Synopses & Reviews
In 2010, Philip Marsden, whom Giles Foden has called andldquo;one of our most thoughtful travel writers,andrdquo; moved with his family to a rundown farmhouse in the countryside in Cornwall. From the moment he arrived, Marsden found himself fascinated by the landscape around him, and, in particular, by the traces of human historyandmdash;and of the human relationship to the landandmdash;that could be seen all around him. Wanting to experience the idea more fully, he set out to walk across Cornwall, to the evocatively named Landandrsquo;s End.
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Rising Ground is a record of that journey, but it is also so much more: a beautifully written meditation on place, nature, and human life that encompasses history, archaeology, geography, and the love of place that suffuses us when we finally find home. Firmly in a storied tradition of English nature writing that stretches from Gilbert White to Helen MacDonald, Rising Ground reveals the ways that places and peoples have interacted over time, from standing stones to footpaths, ancient habitations to modern highways. What does it mean to truly live in a place, and what does it take to understand, and honor, those who lived and died there long before we arrived?
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Like the best travel and nature writing, Rising Ground is written with the pace of a contemplative walk, and is rich with insight and a powerful sense of the long skein of years that links us to our ancestors. Marsdenandrsquo;s close, loving look at the small patch of earth around him is sure to help you see your own placeandmdash;and your own homeandmdash;anew.
Review
andquot;Fascinating and hauntingly evocative. . . . A truly wonderful and enjoyable book.andquot;
Review
andquot;Pitch-perfect prose.andquot;
Review
andquot;Intriguing.andquot;
Review
andquot;A fascinating study of place and its meaning.andquot;
Synopsis
When Philip Marsden, award-winning author of a number of works of travel, fiction, and non-fiction, moved to a remote, creek side farmhouse in Cornwall, UK, it took him on a journey through one of the most myth-rich regions of Europe. From the Neolithic ritual landscape of Bodmin Moor to the Arthurian traditions at Tinatagel, Rising Ground: A Search for the Spirit of Place reveals that the shape of the land lies not just at the heart of oneand#8217;s own history, but of manand#8217;s perennial struggle to belong to this earth. More than just a memoir or travelogue, Rising Ground recreates the rough Cornish landscape in a fascinating and hauntingly evocative way.
About the Author
Philip Marsden is the award-winning author of a number of works of fiction, nonfiction, and travel writing, including The Levelling Sea, The Spirit-Wrestlers, and The Bronski House.