Christmas is only a memory now. We work our way towards it gradually, over the course of months, but then it dies back in only days.
I purposefully selected more festive books from my shelves over Christmas. Of course, there was Dickens, but another book I selected from the shelves was a collection from an author that I hadn't read before - Village Christmas . . . by Laurie Lee. And, I fell in love.
Reading Laurie Lee for the first time, I felt the thrill readers feel when they discover something wonderful for themselves. And, I felt stupid for not having read any of his writing before. What he wrote on the page made almost absolute sense to me.
That's the great thing about art of all kinds, despite the fact that it is there for many, it can feel wonderfully personal.
I write another blog, in which I focus on my passions for nature and wildlife, and in my blog posts over there I often wax lyrical about my love for wandering countryside paths. And there is some of that in this, this collection of brief essays by Laurie Lee, only it is done much better. Of course.
Village Christmas And Other Notes on the English Year takes us through the seasons of the English year. And it is mostly rural England, a rural England that isn't really there any more.
Throughout the book, the writing is infused with Lee's passion and care for his subject. Each brief essay is almost poetic; a collection of lyrical portraits.
After reading this book, I had a desperate need to read more of Lee's work, and so - because of course I had a Waterstone's gift card somewhere amongst the Christmas gifts - I ordered myself As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning, and reminded myself that Cider With Rosie was still awaiting my attention, on my bookshelves.
Discovering Laurie Lee is to discover a great writer.
My love for the English countryside supplemented my first experience of Lee's writing, and I very much enjoyed the way the book took the reader through the seasons of the year. This structure adds to the experience of the book. Countryside life has been entwined with the changing of the seasons, and the structure of the book, moving from one season to another, conveys this well.
For my money, this book does that wonderful combination of things - not only does it entertain, but it inspires also. It inspires - or reminds the reader of - love for our countryside; it inspires interest in old English tradition, life, and communities; it inspires the reader to consider how their own homes and pasts are a part of who they are.
Yes. I would recommend this book, and I fear that everything I have written above does absolutely no justice to how good I think this book is!
If you would like to purchase Village Christmas And Other Notes on the English Year by Laurie Lee, you can do so here.
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