PERHAPS A GIFT VOUCHER FOR MUM?: MOTHER'S DAY
Ben Short is a charcoal burner and woodsman, working in the Dorset countryside. A decade ago he worked as an advertising copywriter in London. He has lived in huts and old wagons, spent summers off-grid in woods, hauled his water from wells and had to forage for his supper. He lives in Dorset with his partner and son. benshortcharcoal.co.uk
Lyrical, moving and never self-pitying . . . a lovely book. * The Times * Short's story is as much about work as it is escape and landscape; he illuminates the value of doing rather than thinking. Beautifully written, Burn is melancholy and hopeful in equal measure. Like taking a forest ramble in changeable weather, reading it leaves you feeling ruffled but alive * Mail on Sunday * An intriguing, touching and beautifully written book, about how it feels to be in a dark place spiritually, to move into the woods but enter an increasingly lighter place, to be practising the ancient skills of coppicing and charcoal burning, to love a dog. -- Ruth Pavey In this candid memoir, [Ben] learns the benefits of living simply . . . above all, Ben discovers the joys of risking everything in the search for personal happiness. * The Countryman * A most excellent read. Destined to become a classic in its field, much like Walter Rose's memoir, The Village Carpenter -- Sean Hellman An extraordinary and powerful book, full of vitality. Every page celebrates the way traditional skills can shape who we are. * Tristan Gooley *
