The Shepherd's Life: Modern Dispatches from an Ancient Landscape - Rebanks, James Review & Synopsis

 Synopsis

The New York Times bestseller and International Phenomenon

One of the Top Ten Books of 2015, Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times.

"It's bloody marvelous." - Helen Macdonald, New York Times bestselling author of H IS FOR HAWK

"Captivating... A book about continuity and roots and a sense of belonging in an age that's increasingly about mobility and self-invention. Hugely compelling." - Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

Some people's lives are entirely their own creations. James Rebanks' isn't. The first son of a shepherd, who was the first son of a shepherd himself, his family have lived and worked in the Lake District of Northern England for generations, further back than recorded history. It's a part of the world known mainly for its romantic descriptions by Wordsworth and the much loved illustrated children's books of Beatrix Potter. But James' world is quite different. His way of life is ordered by the seasons and the work they demand. It hasn't changed for hundreds of years: sending the sheep to the fells in the summer and making the hay; the autumn fairs where the flocks are replenished; the grueling toil of winter when the sheep must be kept alive, and the light-headedness that comes with spring, as the lambs are born and the sheep get ready to return to the hills and valleys.

The Shepherd's Life the story of a deep-rooted attachment to place, modern dispatches from an ancient landscape that describe a way of life that is little noticed and yet has profoundly shaped the landscape over time. In evocative and lucid prose, James Rebanks takes us through a shepherd's year, offering a unique account of rural life and a fundamental connection with the land that most of us have lost. It is a story of working lives, the people around him, his childhood, his parents and grandparents, a people who exist and endure even as the culture - of the Lake District, and of farming - changes around them. 

Many memoirs are of people working desperately hard to leave a place. This is the story of someone trying desperately hard to stay.

Review

James Rebanks runs a family-owned farm in the Lake District in northern England. A graduate of Oxford University, James works as an expert advisor to UNESCO on sustainable tourism. He uses his popular Twitter feed - @herdyshepherd1 - to share updates on the shepherding year. The Shepherd's Life is his first book.

"Captivating... A book about continuity and roots and a sense of belonging in an age that's increasingly about mobility and self-invention. Hugely compelling" -Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

"It's bloody marvelous." -Helen Macdonald, New York Times bestselling author of H IS FOR HAWK

""Rebanks's family has farmed sheep in the hills of the lake District, in northwestern England, for some six centuries. The work, detailed lovingly in this memoir, has changed little... Rebanks is concerned with the survival of the landscape, of the life that it has fostered, and of its inhabitants' view of the world."" -The New Yorker

"James Rebanks's unsentimental, sharply detailed memoir about his life as a shepherd in England's Lake District gripped me from the first page." -The Wall Street Journal

"James Rebanks's "The Shepherd's Life" stands in blissful earthbound contrast. Farming the high fells of the Lake District, the first son of a shepherd, who was himself the first son of a shepherd, Mr. Rebanks writes with loving eloquence about a kind of deep-rooted life that is all but lost in the developed world. Herdwick sheep, the local breed, are set free to graze on unfenced commons and could head off to Scotland were they not "hefted"-tied to their home range by invisible bonds of instinct and inheritance. Mr. Rebanks is himself hefted to his land and deftly conveys the worth and beauty of such a connection." - Geraldine Brooks

"A gorgeous book, unsentimental but exultant, vivid and profound, and a fierce defense of small-scale farming against the twin threats of agribusiness and tourism." -National Geographic

"A powerful - and quietly electrifying - meditation on the gruelling truth of rural life... Rebanks' prose is beautifully sure-footed." -The Sunday Times (UK)

"Rebanks' enthusiasm and talent for poetic writing is infectious... [His] words create not only a gorgeous landscape painting of the Lake District and its inhabitants, human, animal, bird and fish, but also a useful social document... What is most striking about this book is its authenticity; this is the real thing." -The Times (UK)

"Beautifully written" -Alan Cumming, New York Times Bestselling author of NOT MY FATHER'S SON

"May well do for sheep what Helen Macdonald did for hawks." -The Guardian (UK)

"Superstar Shepherd." -The Daily Mail (UK)

"Affectionate, evocative, illuminating. A story of survival - of a flock, a landscape and a disappearing way of life. I love this book" -Nigel Slater, author of the internationally bestselling Toast: The Story of a Boy's Hunger and Tender

