The Last Wilderness

Reviews

Ansell's beautiful memoir of his walks through the Scottish wilderness makes the case for being truly a part of nature rather than outside of it Ansell has the rare skill of combining vividly the intimacy of detail and the astonishing grandeur of this North West coastline of Scotland. Through his keen eyes we look again at the familiar with a sense of wondrous revelation The Last Wilderness is a moving and mesmerising book. Ansell's quiet, respectful immersion in the landscape rewards with some startling encounters with the natural world. He is a knowledgeable and generous guide to the unique flora and fauna of this beautiful corner of Scotland Neil Ansell is a genuine creature of the wild. His knowledge of remote places, and his love for them, come from deep and sustained immersion. He writes in prose which is entirely right for its subject - unshowy, level-headed, quietly surprising. The Last Wilderness is a wonderful experience which tingles with all the sensations of being out on the hill, in all weathers, alone A beautifully-written account of the author's journeys to some of the most remote parts of Britain in search of solitude and solace Beautifully charts the challenges and solaces of being alone and part of nature Lyrical, thought-provoking A love letter to Scotland . . . how I wish I could go back to Arisaig and the Small Isles. How much I missed, but how glad I am to experience it now with this wonderful writer Beautiful...a testimony to reticent courage [A] captivating memoir...vivid as photographs, yet sketched with something more profound than simple reportage. Beneath the measured, knowledgeable, unfussy voice is a meaningful, and even important record: not just of a changing landscape, but of a man such places have shaped. The Last Wilderness is a beautiful read; rich in descriptive detail... his passion for the environment and his sublime prose make it a book to be savoured. A hauntingly beautiful memoir on nature, solitude and hearing loss He captures the landscape and the sense of adventure exquisitely: enough to make me feel I've been there but leaving me longing to make a trek of my own [A] haunting, lyrical memoir Expand reviews