{"product_id":"old-man-the-sand-eel","title":"Old Man \u0026 The Sand Eel","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e''A wonderfully fluent account of how the strange magic of water and the beings that inhabit it can enchant and intoxicate'' Chris Yates\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e''[Will Millard] writes with a genuine sense of humility (...) humour and reflection'' Kevin Parr, \u003ci\u003eCountryfile \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e***\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGrowing up on the Cambridgeshire Fens, Will Millard never felt more at home than when he was out with his granddad on the riverbank, whiling away the day catching fish. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs he grew older his competitive urge to catch more and bigger fish led him away from that natural connection between him, his grandfather and the rivers of his home. That is, until the fateful day he let a record-breaking sand eel slip through his fingers and he knew that he had lost the magic of those days down by the river, and that something had to change. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Old Man and the Sand Eel \u003c\/i\u003eis at its heart the story of three generations of men trying to figure out what it is to be a man, a father and a fisherman. It plots Will''s scaly stepping stones back to his childhood innocence, when anything was possible and the wild was everywhere.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e***\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e''Delightful and informative (...) beautifully drawn'' \u003ci\u003eThe Spectator \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ''[Will Millard] is a \u003cb\u003emaster wordsmith\u003c\/b\u003e and his first book is \u003cb\u003ea joyful testament\u003c\/b\u003e to that'' Isabelle Broom, \u003ci\u003eHeat\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''\u003cb\u003eThe writing is sharp and clever\u003c\/b\u003e (...) \u003cb\u003eI loved all of it and would as happily read it again as I would sit beside the river waiting for the evening rise of trout to begin''\u003c\/b\u003e Tom Fort, \u003ci\u003eLiterary Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''This is \u003cb\u003epost-modern nature writing that embraces beauty where it finds it and marvels at nature''s tenacity\u003c\/b\u003e (...) But there''s more here than just fish. \u003cb\u003eThis is also a book about growing up, about how to retain a connection with those who raised you while forging your own identity\u003c\/b\u003e - what to keep and what to discard. And it''s about men. The \u003cb\u003estrong surges of emotion\u003c\/b\u003e that both draw them together and keep them apart, and \u003cb\u003ethe shared pastimes which recognise that intimacy and meaning aren''t always accompanied by words\u003c\/b\u003e'' Olivia Edward, \u003ci\u003eGeographical \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"MediaPlace","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57319283261822,"sku":"NW9780241977705","price":11.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1379\/1261\/files\/9780241977705.jpg?v=1778727420","url":"https:\/\/mediaplace.com\/en-eu\/products\/old-man-the-sand-eel","provider":"MediaPlace","version":"1.0","type":"link"}