Common Ground
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  • Published: 8 April 2021
  • ISBN: 9781473594609
  • Imprint: Cornerstone Digital
  • Format: Audio Download
  • RRP: $26.00

Common Ground

Formats & editions
Audiobook
8 Apr 2021
Paperback
15 Feb 2016
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Immersive, evocative and powerful, Common Ground is a unique evocation of how, over the course of one year, Rob Cowen discovered a common - though extraordinary - square mile of wood, meadow, hedge and river on the edge of his northern town.

Shortlisted for the 2015 Portico Prize for Non-Fiction

'Sensitive, thoughtful and poetic ... leading us into a whole new way of looking at the world' Michael Palin

'Absolutely mesmerizing, utterly beautiful and engrossing' Joanne Harris

After moving from London to a new home in Yorkshire, and about to become a father for the first time, Rob Cowen finds himself in unfamiliar territory. Disoriented, hemmed in by winter and yearning for open space, he ventures out to a nearby edge-land: a pylon-slung tangle of wood, hedge, field, meadow and river that lies unclaimed and overlooked on the outskirts of town.

Digging deeper into this lost landscape, he begins to uncover its many layers and lives - beast, bird, insect, plant and people - in kaleidoscopic detail. As the seasons change and the birth of his child draws closer, his transformative journey into the blurry space where human and nature meet becomes increasingly profound. In bringing this edge-land to life, Cowen offers both a both a unique portrait of people and place through time and an unforgettable exploration of the common ground we share with the natural world, the past and each other.
  • Published: 8 April 2021
  • ISBN: 9781473594609
  • Imprint: Cornerstone Digital
  • Format: Audio Download
  • RRP: $26.00
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About the author

Rob Cowen

Rob Cowen is an award-winning writer and author. His 2012 debut Skimming Stones and Other Ways of Being in the Wild won the Roger Deakin Award from the Society of Authors. His second book, Common Ground (2015), has been hailed as a seminal and genre-defying work redefining writing on people and place. Common Ground was voted third in a 2018 poll to find Britain’s favourite nature book of all time, a ‘Book of the Year’ in The Times, The Express and The Independent, and ‘Top Ten Readers’ Choice’ in The Guardian. It was also shortlisted for the Wainwright, Portico and Richard Jefferies Society prizes. Previously a nature and travel columnist at The Independent, Rob has contributed to the New York Times, The Guardian and The Telegraph and written essays and radio programmes for the BBC. His poetry and prose have featured in various journals and books. He lives in North Yorkshire.

portrait photo of Rob Cowen

Praise for Common Ground

I have read many good books but occasionally a great book comes along. Well, I have another one to add to the great list. Cheryl Adnams, Common Ground. Why have I done this? Because it was so real to me. Common Ground is the story of Rachel and Tate and the battles they face and the causes of it. Depression. PTSD. Alcoholism. It's about their fears, guilt, insecurities and the ways we try to hide all of this even from the ones we love . . . But this was not a doom or gloom book. It made me also laugh and fall in love with the characters, and that by trusting and loving the ones who love you, you can start to heal and have hope. Yep, GREAT BOOK.

Len Klumpp

Loved this book! Love this author!

Pink, Amazon