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Summary

Contains a bonus mini episode of Melissa Harrison's acclaimed podcast, The Stubborn Light of Things.

A nature diary by award-winning novelist and nature Writer Melissa Harrison, following her journey from urban south London to the rural Suffolk countryside.

When I lived in London I barely noticed the winter solstice. Nothing slowed, contracted or dimmed to mark the shortest day of the year, for, like all cities, London has all but left such trifling considerations behind.

But now I am in Suffolk, and the difference could not be more marked. I wake in dim half-light, the yellow windows of nearby farmhouses glimmering across frost-white fields. At three the rooks begin to gather in the leafless trees, and flocks of starlings start to move from place to place. When darkness falls, the nights are blacker than I’ve ever seen, the starfield so breathtaking that Orion and the Plough are lost amid a million other points of light.

The Stubborn Light of Things will transform the way you see the world.

A Londoner for over 20 years, moving from flat to tube to air-conditioned office, Melissa Harrison knew what it was to be insulated from the seasons. Adopting a dog and going on daily walks helped reconnect her with the cycle of the year and the quiet richness of nature all around her: swifts nesting in a nearby church, ivy-leaved toadflax growing out of brick walls, the first blackbird’s song, an exhilarating glimpse of a hobby over Tooting Common.

Moving from scrappy city verges to ancient, rural Suffolk, where Harrison eventually relocates, this diary – compiled from her beloved Nature Notebook column in The Times – maps her joyful engagement with the natural world and demonstrates how we must first learn to see, and then act, to preserve the beauty we have on our doorsteps – no matter where we live.

A perceptive and powerful call-to-arms written in mesmerising prose, The Stubborn Light of Things confirms Harrison as a central voice in British nature writing.

©2020 Melissa Harrison (P)2020 Faber Audio

Critic reviews

"A writer of great gifts." (Robert Macfarlane)

"A nature writer with a knowledge and eye for detail that recalls Thomas Hardy and John McGahern.'" (The Times)

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What listeners say about The Stubborn Light of Things

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Uplifting and depressing

The reason for calling this book both uplifting and depressing being all the facts about the decline in nature, due to only one factor. The greed of mankind. Having been a vegan and nature environmentalist for the past 30 years I know all these sad facts. I guess I bought the book in the hope of being uplifted. I do hope though, that this book will open the eyes and ears of those who are not yet aware of the fact that nature and wildlife is suffering due to being abused by mankind.

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5 people found this helpful

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A wonderful companion!

What a delight this book is. To share the gentle, perceptive and generous observations of Melissa Harrison is a deep and lasting pleasure.

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2 people found this helpful

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Urban to rural nature diary

An honest exploration of the sparse urban areas of nature and nature in rural Suffolk.

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1 person found this helpful

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wonderful book.

Absolutely beautiful book, and wonderfully read. I will be buying it as a book.

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Wonderful

I loved Melissa Harrison's podcast she made during lockdown. This didn't quite measure up because in the podcast she is right there in the habitat, crawling through bushes etc. and there was music too. However, as I can't keep listening to the podcasts on repeat this is the next best thing!

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Nature comes alive

You can lose yourself in the nature descriptions and suddenly you’ve learned loads too. Perfect for drifting off to.

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A wonderful book. Beautiful, informative, highly recommend

I listened to this in 3 days because it’s hard to turn off. A really lovely story, beautifully read. It’s interesting and informative, never dull. Highly recommend it.

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educational

Really enjoyed this reading, Melissa has a lovely reading voice, and I love that she used the Latin names so I can look them up and learn more. I love her humour and how she brings everything to life.

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