Description
Book SynopsisAfter moving from London to a new home in Yorkshire, and about to become a father for the first time, Rob Cowen finds himself in unfamiliar territory. Disoriented, he ventures out to a nearby edge-land: a pylon-slung tangle of wood, hedge, field, meadow and river that lies unclaimed and overlooked on the outskirts of town.
Trade ReviewOne of the most original books of 2015. -- Melissa Harrison * Books of the Year, The Times *
Bold and beautiful. -- Robert Macfarlane * New Statesman *
Cracking… Vividly and movingly described… Cowen writes very well. -- Alan Bennett * London Review of Books *
Absolutely mesmerising, utterly beautiful, utterly engrossing – it takes a lot for a book to give me goosebumps but this one did. -- Joanne Harris * Simon Mayo Drivetime BBC Radio 2 *
[A] multi-faceted,
touched-by-genius exploration of a stretch of Harrogate wasteland. -- John Lewis-Stempel * Sunday Express, Books of the Year *
Marks out Cowen as
a new writer who is both entertaining and significant… Cowen’s descriptive writing is
visceral and gripping… and his attention to colour is particularly striking. -- Richard Benson * Independent *
Magical... Deeply original... a detailed nature study [and] a moving memoir... I became both intrigued and enchanted by this hybrid approach. -- Sara Maitland * Countryfile magazine, Book of the Month *
Highly poetic...
like an archaeologist, Cowen unearths histories, natural life and decayed infrastructure in a small area bordering the River Nidd...
Above all, Common Ground is about the transformative power of this unnoticed piece of land, if one can only stand and stare for long enough' -- Serena Tarling * Financial Times *
Highly poetic...
like an archaeologist, Cowen unearths histories, natural life and decayed infrastructure in a small area bordering the River Nidd...
Above all, Common Ground is about the transformative power of this unnoticed piece of land, if one can only stand and stare for long enough' -- Serena Tarling * Financial Times *
Sensitive, thoughtful and poetic. Rob Cowen rakes over a scrap of land with forensic care, leading us into a whole new way of looking at the world. -- Michael Palin
