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Gavin Maxwell
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Ring of Bright Water Kindle Edition

by Gavin Maxwell (Author), Winifred Nicholson (Illustrator), John Lister Kaye (Introduction) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 385 ratings
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Ring of Bright Water was hailed as a masterpiece when it was first
published, sold over two million copies worldwide, and was later adapted
into a successful film. Fifty years on it remains one of the most lyrical,
moving descriptions of a man’s relationship with the natural world.

In 1957, after travelling in southern Iraq, Gavin Maxwell returned to the
West Highlands of Scotland with an otter cub called Mijbil. Written within
the sound of the sea, in a remote cottage where they set up home together,
this enduring story evokes the unspoilt seascape and wildlife of a place
Maxwell called Camusfeàrna.

Our new, single edition is unabridged and restores this classic book to its original publication length, as intended by Gavin Maxwell.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    225 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    April 9, 2014
  5. File size
    5648 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“No shelf of nature books would be complete without a volume examining the bond between people and those animal species we have invited into our homes―that rich, reciprocal process of domestication for which the term ‘pet’ seems trivializing. I know no author who writes more satisfyingly about pets than the Scottish writer Gavin Maxwell.” -- Brad Leithauser ― Wall Street Journal

About the Author

Gavin Maxwell (1914–69) was a naturalist and author. His many books include The Rocks Remain and Raven Seek Thy Brother, sequels to Ring of Bright Water.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00JLLVSBE
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Little Toller Books; Unabridged, original edition (April 9, 2014)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 9, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 5648 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 225 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 385 ratings

About the author

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Gavin Maxwell

Gavin Maxwell

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
385 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Robert Adams
5.0 out of 5 stars Very Enjoyable to Read
Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2023
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Little Toller is a good publisher! Paper is higher quality and print is more legible than what you get from others. Plus the nice illustrations increases the experience of this wonderful classic.
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HC
4.0 out of 5 stars Nice book
Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2019
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Nice drawings, interesting story. Has a ribbon place marker. While it has an outdated view on the acceptable treatment of wild animals, it’s still a good read.
2 people found this helpful
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Leonard A. Woodward
5.0 out of 5 stars Ring of Bright Water, a True Life Tale
Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2021
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Ring of Bright Water is a beautifully written tale of the author's experiences over a decade with his dog and two wild otters. It is not only a recounting of experiences, from a visit in Egypt where he found his first otter to the delightful relationship with it and eventual heart breaking loss. The photography of their lives in a remote seaside Scottish island home with other animals and neighbors makes the reader feel a part of the place and events described in this almost poetic narrative.
One person found this helpful
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MLB
5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book
Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2017
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I read this book in my youth and could barely remember the details so I purchased it for my Kindle and read it again. I love Gavin Maxwell's vivid descriptions and style of writing and although the overall story is melancholy, I like that about it as well since it follows the path of his life at that time. Being a person who must have the company of animals and having grown into somewhat of a loner I can identify with this book.
11 people found this helpful
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Row Doc
3.0 out of 5 stars Dated
Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2021
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I had read this years ago and remembered it fondly. The ability to find a low-cost used copy What is an opportunity to good to pass up. The story however has not aged quite as well. The descriptions of the countryside and the otters are as eloquent as I remembered. The story reminds me of the uncomfortable stigma of British colonialism that I experienced living in Africa. The idea of introducing a foreign species into a different environment and removing animals from the wild no longer rings true.
2 people found this helpful
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Doobie Do
5.0 out of 5 stars ... a man living a largely isolated life and very good writing and description of the Highlands
Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2017
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Delightful story of a man living a largely isolated life and very good writing and description of the Highlands. I will love otters the rest of my life. I had no idea they were such intelligent and loving creatures. Great story.
2 people found this helpful
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Jodi Neu
4.0 out of 5 stars Ring of Bright Water
Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2013
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The quality of the book was great, just as stated in the review. I was a bit aprehensive to buy a used book but will definitely do so again.
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Miranda N.
5.0 out of 5 stars Very sturdy, beautiful, book.
Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2018
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Have not read it, it is a gift for my best friend, but the book is amazing. The artwork is beautiful. (a watercolor of an otter every chapter) It has a sown on bookmark, nice binding. It is a beautiful book
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Helen
5.0 out of 5 stars Bringing up an otter.
Reviewed in Canada on July 14, 2019
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I liked the story and especially using my last name MacKinnon. I first bought this book in Scotland but when I moved into a nursing home the book didn’t come with me. I was so thrilled when I learned that you had it.
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Cliente Amazon
1.0 out of 5 stars grandissima delusione
Reviewed in Italy on January 10, 2019
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ho acquistato il libro segnalatomi da un'amica che sapeva della mia passione per le lontre di mare. ho deciso di acquistarlo in lingua originale perché amo leggere in inglese. ho interrotto la lettura a un quarto del libro perché non ne potevo più della dettagliatissima descrizione del paesaggio e della flora tipica di quell'angolo di mondo. La quantità di nomi sconosciuti non mi ha neppure incuriosito al punto di cercarne la traduzione, in quanto non mi avrebbero illuminato neppure in italiano. il libro è in stand-by, non so se lo riprenderò in mano più avanti
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BeePrashant
5.0 out of 5 stars Song of the nature
Reviewed in India on June 10, 2019
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" I have been possessed by a wild and entirely illogical unrest; the same sort of unrest, I imagine, that migratory creatures feel in captivity when the season for their movement is at hand."
Lyrically and poignantly written about each and everything from the seasons, the animals, birds ,the people and not the least about his pet otters is the celebration of one mans life in solitude .
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cani
4.0 out of 5 stars merveilleux classique anglais édition illustrée magnifique
Reviewed in France on November 20, 2014
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Gavin Maxwell nous raconte une partie de sa vie, par épisodes, en lien avec l'amitié qu'il a éprouvée pour les compagnons qu'il a eus à cette époque, des loutres. Un classique anglais, illustré pour cette édition anniversaire, par des aquarelles magnifiques. Que du bonheur.
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Stewart M
5.0 out of 5 stars More than just a book about otters
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 21, 2012
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This is a wonderful book, written with simple direct prose and a clear narrative flow. This description may make it seem a little old fashioned, but that is not really the case. The author chooses to use simple, accessible, language to describe the relationship between him and his pets - two otters being the most important - and between him and the landscape in which he lives. In both cases his understanding of one is enriched by his experience of the other.

While it may have been `easier' to achieve in the 1950s than it is today, the books central message is that people need to connect with some aspect of the wild in their lives. Not everybody would be able to do that by living in a remote cottage in Scotland, but the point remains valid - to understand the world, you need to be connected to it.

I read this book because I had read the `other' otter book -  Tarka the Otter (Puffin Modern Classics) - and I wanted to compare them. I had not expected I would enjoy this book so much it its own right. Not only is it consistently engaging, it is also very funny in places. The descriptions of his travels on trains and planes with an otter are wonderfully funny, and seem to be great examples of understatement.

As an example of a beautifully told story, set in a magical landscape, I could not recommend this book highly enough. Equally, it seems that its reputation as "just a story about otters" vastly under-values this book.

If you have any interest in high quality writing about the natural environment I would suggest you read this book.

(My only grip is based on the introduction to the book - while the content of this is interesting, I find it remarkable that a quotation of a sentence around which the meaning of the whole book turns contains a typo. Such things are difficult to prevent - but this one really jarred)
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