Keynote
"A book of unparalleled beauty, sharpness of observation, wit, delicacy, strength of vision and rare exactness of language."—The Daily Telegraph
Book Title
Findings
Cover Image
- Featured on the Kenyon Review Holiday Reading LIst
Body
During her husband's hospital stay for a life-threatening illness, Kathleen Jamie didn't pray, but she did find herself paying very close attention to the world around her. In Findings, she shares her direct, uncluttered observations of the natural and unnatural world--seen from her kitchen window, on the streets of Edinburgh, in hospital corridors, in the Outer Hebrides.
What she finds: an awe-inspiring salmon run that turns out to have reengineered so that no salmon can possibly reach the top of the falls. A disembodied doll head, caught with the carcass of a whale in sea grass on a remote island, where crofters once combed for driftwood. She wonders: "is durability still a virtue, when we have invented plastic."
Findings received resounding praise on publication in the U.K. John Berger named it his favorite book of 2005, "because it finds without disturbing the found. And this takes courage and delicacy"—The Guardian (London)
What she finds: an awe-inspiring salmon run that turns out to have reengineered so that no salmon can possibly reach the top of the falls. A disembodied doll head, caught with the carcass of a whale in sea grass on a remote island, where crofters once combed for driftwood. She wonders: "is durability still a virtue, when we have invented plastic."
Findings received resounding praise on publication in the U.K. John Berger named it his favorite book of 2005, "because it finds without disturbing the found. And this takes courage and delicacy"—The Guardian (London)
List Price
$16.00
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About the Author
Credit: Alan Young
Praise
- "It is [Jamie's] ability to excavate the questions that enriches us."—Boston Review
- “An observant eye and a voice both lyrical and intelligent.”—Kirkus Reviews
- "Jamie muses on the value of the Sabbath as a day of reflection. One need only to look to these thoughtful, sometimes provocative essays to find a strong argument for the good that can emerge from it."—The Seattle Times
- “Kathleen Jamie is a poet, and it shows in every page of Findings…Every page sings with her elegant, carefully orchestrated verbal harmonies.”—The Bloomsbury Review
