Catherine Munro transforms her life when she moves to Shetland to study the hardy ponies who call this archipelago home. Over the course of her first year, she is welcomed into the rhythms and routines that characterise life at the edge of the world.
When faced with personal loss, Catherine finds comfort and connection in the shared lives of the people, animals and wild landscapes of Shetland. The Ponies at the Edge of the World is a heartfelt love letter to the beauty and resilience of these magical ponies and their native land. This is a stunning book on community, hope and finding home.
Catherine Munro is an anthropologist in human-animal relationships, with a special interest in the people and ponies of Shetland. Catherine lives in Shetland with her young family and loves exploring the landscapes and sharing her experiences through her writing and work as a tour guide. The Ponies at the Edge of the World is her first book.
"Uplifting and moving"
– BBC Radio 2
"Striking"
– The Times
"Poetic and generous"
– Times Literary Supplement
"A meditation on connection between humans and animals, and the homes we make in wild places. I was completely immersed in this remote landscape"
– Katherine May, bestselling author of Wintering
"The Shetland isles and Shetland ponies, the double-down dream, woven with admiration, the narrator's craft, and some healthy, clear-eyed insight. I damn loved it"
– John Lewis-Stempel, bestselling author of Woodston