"Rebanks writes about his native Lake District with a loving eye for its past and present, its working denizens--humans, dogs, sheep--who continue to shape our picture of what Pastoralism is." -Brad Kessler, author of Goat Song

"The Shepherd's Life weaves together the human history of the farmers with factual history of the farms, the spiritual pull of the land with the physical demands it makes, the cruelty and beauty, optimism and pragmatism of the most beautiful corner of the world. A vivid, honest, unforgettably written account not just of one shepherd's year, but of an ancient way of life." -Lucy Dillon, author of LOST DOGS and LONELY HEARTS

"THE SHEPHERD'S LIFE is a reader's delight. Rebanks lives, breathes, and works his landscape - which gives him an inside edge as sharp as shears over most of the flock of current countryside writers. He has written a marvelous autobiography - of himself, his family, and the hills themselves." -John Lewis-Stempel, author of MEADOWLAND and YOUNG JAMES HERRIOT: THE MAKING OF THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS VET

The Shepherd Leader

The Shepherd Leader is a book that strives to bring the importance of shepherding to the forefront of our thinking about what church leaders should do and, therefore, what they should be. Too many church leaders perceive of themselves as a "board of directors" when the Bible is clear that they are to know, feed, lead, and protect the flock entrusted to their care.

The Shepherd Leader is a book that strives to bring the importance of shepherding to the forefront of our thinking about what church leaders should do and, therefore, what they should be."

The Shepherd as Leader

The very best training a pastor can receive comes from proven leaders with proven track records—leaders like John MacArthur, John Piper, Steven Lawson, RC Sproul, and Al Mohler. You'll find all of them and more in The Shepherd as Leader, a collection of the all-time best-ever messages on spiritual leadership from the popular Shepherds' Conference held annually at Grace Community Church in Southern California. With longtime bestselling author John MacArthur as general editor and contributor, church leaders will find an abundance of guidance on... the key essentials of effective ministry the urgency of purity and integrity in a leader's life the value of prayer, both personal and public the biblical responses to suffering and opposition the necessity of complete reliance upon God's grace and empowerment The Shepherd as Leader is the second volume in our popular Shepherds' Library series, a new line of resources designed to help pastors fulfill their calling with excellence. Also available is The Shepherd as Preacher.

With longtime bestselling author John MacArthur as general editor and contributor, church leaders will find an abundance of guidance on... the key essentials of effective ministry the urgency of purity and integrity in a leader's life the ..."

The Shepherd's Calendar

A work of rural beauty by John Clare, one of the greatest pastoral poets of nineteenth century English literature.

Manuscript and Published Version Edited with an introduction by Tim Ghilcott With illustrations by Garry Akroyd The shepherd too in great coat wrapt & straw bands round his stockings lapt Wi plodding dog that sheltering steals To shun ..."

The Shepherd of the Ocean

An Account of Sir Walter Ralegh and His Times Jack H. Adamson, H. F. Folland. 一一一一 OF THE OCEAN THE SHEPHERD OF THE OCEAN An Account."

The Shepherd's Song

A note with Psalm 23 written on it travels around the world changing people's lives, from a soldier wounded in Iraq to a Kenyan runner about to begin the Rome Invitational Marathon.

 Shepherd God, she said in her mind, If you are my shepherd , give me this water. In the middle of the crowded backseat Nadia felt peace, and she closed her eyes. For the first time in several days, she slept. As she slept, she dreamed of ..."

The Shepherd's Week

Moreover , as he called his Eclogues , the Shepherd's Calendar , and divided the fame into the twelve Months , I have chofen ( paradventure not overrafhly ) to name mine by the Days of the Week , omitting Sunday or the Sabbath ..."

The Shepherd's Story and He Is Risen

two original pageants with an account and evaluation of the production of The Shepherd's Story Charles E. Palmer. J 7 G 2 0 0 ] ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The author expresses."

The Complete Works of Spenser: The shepherd's calendar

Edmund Spenser William Lindsay Renwick. 1 THE SHEPHERD'S CALENDAR AN ELIZABETHAN GALLERY A series of important."

