Rural: The Lives of the Working Class Countryside

'[An] intelligent, multifaceted exploration of working-class life in the British countryside' Independent'Smith beautifully stitches together the beauty, tragedy and comedy that underpins rural communities today making her book a fascinating history lesson' The Scotsman'The politics of land ownership and rural economics are complex and Smith deserves credit for grappling with some of this territory within an accessible and thought-provoking narrative. There's much to enjoy in Rural' The Herald'Smith is uniquely positioned to harvest the stories of rural and ex-rural working-class communities and turn them into something approaching magic. Rural ascends to beauty because it manages something more than simple reportage ... This book is tender, glowing, vitally important stories whispered into an ear' Kirstin Innes, Press and Journal'A brilliant book about another side of working-class life, not a tower block in sight. Clever and honest, tackling slavery, loss and aspiration with humour and candour. I loved it' Kit de Waal, author of My Name is Leon'A wonderful book, beautifully conceived ... So immediate and clearly seen, so gracefully and gently written ... It is such a valuable thing' Adam Nicolson, author of Life Between the Tides'A thoughtful, moving, honest book that questions what it means to belong to a place when it can never belong to you ... Timely and illuminating' Cal Flyn, author of Islands of Abandonment'Tenderly reveals the precarious lives that underpin the beauty and the wealth of our countryside. Essential reading for lovers of the land and its people' Katherine May, author of Wintering'A vital, questing book about the often misunderstood past, hard present-day, and possible futures of rural life in the UK' Dan Richards, author of Outpost