Landlines (by Raynor Winn, author of The Salt Path)

Raynor Winn lost her home as they backed somebody who went bust and took the Winns down with him.

Message deleted by Gransnet. Here's a link to our Talk guidelines.

Message deleted by Gransnet. Here's a link to our Talk guidelines.

Reported

Primrose53

I am currently reading “Finding Hildasay” by Christian Lewis. He is the former paratrooper who walked all round England, Wales and Scotland with his dog when he was trying to overcome depression and raised a vast amount for SAAFA.

On the way he met a woman who became his partner and they have a son. They were recently on Ben Fogles’s TV programme. They are still walking!

I saw him when he walked through Bamurgh but I didn’t know who he was at the time so it’s just a fleeting memory.

singingnutty

Raynor Winn is doing a concert tour with the Gigspanner Big Band - it popped up on Facebook I think. She has written the words they sing the songs which are folky so might interest me. Don’t think any venues are local to me though.

They all feature in an episode of Folk on Foot which is my current favourite podcast.

Just watched Raynor Winn in an episode of Rick Steins Cornwall. I’m really enjoying the book. First time in ages that I’ve found an easy to read book that I look forward to reading. Helped by the fact that I lived in Cornwall at one time. Her writing is very poetic which is why she is collaborating with Gigspanner. But, for some reason I can’t warm to her and don’t feel that she’s sincere, although I’m sure that she is ( she wouldn’t be with Gigspanner if she wasn’t). I can’t quite put my finger on why I feel this way. Bit like the way that I’ve always felt I should like Florence from Florence and the Machine but don’t. Feel a bit bad about it to be honest; she probably wouldn’t like me much either.

So many people recommended this book to me. I didn’t enjoy it at all and got fed up with her moaning so much, however her husband was a real trooper as their life certainly wasn’t easy. Just not my sort of book and I wouldn’t choose to read anything else she’s written.

Several folk bands/ singers have collaborated with writers recently Eg Show of Hands with Michael Wood, Johnny Flynn and Robert Macfarlane. But I don’t see the need for Gigspanner to tour with Raynor Winn who doesn’t have the speaking voice to complement her writing ( which I do find good).

Started reading The Salt Path but couldn’t take to the main characters (I know they are real people). Have now given up reading it but I know plenty of people loved this book

I enjoyed The Salt Path although I agree some of it was a bit repetitive. I have Landlines ready to read but it has to wait until I finish my current book. Both were bought for me as a gift, and not books I'd have chosen myself, but I enjoy being challenged by something outside my normal range. The son that bought these for me often presents with a book I've not heard of, and most, but not all, have pleasantly surprised me.

I’m just listening to The Salt Path as an audiobook while recovering from surgery and having to do very little. I’ve also listened to Finding Hildasay and Hildasay to Home, referred to above. I have found both authors really interesting both on nature, the coast and the experience of homelessness. I am really puzzled by some of the negative comments here as I have just been listening to the start of the book where it is explained exactly how they came to lose their home - because of both the dishonesty of a friend and also the huge difficulty of representing yourself in court now there is legal aid for so few things. They shouldn’t have had to lose their home but they did and it can happen to lots of people. Both authors (Winn and Lewis) describe same sort of circumstances over many times (being wet, cold, hungry etc) but they are writing about homelessness and those experiences are repeated day after day after day for people who are sleeping outdoors not indoors and who don’t have enough money to live on. You don’t just ‘get housed’ by the local council - there is not enough housing anywhere - again, this is described in the early stages of the book. I have family members who have been homeless and/or on council waiting lists for ages (even with children) so I am aware of how difficult it gets. I wonder if there is distrust of Winn because she has subsequently been so successful with her writing and so now has money. Or maybe people do not want to think that people can be homeless through no fault of their own. I am interested in, and admire the way that both Lewis and Winn in their writing raise awareness of homelessness for others, not just focusing on their own situation - as well as being so passionate about our beautiful coastline, our natural world in general and the need to preserve it. I can see in both cases how the decision to start walking might seem eccentric. I would like to think I could be so brave when I had lost everything but I’m not sure that I would.

I couldn't get over the fact they were homeless through poor financial acumen; not a crime, admittedly, but the fact they forgot to cancel an insurance policy leaving them about £30 a week to live on, irritated me.
On the other hand, what they did was quite an achievement for a couple at rock bottom - money and health-wise.

Primrose53

I am currently reading “Finding Hildasay” by Christian Lewis. He is the former paratrooper who walked all round England, Wales and Scotland with his dog when he was trying to overcome depression and raised a vast amount for SAAFA.

On the way he met a woman who became his partner and they have a son. They were recently on Ben Fogles’s TV programme. They are still walking!

Thanks for this recommendation. I'll look into it.

I think it is interesting that their homelessness inspires irritation in people. I think perhaps we all want to feel that homelessness and other misfortunes couldn’t happen to us and so we want to find reasons why it is caused by something that people have done wrong - which is understandable. I had also felt irritation when reading Christian Lewis’s book over his lack of financial management and getting into problems and not getting help soon enough etc etc. But I also thought about my own ‘lack of financial acumen’ and how well I would manage in a financial crisis - which would be not well. The reality is that awful things like illness, bereavement and homelessness can happen. One of the main things I am taking from both books is how litttle support we give as a society to people who need it most, all the things that are not there - affordable legal advice, care when ill, affordable housing, just a helping hand. I am not meaning to criticise other commenters, but I think it is always worth noticing when others’ misfortunes provoke judgement in us rather than compassion. Anyway, both authors are thought-provoking and worth a read, or a listen in my case. Both audiobooks I am listening to are read by the author themselves.

Primrose53

I am currently reading “Finding Hildasay” by Christian Lewis. He is the former paratrooper who walked all round England, Wales and Scotland with his dog when he was trying to overcome depression and raised a vast amount for SAAFA.

On the way he met a woman who became his partner and they have a son. They were recently on Ben Fogles’s TV programme. They are still walking!

I watched that episode and found them to be very charming and authentic.. such a lovely uplifting story.. I hope they find somewhere to live that suits their little family...

Was that Ben Fogles Homes in the Wild series? I’d like to watch it.

LailaAnn thank you for your two well balanced, compassionate posts. I have read two of Raynor Winn's books and agree with the points you have raised.

Well, I’ve finally finished The Salt Path. After really enjoying it at first I did find myself skimming over the wordiness of the descriptions, probably because I kept thinking ‘ you couldn’t possibly have remembered all that unless you kept a very well documented diary at the time’.I also have a problem in books and films in which people get soaking wet but then seem to miraculously dry their clothes, given that it takes me all my time to get clothes aired properly under normal circumstances. And in The Salt Path they often seem to go swimming in the evening and I keep wondering why their skin isn’t all salty and how they get dry enough to sleep. So I’m not sure about buying her other books. I’m not sure why. And I feel a bit bad about it. I think I will buy the book by the other guy, though.

I never did read Landlines, thank goodness.

I imagine this couple can now well afford to go on the run far, far away.

Interesting to read my comments at the time [which I'd forgotten about] and the way that I couldn't find her sincere or trustworthy. At least I don't feel guilty about it now.

You had good foresight, MayBee70!

Yes. Your observations were spot on MayBee70.

I don't think we should feel guilty about our instincts Maybee, they are sometimes important.

Their Publishers are looking at the facts claimed in The Salt Path.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14885197/Salt-Path-author-legal-action-publisher-Richard-Osman.html