The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Scottish book of the week
Scotland: home of the brave and land of the free and the pine marten, apparently.
These Scottish natives are enjoying a starring role in the new nature read from naturalist Polly Pullar.
In A Richness of Martens, Polly devotes herself to capturing the characteristics and behaviour of some of Scotland’s most elusive creatures, primarily the pine marten.
Let’s be honest, nature books are a specific taste and admittedly, not my genre of choice. I was excited to see if Polly’s book could change my mind but unfortunately, my views continue unaltered; I just didn’t engage with this book. It was by no means badly written – on the contrary, Polly’s writing showcases her talent as an author. I just felt the narrative was limited in development.
The examination of martens was based solely on several sightings permitted by their venturing into a family garden and so, understandably, the narration is somewhat restricted.
Polly intends to generate interest by means of anthropomorphism in an attempt to establish personal relationships with individual martens by their brief introductions.
However, there are so many of them that by the end it felt a bit like a stranger forcing pictures of their children on me. It’s nice but, without an emotional connection, I just couldn’t get that excited by their activities.
Adding further issues to the book’s development is the continued interruption of the narrative on martens by chapters on other wildlife. These too are well written but feel a bit random in their placing within the book.
Overall, it is an easy read which highlights the importance of caring for the environment but this is one I’d deem a “sorbet book”. It cleanses your literary palate before you gorge yourself on the next more enticing course.
Review by Emma Reekie