Once Upon a Raven's Nest
A Life on Exmoor in an Epoch of Change
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Once Upon a Raven's Nest
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Narrated by:
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Catrina Davies
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Edward Rowe
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By:
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Catrina Davies
About this listen
Once Upon a Raven's Nest is an account of an epoch of change; of the earth and of a human life. It is the story of a working class man, one Thomas Hedley of Exmoor, and of the planet during the period of its great acceleration towards the current climate emergency.
Born in 1955 to a poor family in Devon Thomas refused to conform. His fierce independence, recklessness and contrariness led not only to scrapes and self-inflicted dangers but to a life enriched by the love of women. Catrina Davies came to know him in his last years and has given his life and times in his own words, creating a rich, pungent language in a knowing, poetic and poignant voice.
We learn of his accumulation of engines, tools and guns, the complexity of his connection to nature, the animals he loved and his desire to hunt them. He recounts the terrible consequences of his fatal attraction to risk and machinery which led to his being paralysed for the last years of his life, confined to a wheelchair, hopelessly dependent but still watching, noticing, recording, loving the world.
It's only when you add up all those small things that you get a sum so fraught with heartache you can't even start to reckon on how much you've lost.
The narrative is interwoven with a sequence of factual entries that chart the impending climate catastrophe and the consequences of our collective choices to ignore the warning of an environment on the verge of collapse.
In Davies's miraculous retelling of Thomas Hedley's life it is as if a world has been remembered rather than written. Once Upon a Raven's Nest is an unforgettable history of a life that is almost lost and an account of the destruction man has wrought on the earth in the time that Hedley worked the land.
©2023 Catrina Davies (P)2023 Quercus Editions LimitedListeners also enjoyed...
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What listeners say about Once Upon a Raven's Nest
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- flint boy
- 31-12-23
touching story
I have enjoyed all three of Catrinas books . they always seem to touch an element in me . her writing is maturing and was very captivating as was the character and his story, also nice to pay homage to a working class person for once instead fo the fascination we seem to have for royals and celebrity's, and see the joy beauty and hardships that play out in real people's lives as unseen and unnoticed as the hedgerow creatures around us
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- Columbine Mulvey
- 10-06-23
Painfully brilliant and important.
Truly beautiful, hilarious, honest and heart wrenching account of a man’s life and loves that spans the acceleration of our technological advances and the continued ravaging of our planet. Perfectly read by both the author and ‘Tommy’ and so wonderfully crafted to end with Catrina’s song. I loved it.
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- AceWholes
- 12-05-23
Amazing book.
What an amazing book, about an amazing man, written by an amazing author and performed by Edward Rowe perfectly.
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- Wild Horse
- 22-05-23
A True Countryman
I adored this book.
A slow start, a steady echo of real life learning someone.
Just the outline, then the stories, then the heart of the man.
I cried and cried, because of all we've lost, and all we've done, and the countryside of my childhood and his.
Catrina Davies is just a wonderful, pure Cornish gem.
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- Clo
- 27-04-23
Brilliant!
What a great and important book. Beautifully read and so thought provoking. I'm going to listen right now all over again and buy it for everyone I love
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- Anonymous User
- 10-09-23
Heartbreaking and brilliant
Heartbreaking and brilliant.
I laughed and cried.
The small details and global importance of one life, and all our lives.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- SM Davis
- 25-10-24
fascinating.
I liked the man's reading voice and his Somerset? accent.
I did get a bit muddled with the time frame. It kept jumping about! He was a lovely person. He obviously was fond of Catrina and she of him.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 14-09-23
Brilliant
What a life! A poignant story of an extraordinary man’s life. Funny and tragic.
Great narration from Edward Rowe, and Catrina Davies. I loved it.
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- Sarah Middleton
- 21-04-23
Beautifully written and narrated
A poignant beautifully written and narrated story. Moving and thought provoking. I could listen to it again.
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- Pete Baker
- 17-04-23
My new favourite book!
‘Once Upon A Raven’s Nest’ has just knocked my previous all time favourite book from the top spot.
Great individual life stories of a true working class countryman constructed perfectly along a timeline of environmental changes.
Simply the best book I’ve ever listened to. The reader is superb and really brings the stories to life.
Loved every bit of it!
Ps, my previous favourite book is ‘Homesick’. I just seem to relate to these two books entirely!
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1 person found this helpful