The Shepherd's Bush Murders

The crime, the criminals, the victims and their families. And the biggest manhunt by British police... The establishment, press and public reaction, the trial, and the aftermath are all set out in compelling narrative detail. Jack Witney served twenty-five years in prison although he shot no one and was released on appeal, only to be murdered in his Bristol flat a few years later. John Duddy died in Parkhurst after fifteen years. But Harry Roberts, by his own admission the instigator of the crime and the most notorious, was released from prison after forty-eight years in 2015 making national front page news. What could possess an apparently rational and sane man, albeit an habitual criminal, to commit such a callous and ruthless act? What kind of a man is he? How can an ordinary person understand what he did? Should he be forgiven? 50 years later, the full story for the first time.

Steventon called the Shepherd's Bush operations room and at 11:45 p.m. Detective Chief Inspector Hensley arrived. Hensley told Witney, 'I am taking you to Shepherd's Bush police station where enquiries are being made into the deaths of ..."

The Shepherd Psalm, and Ideal Thoughts by Thoreau, Holmes, Kingsley, Drummond, Phillips Brooks, Lyman Abbott

་ཡུ ལ ། * , པ༣ཚ ལ ” The Shepherd Psalm And ideal thoughts by Thoreau . Holmes."

Rural sports. The fan. The shepherd's week. Trivia. The what d'ye call it

Moreover , as he called his Eclogues , the shepherd's calendar , and divided the same into the twelve months , I have chosen ( peradventure not over - rasply ) name mine by the days of the week , omitting Sunday or the Sabbath ..."

The Shepherd's Kalender: Or, the Citizen's and Country Man's Daily Companion ... To which is Added, the Country Man's Almanack ... The Sixth Edition, with Additions. [The Preface Signed: J. S.]

Meteors , or , as fome call them , ftars , fhooting fwiftly , and fpreading a long train of light , fore runs winds that will foon enfue . Chaff , f Chaff , leaves , thistle - down , or 30 The Shepherd's Kalendar : or ,"

The Shepherd of Guadaloupe

A soldier returns home to find his parents displaced and their property stolen in this classic Western. After surviving the brutality of the First World War, Clifton Forrest returns home to find that his childhood home was stolen from his family. With his parents robbed of their property and the area under the firm control of his old acquaintance, Lundeen, Cliff must fight both his enemy and his ailing body to regain the right to a peaceful life on the land he once called home.

A soldier returns home to find his parents displaced and their property stolen in this classic Western."

The Shepherd

In the tradition of Joshua and Joshua and the Children, Father Girzone weaves another magical tale. He tells the story of David Campbell, a priest recently ordained as a bishop, who has a dream that directs him to turn all Church agencies over to lay people and create a simple Christian community in the spirit of one flock, one shepherd.

He tells the story of David Campbell, a priest recently ordained as a bishop, who has a dream that directs him to turn all Church agencies over to lay people and create a simple Christian community in the spirit of one flock, one shepherd."

The Surgeon and the Shepherd

An incredible, true tale of wartime heroism

An incredible, true tale of wartime heroism"

Experiencing the Shepherd of Hermas

The Shepherd of Hermas is one of the oldest and most well-attested Christian works. Its popularity arguably exceeded that of the canonical Gospels. Many early Christian thinkers regarded the Shepherd as authoritative and cited it in their own writings, even though its status as Scripture was controversial. The far-reaching influence of the Shepherd during the first few centuries is attested in part by the many languages in which it was copied: Latin, Ethiopic, Coptic, Middle Persian, and Georgian. The early dating and wide dissemination of the Shepherd of Hermas offers us access to a period when canonical boundaries were elastic. This volume treats religious experience in the Shepherd, a topic that has received little scholarly attention. It complements a growing body of literature that explores the text from social-historical perspectives. Leading scholars approach it from a variety of interdisciplinary perspectives, including critical literary theory, anthropology, cognitive science, affect theory, gender studies, intersectionality, and text reception. In doing so, they pose fresh questions to one of the most widely read texts in the early church, offering new insights to scholars and students alike.

This volume treats religious experience in the Shepherd, a topic that has received little scholarly attention. It complements a growing body of literature that explores the text from social-historical perspectives."

The Shepherd's View

From The New York Times bestselling author of The Shepherd’s Life, a breathtaking book of photography and wisdom that chronicles an ancient way of living that deeply resonates in our modern world. With over eighty full color photographs The English Lake District comes into full focus: the sheep competitions of the spring, the sweeping pastures of the summer, beloved sheep dogs in the fall and the harsh snows of winter. A celebration of a way of life still very much alive, The Shepherd’s View is a poetic, and artistic achievement from one of England’s most celebrated new voices.

