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Woodston
- Author
- John Lewis-Stempel
- Narrator
- Leighton Pugh
- Publisher
- Transworld
- Publish Date
- 1 July 2021
- Run Time
- 8 hours 23 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
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What to expect
Brought to you by Penguin.
In the beginning was the earth...
From the Paleozoic volcanoes that stained its soil, to the Saxons who occupied it, to the Tudors who traded its wool, to the Land Girls of wartime, John Lewis-Stempel charts a sweeping, lyrical history of Woodston: the quintessential English farm.
With his combined skills of farmer and historian, Lewis-Stempel digs deep into written records, the memories of relatives, and the landscape itself to celebrate the farmland his family have been bound to for millennia. Through Woodston's life, we feel the joyful arrival of oxen ploughing; we see pigs rootling in the medieval apple orchard; and take in the sharp, drowsy fragrance of hops on Edwardian air. He draws upon his wealth of historical knowledge and his innate sense of place to create a passionate, fascinating biography of farming in England.
Woodston not only reminds us of the rural riches buried beneath our feet but of our shared roots that tie us to the land.
© John Lewis-Stempel 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021
Critics Review
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Lewis-Stempel's greatest gift remains his prose, with all its vividness and energy. His aim in Woodston was to 'fashion a memorial in print' to his grandparents and 'all the yeomen farmers of England, past, present and future'.
The English countryside is 'a work of human art, done by the many and the nameless' and he wanted to celebrate it. He has succeeded admirablyDaily Mail
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Lewis-Stempel is one of our finest nature writers ... He writes with delicate observation and authority, giving us in Woodston a book teeming with fascinating details, anecdotes and penetrating insights into the real cost of our denatured countryside.
Sunday Times
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One of Britain's finest nature writers...Lewis-Stempel maps an intriguing journey through his ancestral farmland.
Radio Times
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Hardback Book of the Month: John Lewis-Stempel has ... an eye for vivid detail who creates evocative images as he shares his knowledge and love of the countryside.
CHOICE magazine
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From a master of storytelling... Other writers have written about the history of agriculture ... but this writer is the master, because his book is not just a scholarly treatise. It is about the history of agriculture, yes, but it is a personal account, written with a great love of the subject. It is the 'biography' of a farm and the English landscape, written through the eyes of a man who is a true wordsmith, knowledgeable on his subject and lover of the natural world. It is these enthusiasms which make it so readable ... [Lewis-Stempel is] a writer who is without equal in his field.
Western Morning News
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Details
- Author
- John Lewis-Stempel
- Narrator
- Leighton Pugh
- Duration
- 8 hours 23 minutes
- Release Date
- 1 July 2021
- ISBN
- 9781473597150
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Transworld
- Genre
- The countryside, country life: general interest, Family history, tracing ancestors, Wildlife: general interest
Synopsis
Brought to you by Penguin. In the beginning was the earth...From the Paleozoic volcanoes that stained its soil, to the Saxons who occupied it, to the Tudors who traded its wool, to the Land Girls of wartime, John Lewis-Stempel charts a sweeping, lyrical history of Woodston: the quintessential English farm.With his combined skills of farmer and historian, Lewis-Stempel digs deep into written records, the memories of relatives, and the landscape itself to celebrate the farmland his family have been bound to for millennia. Through Woodston's life, we feel the joyful arrival of oxen ploughing; we see pigs rootling in the medieval apple orchard; and take in the sharp, drowsy fragrance of hops on Edwardian air. He draws upon his wealth of historical knowledge and his innate sense of place to create a passionate, fascinating biography of farming in England.Woodston not only reminds us of the rural riches buried beneath our feet but of our shared roots that tie us to the land.© John Lewis-Stempel 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021
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