Ian Walthew

This may sound an extravagant claim, but this is one of the very best books of any genre I have ever read. The below explains most of the many reasons for me.

'[An] affecting and inspiring memoir. What sets it apart from others of its ilk is the author's enviable immunity to cliche and his determintation to love his homeland better than he used to..Required reading for anyone who claims to know or love this country'"
FINANCIAL TIMES

[Walthew's] beautifully written book is an elegy for an England that is dying" (Max Davidson DAILY TELEGRAPH )

"Avoiding the usual bland elegy for the rustic and redemptive, his book is a valuable memoir, both personal and social, a meditation on belonging in one of many Englands." (OBSERVER )

"a hard-edged and moving account of life in rural Britain today" (SUNDAY TIMES )

"Compelling and often deeply moving...Walthew has a genuine gift for bringing both people and places to life and marshals his runaway real life narratives with a novelist's skill." (Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall )

"I read A Place in My Country with absolute unalloyed delight. A glorious book." (Jeremy Irons )

"he finds a farming heartbeat that is proud and defiant, defended by a cast of characters that outshine The Archers. A revelation of a book" (Tim Butcher, author Blood River )

"affecting and inspiring memoir...required reading for anyone who claims to know or love this country" (FINANCIAL TIMES )

"Funny, touching and ultimately very moving, this is a beautiful, unsentimental account of a personal loss that is reflected in the rapidly changing texture of life in rural England." (Clover Stroud SUNDAY TELEGRAPH )

"a riveting read" (COUNTRY LIFE )

"The book is a fascinating snapshot. All of life is here - birth, death, struggles with illness, hard work, lots of laughter. It will make you smile gently to yourself, laugh out loud, shed a quiet tear and feel angry at the changes happening in our countryside." (NFU'S COUNTRYSIDE MAGAZINE )

"This is a great book, if you like to have your misconceptions about our land thoroughly challenged." (BBC COUNTRYFILE MAGAZINE )

"Well written and well constructed, this is an enjoyable, funny, often poignant book, and one that will resonate with many New Zealanders." (CHRISTCHURCH PRESS )… (meer)