A Year in the Woods

Sep 22, 2024 10:27 PM

Author:Colin Elford,Craig Taylor

A Year in the Woods

Colin Elford's A Year in the Woods is an enthralling journey into the heart of the English countryside - with a preamble from Craig Taylor.

Colin Elford spends his days alone - alone but for the deer, the squirrels, the rabbits, the birds, and the many other creatures inhabiting the woods.

From the crisp cold of January, through the promise of spring and the heat of summer, and then into damp autumn and the chill winds of winter, we accompany the forest-ranger as he goes about his work - stalking in the early morning darkness, putting an injured fallow buck out of its misery, watching stoats kill a hare, observing owls, and simply being a part of the outdoors.

Colin Elford immerses himself in the richly diverse and unique landscapes of Britain, existing in rhythm with natural environments. For fans of Robert Macfarlane's Landmarks, Helen Macdonald's H is for Hawk orJames Rebanks' A Shepherd's Life, Colin's rare and uplifiting journey will unveil the true nature and beauty of Britain's countryside.

'This is nature for real . . . Elford describes woodland wonders in short paragraphs of luminous intensity' Daily Mail

'A poetic insight in the world of hidden Nature' Countryman

'Stalking sharpens the senses and there is an almost hallucinatory clarity to Elford's writing' Observer

'Refreshingly unsentimental. Contains some wonderful descriptions and sentences which are so profound they demand a second reading' Sunday Express

Colin Elford is a forest ranger on the Dorset/Wiltshire border.

Craig Taylor is the author of Return to Akenfield and One Million Tiny Plays About Britain and the editor of the magazine Five Dials.

Reviews

Stimulating and scary

—— Jeanette Winterson , Guardian

An excellent and forensic takedown... fascinating and chilling... women are being let down wholesale by a justice system designed with men in mind. And almost the worst thing is, it doesn't have to be this way

—— Caroline Criado-Perez , Guardian

An unflinching look at women in the justice system… an important book because it challenges acquiescence to everyday sexism and inspires change

—— Kirsty Brimelow , The Times, **Books of the Year**

Helena Kennedy has written a chilling exposé of how the law has historically failed women. Taking no prisoners, Kennedy outlines the damage we must undo, and the changes we must make. Eve was Shamed is a necessary book for the #MeToo era

—— Amanda Foreman

Passionate and persuasive proof that equal justice is an ideal yet to be achieved. Drawing upon her outstanding career at the defence Bar and of leading reform in Parliament, Helena Kennedy eloquently urges an end to the discrimination and dehumanisation that women suffer in the courts, and in their lives

—— Geoffrey Robertson QC

A call to arms, but it is also a whistle-stop tour of the wide-ranging societal and legal changes which have taken place over the last 40 years. The breadth of her book is enormous... In order to explain where we are, Kennedy looks back to where we have come. She does this most powerfully

—— Sarah Langford , Prospect

Justice for women in this country is failing at every point of our interaction with it, for reasons ranging from age-old prejudice to modern austerity... Yet in her rigorous tenacity, her undimmed enthusiasm for the fight, Helena Kennedy spreads the irrational buoyancy of which revolutions are made

—— Zoe Williams , Guardian

A shocking wake-up call, this book will have you demanding justice

—— Emerald Street

if I were to be charged with a crime, I would definitely want Helena Kennedy QC in my corner

—— Sarah Baxter , Sunday Times

Kennedy… writes with calm authority. Her analysis of how such women fail to conform to what remain white, male ideas about appropriate female behaviour and femininity in court…is incisive

—— Afua Hirsch , Guardian

As eerily persuasive a read as you'd expect from one of the country's top barristers... Kennedy lays bare a panoply of injustices that explain the rage unleashed post-Weinstein... Kennedy’s vivacious prose and plentiful research yields a pacy, important read that both elucidates the current climate and offers sage pointers on where to go next

—— Gwen Smith , i

A passionately argued eye-opener…both a deeply depressing read and a hugely energising wake-up call for anyone concerned with justice, diversity and human dignity

—— Gemma Simmonds , The Tablet, **Books of the Year**

Compelling… The marginal advances that have been secured fade into irrelevance in comparison with the horrific chronicle of shortcomings that exist for women in the courts…bang up to date… Kennedy writes well and illustrates her cases with heartrending individual examples

—— Julia Langdon , The Tablet

Previous Article：Two Children Behind A Wall Next Article：The Fall of the House of Fifa

Comments

Welcome to zzdbook comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.