Wolf Border, The
Hall, SarahWhen zoologist Rachel Caine takes on the job of reintroducing grey wolves into the Earl of Annerdale's estate in Cumbria, it's a chance to kill two birds with one stone. Not only will she be able to continue working with the animals she is so passionate about, it's also a chance for her to return home to England and reassess her life. With Scottish independence flexing its muscles just over the border and the controversy ignited by rewilding of the wolves, there is plenty happening to accompany Rachel on her own journey of self-discovery.
From environmental advocacy to personal transition, this is a novel of beautifully described landscapes, vivid characters and contemporary Britain.
Pages
435
435
Year
2015
2015
Reviews
16-08-2023
An interesting style of writing, provoked lots of discussion.
11-08-2023
Very divided group. Half did not complete reading, or didn't enjoy. The other half felt it had merit, with reservations.
30-03-2023
Most enjoyed a good read. Too many threads not tied together well however. Over complicated.
05-05-2022
A really good read enjoyed by all. An interesting discussion followed.
27-10-2021
A lighthearted look at some serious issues - women in science, solo mothers, privileges of money and power, the impact of drugs etc. Some felt it was too lighthearted but others enjoyed the interesting storyline.
27-10-2021
Starts well with interesting storylines. Last third just fizzles out.
27-10-2021
We all really liked this book. A slow start but worth persevering. The slight twist at the end was satisfying.
27-10-2021
All of us loved this book. One of the few books we've all agreed about!
27-10-2021
Everybody enjoyed the writing style of the author and agreed it was a nice, easy read. They enjoyed the descriptions of the wolves and the Lake District. But were disappointed it didn't give more details at the end of the story.
21-09-2020
On the positive side we thought some of the descriptive writing was excellent. Unfortunately we felt the story just didn't work, the characters weren't believable, the plot stretched credulity, and the two strands of the narrative (the wolves and Rachel's journey) didn't gel in the way we think the author intended.
29-08-2020
The majority of our group did not persevere beyond the first few chapters. The lack of speech marks was annying to some and the reviews the book got seemed very generous! We found the story boring and a little disjointed. It seemed that the ending was rushed and meant most of the book up to that point was irrelevant. Not a favourite.
07-06-2019
About half our group did not think the book worthy of the raves. For some of us the build-up with nasty emails and demonstrations was not clearly correlated with the conclusion; although after discussion were willing to be persuaded otherwise. The perfidy of the Earl's long-term plot took many of us by surprise. Good discussion about the characters' motives & behaviour, and around the advocacy of re-establishing species into the wild. Some of our more progressive thinkers enjoyed Rachel's egalitarian actions and found her to be a person of our times.
25-05-2019
Easy to read despite the lack of speech marks. We found the characters unrelatable and overly complex.
12-11-2018
Great twists and turns and enjoyed by everyone. A good plot and we enjoyed the suspense.
10-09-2018
Universally enjoyed. Strong characterisation and an eloquent, evocative description of the lake district.
28-05-2018
Enjoyed greatly by all. Excellent plots, evocative prose and thought-provoking themes. Lots of discussion around the reintroduction of predators into a newly independent Scotland; the manipulative power of privilege; Rachel's motivations and parenting; her relationships with the other characters and her parallel return to Cumbria as the wolves also return.
28-05-2018
An easy read but everyone felt like they were waiting for something to happen.
28-05-2018
A jolly good read with helpful notes.
28-05-2018
The majority of the group enjoyed the book and felt it was well-written with excellent characterisation, an interesting plot and a skilful (but not entirely likely) ending. The plot gathered momentum and most wanted to keep reading to find out what happened next. Some disliked Rachel's character and felt an associated dislike of the book.
28-05-2018
The group thoroughly enjoyed the book. Felt it raised many issues - single motherhood, conservation, re-introduction of species, Scottish independence along with the English class system. It was a believable storyline, but we were 'disturbed' by Rachel putting her baby son in danger of being uplifted by wolves. A superbly crafted book.
28-05-2018
We enjoyed the book - some found it took a while to get into. We liked the central character - but weren't too sure about her taking her baby when out looking for the wolves!
28-05-2018
This is a wonderful book, we all loved it. Beautifully written and constructed.
09-03-2018
"The Wolf Border" by Sarah Hall drew active discussion with our Group. However not everyone appreciated this book. Those who enjoyed it REALLY enjoyed it and we all agreed that Sarah Hall had either completed a great many hours research on the behaviour of wolves in the wild, or she is personally interested. Great descriptions of her characters we all felt. The English country-side descriptions made me feel like going back to see it all again!