From The New York Times bestselling author of The Shepherd’s Life, a breathtaking book of photography and wisdom that chronicles an ancient way of living that deeply resonates in our modern world."

The shepherd protects their flock

This volume looks back into a huge expanse of time, identifying an historic juncture where feuding became warfare, that was fought by soldiers, during a long historical process called the crossing of the military threshold. This book examines the first tactics used in warfare, weapons and the transition from hunter-warriors to soldiers. Starting with the Neolithic, it then covers the Sumerians and the first micro-armies of soldiers. The process started during Late Neolithic urbanization, and the Chalcolithic (Copper Age), and was completed by the early Bronze Age with the appearance of King Sargon’s Royal Standing Army, around 2,334 BCE, and the warrior armies of the Amorite, Elamite, and Lullubi.

This volume looks back into a huge expanse of time, identifying an historic juncture where feuding became warfare, that was fought by soldiers, during a long historical process called the crossing of the military threshold."

Rereading the "Shepherd Discourse"

The history of scholarship narrates a complicated past for the interpretation of the «Shepherd Discourse» in the Fourth Gospel. Both the internal and contextual integrity of John 9:39-10:21 have been compromised by a misapplied analogy dividing the passage into a parable and explanation structure, and by reading models that favor historical approaches. As a result, the images and figures encountered in the discourse have not been allowed their full imaginative impact and the tendency is to look outside the Gospel for their referents and explanations. The meaning of the «Shepherd Discourse» lies not in its relation to the rest of the Fourth Gospel, but to that which is imported into the narrative. Moreover, its function as the discourse to chapter 9, and in the whole of the Gospel, is overlooked. Lewis employs the strategy of rereading, borrowed from literary theory, to address the internal integrity of the discourse and the relationship of the discourse to the rest of the narrative. The literary phenomenon of rereading highlights the interconnectedness of the whole of the discourse and allows all of the imagery to be assessed at a figurative level. Rereading also foregrounds the function of John 9:39-10:21 as the discourse to the healing of the blind man in chapter nine, and calls attention to the importance of the «Shepherd Discourse» for the interpretation of the Fourth Gospel, especially the often-ignored image of Jesus as the door. This book suggests that rereading is necessitated by the Gospel itself as a fundamental feature of its unique theological expression.

This book suggests that rereading is necessitated by the Gospel itself as a fundamental feature of its unique theological expression."

The Shepherd Girl of Bethlehem

A young shepherd girl stays up late to tend sheep with her father and follows the star to witness the birth of baby Jesus.

A young shepherd girl stays up late to tend sheep with her father and follows the star to witness the birth of baby Jesus."

The Flight of the Shepherd

Three lines of argument are developed in this book. The first discusses the prospects of microhistory as an instrument for uncovering the relationship between culture and the personal experience of an individual in historical documents. The second follows its theoretical underpinnings, arguing in clinical terms what may look like "thick theorization" to many historians and ethnohistorians: that in our contemporary academics, only cognitive science can be the leading approach to answer the question of the relationship between culture and an individual's experiences. Cognitive science studies internal mental processes like memory, attitudes, motivation, and reflection. It has shown that the brain's guesses of what is happening around it are based on an extensive, unconscious system of conceptual metaphor that is part of our everyday conceptual systems, and that can be thought of as a kind of "language of the unconscious." The third argument brings the others together in the specific case of conscious dreaming, as can be recognized in the documents of Mexican cult leader Anton the Shepherd and his movements from 1759-61. In particular, it interprets a flight to Purgatory, one of Anton's experiences. The unfolding of the three arguments, intertwined as they are eventually, should help to deepen the understanding of the ways in which Anton the Shepherd operated within the eighteenth-century Central Mexican colonial milieu, with his experiences in Purgatory illustrating the cultural resilience of Amerindian peoples in the region.

Three lines of argument are developed in this book."

Trusting the Shepherd

Offers the incomparable hope that the Lord can walk us safely through this world and into eternity by placing our faith and trust in Him.

These ancient words, with their imagery drawn from the life and heart of David, the shepherd-king, offer incomparable hope in a complex world. "Trusting the Shepherd may seem easy." says Robinson as he ponders this well-loved psalm."

Like the Shepherd

A husband's God-given responsibility to his wife is to be her shepherd: to love her, serve her, comfort her, protect her, provide for her, sacrifice for her, and lead her. Like the Shepherd guides men on how to embrace the role of shepherd, drawing on the wisdom of the Bible to give men practical, powerful advice on how to take responsibility for their relationships and realize the Christian ideal of a healthy, happy marriage.

