The Living Mountain cover art

The Living Mountain

A Celebration of the Cairngorm Mountains of Scotland

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The Living Mountain

By: Nan Shepherd, Robert Macfarlane, Jeanette Winterson
Narrated by: Tilda Swinton, Robert MacFarlane, Jeanette Winterson
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About this listen

In this masterpiece of nature writing, beautifully narrated by Oscar-winning actress Tilda Swinton, Nan Shepherd describes her journeys into the Cairngorm mountains of Scotland. There she encounters a world that can be breathtakingly beautiful at times and shockingly harsh at others. Her intense, poetic prose explores and records the rocks, rivers, creatures and hidden aspects of this remarkable landscape.

Shepherd spent a lifetime in search of the ‘essential nature’ of the Cairngorms; her quest led her to write this classic meditation on the magnificence of mountains, and on our imaginative relationship with the wild world around us. Composed during the Second World War, the manuscript of The Living Mountain lay untouched for more than 30 years before it was finally published.

©2019 Nan Shepherd (P)2019 Canongate Books Ltd Anthologies & Short Stories Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Nature & Ecology Outdoors & Nature Science Short Stories Inspiring Heartfelt Thought-Provoking Classics

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Critic reviews

"The finest book ever written on nature and landscape in Britain." (Guardian)

"Reading [The Living Mountain] seems to me to explain why reading is so important. And odd. And necessary. And not like anything else. There is no substitute for reading." (Jeanette Winterson)

"Most works of mountain literature are written by men, and most of them focus on the goal of the summit. Nan Shepherd's aimless, sensual exploration of the Cairngorms is bracingly different." (Robert MacFarlane)
All stars
Most relevant  
I plan to trek in the Cairn Gorm now.....it will be my second trip! as I've just finished my first trip with Nan Shepard.
So vivid was this journey into the living mountain that I feel so much more relaxed after the book, as one would after a beautiful holiday immersed in nature.
It took a little while to get onto the rhythm of the book, as it takes one time to get into the rhythm of a good trek into the mountains, but worth persisting, the rewards will be many.
The afterword by Jeanette Winterson on the essence of reading is so pertinent today that it alone deserves a review...5 stars , of course.

Exquisite

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The book itself is an excellent piece, and although written nearly 80 years ago it’s very relevant today.
While the reading by Tilda Swinton is very good, I would have preferred it to have been by someone Scottish to better reflect the author.

A classic

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I have a treasured copy of this book which I return to again and again for comfort and inspiration. Tilda Swinton was the perfect choice to produce the audible version and I will treasure this as much as the paperback. In this age of mass tourism where we feel the need to go everywhere and see everything this book is a lesson in how to slow down and really experience the world around us .

A remarkable book !

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A beautifully written and engaging book, which is wonderfully narrated; an enrapturing log of awe, beauty and senses

Stunning

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Nan Shepherd’s rich and glorious text centres us deeply into the experience of the Mountain. Beautifully read by Tilda Swinton. But also magnificent are the foreword and afterwards by Robert Macfarlane and Jeanette Winterson. I am so glad I started my reading year with this.

Incredible

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Wonderfully read, have listened to it four times now and each time I discover something new.

Brilliant

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On my third listen of the LIving Mountain. Tilda Swinton's narration is understated, insightful, nuanced and maintains a rhythm entirely suited to the prose. If you have spent much time walking landscapes and observing life therein this book will take you on a dream like journey that I hope you will find as engrossing as I did. Enjoy.

Nature writing at it's very best.

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Heart-stoppingly beautiful and infinitely wise love letter to the Cairngorms, read sensitively by TS. Must listen.

A revelation

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I found that I could not stop reading the book, each chapter exposed a new understanding

Inspirational and challenging

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I fail to understand negative reviews of this book. Presently listening to it on a deckchair on sunny Spring day in early April. I regularly go to Scotland and have walked the hills with a sense of awe. There aren’t many books that capture the euphoric sights sounds and smells as this book. The reader does a superb job!

A beautiful account of wild Scotland and superbly read!

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