Ring of Bright Water (Classic, Nature, Penguin) (edition 1987)

This has been my lunch time read for the last few weeks. While the book is marketed as an author's life with pet otters, it is really much more than that. While I enjoyed the shenanigans of the otters - which don't get wrong are adorable, the parts of the book I really enjoyed were Gavin Maxwell's descriptions of the various natural environments he traveled to and lived in: everywhere from the marshes of Iraq to the highlands of Scotland. While the book seemed a little dated at times, for me it was really eye opening to see what the exotic animal trade was like in the 50s and 60s. There were definitely several passages that made me cringe. As a word of warning to potential readers, there are a few parts in this book that are pretty upsetting to animal lovers, so if you tend to get upset when reading this sort of book you might want to steer clear. ( )

I remember seeing a film of this book back in the '70s. I was quite taken with it at the time - it seemed to emphasise the otter and his owner and their relationship. Don't remember that it was so isolated or that there was a dog and another otter and travel overseas as well. There might have been a scene at the beginning in London where Gavin Maxwell was wanting to escape to a life of peace and solitude.
Anyway the book has more in it - was very struck by how spartan the lifestyle was and wondered at what sort of a person Gavin Maxwell was. ( )

These early Pan paperbacks often get overlooked. Their look and feel is superb and this one at least has stood the test of time. Its cover still glistens,

This book is a delightful, fascinating and sometimes sad story. Written by a reclusive naturalist who brought otters from the marshes of Southern Iraq to Northern Scotland where he lived with them in a remote location. The descriptions of the otters are wonderful and informative. The nature writing is very good, too- there are interesting descriptions of the Northern Scotland wilds and various other forms of wildlife that surrounded his home on the edge of the sea. Full of humor and a wild beauty.

Dog Ear Diary ( )

2031 Ring of Bright Water, by Gavin Maxwell (read 16 Nov 1986) This tells of the author's time on a northwest Scotland shore, and the animals there--especially two otters, Mij and Edal. He also had five geese which would come when he called. The book is well written. It was a fun book to read, though I am not sure how significant it is. ( )