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Harriet Baker's 'Rural Hours' offers an enthralling exploration of how country living profoundly influenced the lives and literary works of Virginia Woolf, Sylvia Townsend Warner, and Rosamond Lehmann. This exquisitely penned and sumptuously produced tome, lauded as a Times Book of the Year 2024, delves into the intimate moments that shaped these remarkable writers.
Baker's narrative unfolds through a series of quiet vignettes: a writer observing an insect on a windowpane, scribbling down a recipe, or harvesting potatoes with soil-caked fingers. As we witness these seemingly mundane occurrences, we begin to discern the profound metamorphoses taking place within each woman.
Following periods of creative stagnation and personal tribulations, these literary luminaries find themselves reinvigorated by their new rural surroundings. The daily challenges and simple joys of establishing a country home become catalysts for bold experimentation in both their writing and their lives.
Through Baker's elegant prose, we discover how the countryside became a sanctuary for these women, offering paths to recovery, sexual and political awakening, and ultimately, to personal liberation and artistic flourishing. The author masterfully reconstructs these oft-overlooked episodes, revealing the pivotal role that 'rural hours' played in shaping the destinies of these pioneering writers.
In essence, 'Rural Hours' extends an invitation to readers: to recognise the transformative power of rural spaces and to uncover fresh enchantment in the rituals of daily life. It stands as a testament to the enduring allure of the countryside and its capacity to nurture the creative spirit.
Book ISBN: | 9780141998596 |
Book Author: | Harriet Baker |
Book Format: | Paperback / softback |
Book Imprint: | Penguin Books Ltd |
Book Publisher: | Penguin Books Ltd |
Book Publication Date: | 2025-03-27 |
Book Pagination: | 384 pages |
Book Weight: | 0g |
Sherlock & Pages is a little bookshop with a big heart. We are based in Frome, Somerset, England and curate lists of books in the areas we are passionate about – landscape, nature, history, and heritage. In short, the conservation of all we’ve inherited and all we are responsible to pass on. We aim to inspire and be inspired, to form a literary culture of care and passion about this precious planet we call home.
This is a shop where you might find something you haven’t seen before, and we like to think we’ve got something for everyone. We choose each of our books with care and for a reason. This is because our physical store is small but beautifully formed, holding only around 1200 titles at any one time. We try and recreate the feel of the shop wherever we are online, to reflect our niche categories and personality.
We have an active social media presence and aim to share our story with all our friends. The long-term goal is to build a hub for the books and writers we believe in. Who knows where our adventure will lead but by supporting Sherlock & Pages you’re helping us to add a further layer of magic to our little corner of the world. If you haven’t visited our physical store, one day you might just make a literary pilgrimage down to Somerset.
Our tagline is ‘Long Live the Hedgerows’ and our symbol a hibernating dormouse. If you want to support an independent with a unique character and which will share stories with you for years to come, then choose Sherlock & Pages. The world needs bookshops with soul, for they are ‘citadels of light.’
Sherlock & Pages is a little bookshop with a big heart. We are based in Frome, Somerset, England and curate lists of books in the areas we are passionate about – landscape, nature, history, and heritage. In short, the conservation of all we’ve inherited and all we are responsible to pass on. We aim to inspire and be inspired, to form a literary culture of care and passion about this precious planet we call home.
This is a shop where you might find something you haven’t seen before, and we like to think we’ve got something for everyone. We choose each of our books with care and for a reason. This is because our physical store is small but beautifully formed, holding only around 1200 titles at any one time. We try and recreate the feel of the shop wherever we are online, to reflect our niche categories and personality.
We have an active social media presence and aim to share our story with all our friends. The long-term goal is to build a hub for the books and writers we believe in. Who knows where our adventure will lead but by supporting Sherlock & Pages you’re helping us to add a further layer of magic to our little corner of the world. If you haven’t visited our physical store, one day you might just make a literary pilgrimage down to Somerset.
Our tagline is ‘Long Live the Hedgerows’ and our symbol a hibernating dormouse. If you want to support an independent with a unique character and which will share stories with you for years to come, then choose Sherlock & Pages. The world needs bookshops with soul, for they are ‘citadels of light.’