Estuary: Out from London to the Sea - Hardcover

Lichtenstein, Rachel

4.02

201 ratings by Goodreads

9780241142882: Estuary: Out from London to the Sea

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0241142881 ISBN 13: 9780241142882

Publisher: Hamish Hamilton, 2016

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LONGLISTED FOR THE GORDON BURN PRIZE 2017

An immersive, intimate journey into the world of the Thames Estuary and the people who spend their lives there

The Thames Estuary is one of the world's great deltas, providing passage in and out of London for millennia. It is silted up with the memories and artefacts of past voyages. It is the habitat for an astonishing range of wildlife. And for the people who live and work on the estuary, it is a way of life unlike any other - one most would not trade for anything, despites its dangers.

Rachel Lichtenstein has travelled the length and breadth of the estuary many times and in many vessels, from hardy tug boats to stately pleasure cruisers to an inflatable dinghy. And during these crossing she has gathered an extraordinary chorus of voices: mudlarkers and fishermen, radio pirates and champion racers, the men who risk their lives out on the water and the women who wait on the shore.

From the acclaimed author of Brick Lane and Rodinsky's Room, Estuary is a thoughtful and intimate portrait of a profoundly British place. With a clear eye and a sharp ear, Rachel Lichtenstein captures the essence of a community and an environment, examining how each has shaped and continues to shape the other.

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Review:

Publisher's description. An immersive journey through the weird and haunting spaces of the Thames Estuary. Rachel Lichtenstein presents an extraordinary chorus of voices, from mudlarkers and fishermen to radio pirates and champion racers, capturing the incredibly diverse community of people who live and work in this ancient, wild and mesmerising place. (Penguin)

Rachel Lichtenstein's electrifying exploration of the estuary (Spectator)

The Thames Estuary changes constantly. How do you make such a landscape comprehensible, and how do you render it vividly for the reader? Lichtenstein's outstanding book shows how it should be done. (Irish Times)

Immersive, engrossing, evocative (The Lady)

From the Back Cover:

'Lichtenstein restores edgy pride and celebrates muddy beauty' Blake Morrison, Guardian

The Thames Estuary is both a waterway and an edgeland of civilisation. Over centuries it has been swept back and forth by tides of history, commerce, tradition, piracy, war, art and, of course, the weather and currents which make it a danger to the innocent and experienced alike. Inspired by its eerie beauty, Rachel Lichtenstein offers a powerful and moving odyssey through this haunting landscape - and tells the story of the people who have chosen to work, live, and love on and beside the endlessly restless waters they dare to call home.

'Lichtenstein is a cultural archaeologist, digging up forgotten stories' Daily Telegraph

'Rich in eerie poetry... Glittering rivulets and wildlife-teeming marshlands... A working river with the most extraordinary depth of history' Spectator

'Lichtenstein's engrossing study brings her into contact with the murky history of these unquiet waters. In this immersive account, she does it evocative justice' Lady

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