Water and Sky

Neil Sentance revisits his native Lincolnshire riverlands and fields, farms and market towns, to explore the history of his family and the landscape which shaped them. But this is not a lament for a lost world. Peopled by characters forgotten by history, it celebrates the countryside with a rare combination of lyricism and muddy realism. Water and Sky collects together Neil Sentance's 'Scenes from the Waterside', a sequence of essays which first appeared on the Caught by the River website between 2010 and 2013. Water and Sky is an original and haunting blend of nature writing, memoir and historical fiction.

"A marvellous and haunting sequence ... It is wonderful to read such experiment of voice, tone and vision." ROBERT MACFARLANE "The lyricism of Sentance's scenes of rural life is at times reminiscent of Ronald Blythe; the figures that step into these vignettes are etched with the same respectful and gritty elegance, their voices are quiet, tough and honest." TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT "The river is a perfect wet and sinuous thread to tie this very engaging book together, as well as a perfect metaphor for its deeper yet subtle intentions. It would be difficult to over praise it, except that shouting loudly and enthusiastically would seem crass in its company and counter to its lovely mellow, yet unsentimental tone that lights it from within." TIM DEE

Neil Sentance was born in Lincolnshire in 1969. He now lives in west Dorset with his wife and two children. A regular contributor to Caught by the River, Water and Sky is his first book.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.