5 out of 5 stars
The publisher provided a copy of this, free of charge, in return for an honest review.
Cairn or Carn in Gaelic means just a pile of stones. They are just a marker of some event or place and can be found all over the world. Some of them can be really old reaching far back into pre-history. In this collection of prose. poems and essays, Jamie has drawn together pieces that are her marker of 60 years on this planet.
The collection begins with her remembering walking southwards towards the lighthouses. A storm has blown up and she is leaning into the wind. As soon as she passes the shelter of the houses, she gets to feel the full force of the wind and is almost blown over. She pauses in the lee of the wind and watches the waves, hears the wind and sees the pulse of the light flashing in the night.
She was soon to find love after this, make a home, and bring up children. Writing opportunities came her way and suddenly she is thirty years older. This book is looking back at what happened over those three decades and this is a marker of that time. But there are no rough rocks in here, rather there precious stones and gems.
Whatever we begin (begin again)
We begin lonely
To say I loved this book would be an understatement. Jamie has always been one of my favourite authors. Her pin-sharp observations of the things that I would never think to glance at, and the way that she moulds her words into the prose and poems that lie within, is just breathtaking. If there was a tiny flaw with the book I thought that it was too short, but I say this out of greed on my part. This isn’t a cairn, this is a literary example of the stone balancer’s art. Please read it as soon as you are able to get your hands on a copy.
Agreed! Wonderful book.
As are Findings and Sightlines
Fantastic book. As soon as I finished it, I went back and read it again. Jamie is my favourite author. I re-read ‘Findings’ and ‘Sightlines’ every September in my beloved Anglesey. I’ll now be adding ‘Cairn’ to the tradition.
She is such a wonderful author. I have never had a tradition of re-reading books at certain times of the year, but I full understand why you’d do it
One of my favourite authors too! Five stars from me. Completely agree that her books are never long enough.
A rare 5 stars from you – must look out for this.
She is a brilliant author
Wow, praise indeed from you – and your other commenters!
She is an amazing author. Have you read any of her other books?