Like the Shepherd guides men on how to embrace the role of shepherd, drawing on the wisdom of the Bible to give men practical, powerful advice on how to take responsibility for their relationships and realize the Christian ideal of a ..."

Saxon Tales: The Shepherd Who Ate His Sheep

In Saxon Kent the law says thieves should be executed, and soup made from a stolen sheep has been found in the Medway house. Young Edward takes the blame, but does his father know more than he's letting on? And can he find a way to save his son from hanging? Join master storyteller Terry Deary for a trip back in time to Saxon times and an exciting adventure. Book band: Brown Ideal for ages: 7+

Join master storyteller Terry Deary for a trip back in time to Saxon times and an exciting adventure. ____________________ 'Bubbling with wit, language play and robust dialogue....just the right mix of ingredients to trigger young readers' ..."

The Shepherd Loves You Little Lamb

The purpose of this text is to entertain the target audience. The story rhymes, aiding in language development. The story takes place as a sheep and lamb settle down to sleep for the night. The mother sheep is telling her lamb about the shepherd who cares for them. The sheep explains to her lamb that she isn’t afraid of the dark, getting lost, or anything harmful because she knows the shepherd will always looks after her and the lamb can trust that the shepherd will care for him, too. The Biblical foundation of this story is John 10:14-5, where Jesus describes Himself as the Good Shepherd: "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me--just as the Father knows me and I know the Father--and I lay down my life for the sheep." The text and images are designed to bring this metaphor of our relationship with Jesus to life in a way that is clear and easily discernible to the target audience. My desire is that children and adults reading this story will gain an understanding that just as the shepherd in the story cares for his sheep and the sheep trust him completely, we can trust Jesus to care for us in all areas of our lives because He loves us so much that He gave His life for us.

The purpose of this text is to entertain the target audience. The story rhymes, aiding in language development. The story takes place as a sheep and lamb settle down to sleep for the night."

Bodacious: the Shepherd Cat

BODACIOUS: THE SHEPHERD CAT is a heart-warming and charming tale in which Bodacious tells us about life as The Shepherd Cat on Black Sheep Farm. 'I am Bodacious, The Shepherd Cat , and this is my story. I wasn't always called Bodacious. I must have been called something else in my kitten-hood in the nearby city of Kilkenny, but it's all a bit of a mystery to My Human. As far as she's concerned, I appeared one day and have never left. It's a secret I plan to keep.' Written from the perspective of Bodacious the cat, this is a beautifully written memoir of Bodacious's life on the farm and everything that entails -- early mornings, frosty starts, beautiful sunrises,adventurous rare-breed Zwartbles sheep, hard work, entertaining animals, mouth-watering food, kind people and idyllic country living with its highs and lows. The Shepherd often tells Bodacious her favourite story of how she went out to buy red ribbon to wrap a gift for her friend, but instead came home with a gift for herself: a daring,assertive, ambitious cat looking for a home. But soon The Shepherd realises she needs Bodacious as much as he needs her. As soon as he arrives, Bodacious saunters around the farm like he owns the place and immediately establishes himself as Top Cat. But Bodacious isn't content to pad round the house and curl up by the Aga, and soon he befriends a farm cat called Oscar who trains him in the ways of the farm. As well as Oscar, Bodacious gets to know all the other animals on the farm -- cats Miss Marley and Ovenmitt, the scruffy border collie/fox terrier-cross called Pepper, and The Big Fellow, to name a few. With wonderful characterisation, humour, sharp observation, and a plucky attitude, Bodacious shows us the ropes of Black Sheep Farm. As we soak in the atmosphere of the house, the orchards and the fields, we also learn how this Top Cat Shepherd got his name - by being 'Big, bold, beautiful, bolshie', as his Shepherd always says...

BODACIOUS: THE SHEPHERD CAT is a heart-warming and charming tale in which Bodacious tells us about life as The Shepherd Cat on Black Sheep Farm. 'I am Bodacious, The Shepherd Cat , and this is my story. I wasn't always called Bodacious."

David the Shepherd

Follow the stories of your favourite Bible characters Good for children learning to read Colour illustrations light up each page

Follow the stories of your favourite Bible characters Good for children learning to read Colour illustrations light up each page"