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Sea Bean
£14.70£18.00 (-18%)
A WATERSTONES NATURE AND TRAVEL BEST BOOK OF 2023
LONGLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT NATURE WRITING PRIZE 2023
‘Modern, revealing and restorative, a coastal treasure’ Amy Liptrot
‘Like its talismanic title, Huband’s voice is distinct and singular. A gorgeous reckoning with the sea, islands and mythology’ Sinéad Gleeson
‘A wild melding of body and landscape. A deep, immersive, storm-tossed read’ Helen Jukes
‘As vital and complex as the oceans themseleves’ Joanna Pocock
A powerful journey of sea and self, trial and hope on the islands of Shetland
When a seed falls from a vine in the tropics and is carried by ocean currents across the Atlantic to the shores of Western Europe – it is known as a sea bean. It is still considered lucky to find a sea bean on the shore, they have been used as magical charms for more than a thousand years.
Sally’s search for a sea bean begins not long after she moves to the windswept archipelago of Shetland. When pregnancy triggers a chronic illness and forces her to slow down, Sally takes to the beaches. There she discovers treasure freighted with story and curiosities that connect her to the world.
The wild shores of Shetland offer glimpses of orcas swimming through the ocean at dusk, the chance to release a tiny storm petrel into the dark of the night and a path of hope. This beachcombing path takes her from the Faroese archipelago to the Orkney islands, and the Dutch island of Texel. It opens a world of ancient myths, fragile ecology, and deep human history. It brings her to herself again.
Sea Bean is a message in a bottle. An interconnection of our oceans, communities and ourselves, and an invitation to feel belonging when we are adrift.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Hutchinson Heinemann (6 April 2023) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Hardcover | 352 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 152915247X |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1529152470 |
| Dimensions | 14.5 x 3 x 22.5 cm |
by Desperate Reader
I’ve followed Sally Huband’s writing in various anthologies for a while, and still this book is far better than I could have hoped for. It’s an extraordinary book. Generous, profound, curious, wide ranging, warm, challenging, beautifully written and endlessly interesting. I can’t recommend it highly enough, it’s filled me with hope for what is possible and for the resilience of women and islanders.
by R. Kenyon
The publisher’s blurb claims the book is about beach combing and being at one with the island the author lives on. What she writes about is the death in nature “red in tooth and claw’, or brought about by humans over fishing, destroying the land and causing global warming.
by rod
Being fortunate to receive a copy of this book through the Scottish Book Trust, I was immediately enthralled by the author’s sincere approach in dealing with her physical limitations and approach to nature. This is a heartfelt account of her findings and a wakeup call to those who pay scant regard to environmental issues.
Thoroughly recommend this book to all who value ecology in a fast changing world.
by Cat P
The story is fab. The narrator, and I apologise, as I know that this is narrated by the author, is a little hard to listen to.
by Emma Hollow
This is one of the most beautiful books I have ever purchased on audible or ever read . It is truly stunning. Husband writes about her own struggles with chronic pain in a way that speaks to be and ignites an inspiration for me to push through my own. Her stories about her time on Shetland is riveting and interesting. I am in awe of how she evokes my own memories of the island and also writes in such detail I feel I am right there with her.
I am so in love with this book. I recommend it to anyone who loves nature, wildlife or simply needs inspiration to persue their passions.
by Liz Wells
This book is an excellent read
by C.Thompson
This is a truly wonderful book. It speaks of the past, present and future of Shetland. It is heartwarming and deeply sad at the same time; a reflection of our troubled times, with large uncaring corporations at the forefront of ruining our world, possibly for ever. I greatly enjoyed reading it though, for its information on a place not so far away from me, of which I knew very little.
by Pat
A beautifully written book showing a great love and affinity with Shetland. With its land, people, birds and mammals, its history and folklore. A triumph. A book to lift the spirits.