≫ Download Free Tarka the Otter His Joyful WaterLife and Death in the Country of the Two Rivers Concord Library Series Henry Williamson C F Tunnicliffe Robert Finch 9780807085073 Books

Tarka the Otter His Joyful WaterLife and Death in the Country of the Two Rivers Concord Library Series Henry Williamson C F Tunnicliffe Robert Finch 9780807085073 Books

Download As PDF : Tarka the Otter His Joyful WaterLife and Death in the Country of the Two Rivers Concord Library Series Henry Williamson C F Tunnicliffe Robert Finch 9780807085073 Books

Tarka the Otter His Joyful WaterLife and Death in the Country of the Two Rivers Concord Library Series Henry Williamson C F Tunnicliffe Robert Finch 9780807085073 Books

Henry Williamson came home from World War One a damaged man. He withdrew to England's West Country and spent much of his time observing a small river and its inhabitants. An otter became his focus. I do not know personally if any of this is true, but that is the story.
The book he wrote about Tarka, a young male otter, is in many ways a painful document describing the risks and dangers of Tarka's life. There are many idyllic descriptions of the joyful fun of being an otter, but no happy endings here.
This summer I have been 'raising' a young raccoon. He is gradually being returned to an environment which includes a busy highway and angry people with guns. Observing him has been a huge delight for me, as I'm sure Tarka was to Williamson. Nature is cruel.


Tags : Tarka the Otter: His Joyful Water-Life and Death in the Country of the Two Rivers (Concord Library Series) [Henry Williamson, C. F. Tunnicliffe, Robert Finch] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Relates the adventures of a wild otter, his narrow escapes from Deadlock, the hound, and their final confrontation in the Torridge River,Henry Williamson, C. F. Tunnicliffe, Robert Finch,Tarka the Otter: His Joyful Water-Life and Death in the Country of the Two Rivers (Concord Library Series),Beacon Pr,0807085073,Animals - General,Animals - Horses,Nature stories.,Otters;Fiction.,Animals - Marine Life,Children's 9-12 - Fiction - General,Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9),Fiction,JUVENILE,Juvenile Fiction,Juvenile Grades 7-9 Ages 12-14,Nature & the Natural World - General,Otters,YOUNG ADULT FICTION,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Animals General,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Animals Horses,Nature stories

Tarka the Otter His Joyful WaterLife and Death in the Country of the Two Rivers Concord Library Series Henry Williamson C F Tunnicliffe Robert Finch 9780807085073 Books Reviews

Henry Williamson set out, in a series of novels, to show just how harsh is the life of the wild creatures around us, particularly the predators, when their actions bring them into conflict with mankind. As such, he writes to shock - to show how brutal people can be when dealing with a perceived "dangerous wild animal"

"Tarka The Otter" is one of those wild animals. There is no sentimental anthropomorphism here. Tarka hunts, kills and eats. And he is hunted in return. Williamson spares no details in describing the day-to-day existence of a creature that has to cope with weather, with other predators, with competition for food and mates, and all the other complex problems of staying alive in an inhospitable world made a thousand times more dangerous by the close proximity of human habitation.

I was given this book, along with Williamson's "Animal Saga" when I was 9. I put it down a dozen pages before the end, because I could see where it was going. Charles Dickens wrote about children, but they weren't children's books, they were for adults, and contained the stuff of nightmares for a child. Williamson writes about animals, but also for adults. A 13 year old, or older, could cope with it, but trust me, you don't want your grade schoolers encountering these harrowing experiences from a colder, crueller time gone by.

All that being said, I loved this book, even if I couldn't finish it when I was young. And I've re-read it a dozen or more times over the half century I've owned it, and still love it. Williamson does a superb job of evoking the life of Western England's native wildlife as it was at the beginning of the 19th century, as seen through the bewildered eyes of the animals themselves. The vocabulary is challenging, the poetry magnificent, the imagery stunning. Well worth a 5 star rating.
Tarka is set back in the days when otter hunting was still permitted. While this sounds and was very cruel, we need to remember that at that time people had little or no entertainment and as otter hounds were followed on foot, the poorest in the village could participate. Mainly to them it was just a day out.
Tarka grows and lives in a clear, running river and eats fish, lives in a holt - a hole in the river bank - and plays and grooms himself incessantly. We also see the other creatures around him such as kingfishers and salmon, wildfowl and pike.
Williamson was a naturalist who got his details right and recreated the environment so that we can see how the various factors interact. He used the otter hounds to provide drama and suspense for the reader, and to show us the part the otter played - unwillingly - in the run of village life.

A similar book but easier for the younger reader, is Break for Freedom by Ewan Clarkson, about a mink called Syla who escapes captivity. He also wrote Halik The Grey Seal. Tarka is not for young children as the language is fairly advanced.
Williamson also wrote Salar The Salmon. He admitted himself that it was not easy to read, adding that it had been very difficult to write and chapters were finished at the last minute, not revised before sending to his editor. Salar is worth reading by more advanced readers interested in limnology - the study of rivers and lakes.
Gavin Maxwell wrote Ring of Bright Water about his otter Mijbil in Scotland. However this is not suitable for young readers as the first several long chapters are about Maxwell taking a cottage to clear his mind in order to write up his serious studies of the Marsh Arabs. I struggled through until finally Mij appeared and the book lightened up. But at that age I had very few books. Young readers are better to go for The Otter's Tale, which is the relevant chapters condensed, and later in life if they wish they can go back to the autobiographical version.
A super book which kept me turning pages and savoring the wonderful writing. I hated to finish. For adults and children.
The book looks nice, came in good condition and all that. And I did read the first page or two, and I think the book must be well written. My problem is that I was hoping for something more idyllic. After reading the book jacket information, I decided I could not read the book. Even descriptions of the English countryside could not entice me to follow this little creature through the perils of being hunted and at last killed. Sorry. I'm just a marshmallow at heart, I know.
Very nice volume, reasonable priced. Thank you.
It was a graduation gift. She love it!
A classic way beyond anything the internet-slave generation is likely to make or see.
Henry Williamson came home from World War One a damaged man. He withdrew to England's West Country and spent much of his time observing a small river and its inhabitants. An otter became his focus. I do not know personally if any of this is true, but that is the story.
The book he wrote about Tarka, a young male otter, is in many ways a painful document describing the risks and dangers of Tarka's life. There are many idyllic descriptions of the joyful fun of being an otter, but no happy endings here.
This summer I have been 'raising' a young raccoon. He is gradually being returned to an environment which includes a busy highway and angry people with guns. Observing him has been a huge delight for me, as I'm sure Tarka was to Williamson. Nature is cruel.