viewed as a luxury that we only concern ourselves with in times of prosperity. But the environment and wetlands in particular underpin that prosperity and our well-being, regardless of what we think is important"
nitroglycerin's review against another edition
informative
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
3.75
"The natural environment has become marginalised...it's viewed as a luxury that we only concern ourselves with in times of prosperity. But the environment and wetlands in particular underpin that prosperity and our well-being, regardless of what we think is important"
This is the story of Darlingtons search for wild otters across the breadth of the UK. It would be fair to say Darlington is obsessed with otters. She travels the country looking for the elusive little creatures, who at one point were almost extinct. In 1978 they were given protected status, and have since bounced back, but they're still hard to spot due to their habit natural behaviours. Darlington spends time learning how to spot the signs that they're about in the hopes that she will spot one. She meets people who help her learn more about the challenges the otter has faced in its resurgence, and the issues they face in the current modern climate such as cars and habitat erasure.
The book takes a look at the wider wildlife of the UK as well, and Darlingtons writing gives a real sense of the place shes in, whether that was the the Isle of Skye or her local area. The passion she has for the otter and country is evident in her descriptions.
Id recommend this book to people who are fans of H is for Hawk, as there is an element of memoir in amongst all the otter facts. I learned a lot about otters too though, and so anyone with any interest in them would love this too.
This is the story of Darlingtons search for wild otters across the breadth of the UK. It would be fair to say Darlington is obsessed with otters. She travels the country looking for the elusive little creatures, who at one point were almost extinct. In 1978 they were given protected status, and have since bounced back, but they're still hard to spot due to their habit natural behaviours. Darlington spends time learning how to spot the signs that they're about in the hopes that she will spot one. She meets people who help her learn more about the challenges the otter has faced in its resurgence, and the issues they face in the current modern climate such as cars and habitat erasure.
The book takes a look at the wider wildlife of the UK as well, and Darlingtons writing gives a real sense of the place shes in, whether that was the the Isle of Skye or her local area. The passion she has for the otter and country is evident in her descriptions.
Id recommend this book to people who are fans of H is for Hawk, as there is an element of memoir in amongst all the otter facts. I learned a lot about otters too though, and so anyone with any interest in them would love this too.
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